Bengaluru: Generally, soldiers who retire from the army end up with low paying jobs like security personnel. But here is a soldier, who once fought in the Kashmir battle and is now a successful entrepreneur.
‘Janu Iyengar Cake Palace’ in the Ramamurthinagara area of K R Puram in Bengaluru, is one of the most popular hangouts in the entire locality. People from various colonies prefer this bakery for cakes and other baked goods for many reasons including quality, taste etc.
This bakery, however, is unlike any other out there and has an interesting origin story. It is run by a soldier who fought with terrorists and enemy soldiers in Kashmir for decades and upon his retirement, wanted to become an entrepreneur.
This is the story of M Mahesh, who worked as a ‘havaldar’ in the Indian army between 1999 and 2017. “Kashmir is nothing but a battleground,” Mahesh says as he recollects his days in Kashmir. While he was a soldier, he served in Jammu and Kashmir and fought against terrorists.
After his retirement, Mahesh joined the Dolar Academy for Skill and Entrepreneurship (DASE) in Jalahalli of the city, with the help of Directorate General Resettlement, Ministry of Defense. After getting an orientation about the baking industry and hands-on training, he opened a bakery in Ramamurthinagara.
“Now we prepare most of the baked goods on our own. The skills which I learned at the Dolar academy helped me enter into the baking industry,” says Mahesh to took a two-month course at the academy.
Mahesh has now employed someone to assist him in baking. His family also supports him in his initiative. “Along with the baking course, I also got an orientation on entrepreneurship skills. I was taught how to set up a bakery, how to get a loan, interior decoration etc. The post-course training really helped me set up this bakery,” he said.
Speaking about the first few days of setting up shop, Mahesh said, “K P Jayaprakashan, the founder of Dolar Academy himself, visited my bakery and gave his valuable guidance. Col Verghese Daniel from the Madras Engineer Group (MEG) is my inspiration for taking up this journey.”
According to Jayaprakashan, Mahesh underwent free training under the Kaushalya Karnataka mission. “Besides providing hands-on training, we also help the candidates set up their bakery by helping them get a loan, open a shop, customized plans etc.,” he explained.
