An Indian girl who took a blind leap to escape an arranged marriage has returned home a millionaire.
In 1984, 17-year-old Chanda Zaveri met a couple on Park Street in Calcutta who offered her a different fate from "most Marwari girls" of her age, according to India's Telegraph newspaper. If Zaveri found herself in Boston, they said, she would have their help.
"I had no money, just a pair of diamond earrings," said Zaveri, whose parents had arranged her marriage. "I sold it, got myself tickets on British Airways and landed in Boston."
There, she took various jobs as a maid for elderly homeowners, according to NSCBIP. One employer was impressed enough to give Zaveri a huge gift: $30,000 to go to Harvard, where she completed the two units necessary to pursue a master’s degree.
Next, she headed to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) to begin biochemistry research under visiting professor Linus Pauling, a Nobel Prize-winning chemist.
She dreamed of working in his lab, but the professor didn't have much available.
"I will clean the petri dishes," she told Pauling. "I would just be happy to be around you."
Right away, Pauling noted Zaveri's keen sense of observation and put her to work developing peptides, the Telegraph reported. The first one she made, which improves collagen in the skin, became an instant best-seller.
Today, Los Angeles-based skin care company Actiogen, which she founded, anticipates a $100 million turnover from their latest product.
Every year, the 49-year-old returns to her hometown.
"I am happy to see more .. girls pursuing higher studies, but the priority of finding a good groom still remains," she told the Telegraph. "I hope for a day in India when people, irrespective of their status and gender, will treat each other as equal."
"If you want something and you don’t have ifs or buts, you will get it," she added. "No matter what."
Hi, please do a thorough background check on Chanda Zaveri. She is lieing about her credentials and background to gain publicity. She has never been to Caltech or Harvard which she is claiming in many medias. She started a company under "activor corporation"which filed for bankruptcy as she was sued by a former employee. I urge you please do a background check on her as she will be able to getaway with this false story
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. If indeed it comes out to the public that this story (that someone else published and which was shared on this site) is found to be untrue we will certainly remove it. Thank you again for this information.
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