There is a popular saying that goes, “Behind every successful man is a woman.” In modern India, which claims to be a place of progressive minds, few entrepreneurs risked everything and crafted a business because of the assurance their wives provided as earning members of the family.
The second season of Shark Tank India, a television show where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their business models to investors, brought one such success story of a man supported by his wife. The story brought in a mixed set of reactions to the reversal of traditional roles and acted as a reminder of why more such stories need to come to light in modern India.
Story Of Million-Dollar Companies
The success story of many founders from the country had a rather simple formula – a supportive wife who earned a stable income for the two. Bringing this to light proudly was the Flatheads founder Ganesh Balakrishnan. Pitching his business to the sharks of Shark Tank India, he conveyed that his struggle toward establishing a business was made a little easier with him depending on his wife’s salary. His quip came across as a breeze of fresh air in a society that is generally governed by the patriarchal notion of a man being the sole breadwinner of the family and the wife depending on his salary.
It instantly went viral and made rounds of discussions about shared responsibilities and role reversal among netizens. Soon enough, it paved the way for a Twitter user to remind people that Balakrishnan’s story was one among the many such stories of successful business holders in the country. The Twitter thread shared by Richa Singh is now going viral for conveying the struggles of entrepreneurs and the strong women who supported them throughout it all.
“Wife Kamati Hai, Mai Udata Hu”
(My wife earns and I spend)Ganesh Balakrishnan (@ganeshb78) said this with a shy giggle on @sharktankindia. I realised how living off your wife’s salary is looked down upon in our Indian society🧵
(1/4) pic.twitter.com/SR5jV4XgfL
— Richa Singh (@RichaaaaSingh) January 8, 2023
“Wife Kamati Hai, Mai Udata Hu’ (My wife earns and I spend)” – this one dialogue from Balakrishnan is what triggered a round of thoughts from the social media user. She wrote that Balakrishnan accepted shyly during his business pitch that he relied on the income earned by his wife. Singh conveys that this was when it struck her that society looks down upon someone living off their wife’s salary.
Starting from scratch to completely selling out the inventory of the fledgling shoe company, Balakrishnan had a social security and support system throughout in the form of his wife. Yet this is often looked down upon due to the societal structure that normalised men being breadwinners and women living off the man’s salary. The other way around becomes a rebellious response to the norm, guaranteed to be judged by a section of people.
Richa’s post celebrates these rebellious responses from many founders in the country and voices that “behind every successful man, there definitely is a woman.” She brings in inspiring stories of Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, and Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder of Ola cabs. Both entrepreneurs grew to become well-known names in India’s business arena and did not shy away from claiming that they were dependent on their spouses for a livelihood.
Infosys, the multinational information technology company, started off with meagre capital provided by the founder’s wife, Sudha Murty, after the failure of his first venture. Murthy’s struggle in establishing Infosys continues to be one that inspires many young entrepreneurs, and his humble beginnings are a reminder to set aside traditional stereotypes.
Not just Ganesh, two of the other successful businessmen have taken financial support from their wives:
1. Narayana Murthy, Infosys:
He started Infosys with the meagre capital provided by his wife, Sudha Murty after the failure of his first venture.
(2/4) pic.twitter.com/hBkieFDddx
— Richa Singh (@RichaaaaSingh) January 8, 2023
Similarly, Bhavish Aggarwal too had financial support from his wife, Rajalakshi Aggarwal, since his early days. He would often borrow her car to fulfil requests when Ola was still a young startup, explained Singh’s tweet.
2. Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola:
His wife, Rajalakshi Aggarwal has supported him financially since his early days. He’d borrow her car to fulfil requests when Ola was still a young startup.
(3/4) pic.twitter.com/48PRSO6EYy
— Richa Singh (@RichaaaaSingh) January 8, 2023
Reactions To The Post
The Twitter thread brought in a huge wave of reactions, with over 3,90,000 views and hundreds of likes and retweets. Singh noted by the end of the thread, “While everyone is hailing Ganesh, I would also want to give an ode to his wife to keep his spirit alive. Rightly said, your career depends on the person you marry!” Balakrishnan, too, retweeted Singh’s thread and commented, “She (his wife) has been a pillar of support indeed.”
She has been a pillar of support indeed. No words. https://t.co/xiBf5E4gWS
— Ganesh Balakrishnan (@ganeshb78) January 8, 2023
The thread brought in more stories from entrepreneurs who commented about the kind of mental and financial support their partners extended for them to achieve their dreams. A user named Rajnish wrote, “My wife supported me a lot during my entrepreneur journey, and even now when I am fed up with toxic work, I can rely on her. Recently, I put down my paper even before getting a job, she was there all the time. She has been supporting me financially and mentally since last 10 yrs.” On these lines, a user commented, “This is equality. Both lending their shoulders to the wheel when needed.”
My wife supported me a lot during my entrepreneur journey, and even now when I am fed up with toxic work I can rely on her. Recently, I put down my paper even before getting a job, she was there all the time. She has been supporting me financially and mentally since last 10yrs. pic.twitter.com/AI5JqSWabq
— Rajnish (@Raj7k) January 9, 2023
Meanwhile, pointing out the social stigma that continues to prevail in society, many people conveyed that breaking past these rules requires certain courage and thick skin. A user noted that “(some) men wouldn’t openly admit to the constant support they receive, which comes in various forms too. It’s nice that some in society are showing a mirror to men.” With the thread lighting up debates and heartwarming stories from people, hundreds have now joined in appreciating the partners who have offered a helping hand to their spouses in their toughest times and helped make their battles easier.