The Hindu Business Line : Mr Arun K. Chittilappilly, The Wonderla Holidays Managing Director; RNS Institute of Technology, Department of Management Studies, Bangalore

Industry & Economy - Education
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Mr Arun K. Chittilappilly, The Wonderla Holidays Managing Director; RNS Institute of Technology, Department of Management Studies, Bangalore

The hard way up: The Wonderla Holidays Managing Director, Mr Arun K. Chittilappilly, addressing the students of RNS Institute of Technology’s Department of Management Studies, Bangalore, on “How to be an entrepreneur” at an event organised by the Business Line Club.

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Bangalore, Sept 17 Today’s youngsters have different aspirations and they always yearn to bridge the gap between their ambitions and achievements. They desire to establish their own organisations even if it means taking the risk of failure. This was evident at the BL Club guest lecture on entrepreneurship organised for the management students of the R.N.S. Institute of Technology (RNSIT) here on Wednesday.

Sharing his experiences, Mr Arun K. Chittilappilly, Managing Director, Wonderla Holidays Pvt Ltd, said that vision, passion and action were equally important to become a successful entrepreneur.

Emphasising that there were no short-cuts to success, he said that those who aspire to become entrepreneurs need to work hard and think ahead of the time.

“I come from a business family and when I looked back on why my father was a successful entrepreneur, I realised that besides being hard-working, disciplined, innovative and passionate about his work, he never tried to compete with price but with quality.

He also took good care of his employees though Kerala is known for labour unrest. He always led by example,” Mr Chittilappilly told the students.

When he felt that there was a need to establish a world-class amusement park in Bangalore, he did not encounter much resistance from the family.

“It was not difficult to convince my dad because his thinking matched with mine. If you are from a business family, you can always shape your thoughts. But, it is ideal to work in a corporate before establishing your own enterprise,” he told the students.

Risk and challenges

Mr Chittilappilly said that he had to face many challenges in the initial years and he took a risk and put his career and financial security on the line in the name of an idea. He also spent considerable time in Australia learning the nuances of the business.

During the interactive session, to a query by a student, he said that it was difficult to convince the financial institutions.

“The onus is on you to show them that your project is viable,” he replied.

To another query, he said that it is not important whether one is a first-generation entrepreneur or a second generation entrepreneur to be successful.

He gave examples of a few start-ups and said that they are famous all over the world.

“It (success) all depends how strong your conviction is,” Mr Chittilappilly said.

Mr H.N. Shivashankar, Director of RNSIT, also addressed the gathering. Mr U. Bhojanna, Head, MBA department, gave the welcome address.

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