“I was a silent witness to too many shifts and too many gears in my life,” jokes Raju Bhupati punning on our column name. He has had a ‘tricky’ background and could get ‘easily influenced by others and drift away’ to change tracks. Although he was good at mathematics, he took up biology to study medicine. “My father was a homoeo practitioner in Amalapuram; since my brother was into tech, my father wanted someone to carry his legacy forward,” he recalls adding how his life has been shaped by sudden decisions.
It was at Hubli that the first shift happened. “I was in the queue to pay fees to study BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) and just before the final payment, when my father asked us (my uncle and I) to return. My uncle was shocked; it took half an hour for him to digest the news and tell me that we have to go back,” he recalls. Since Raju had NCC certificates, his father felt he could study in Gudiwada instead of Hubli. But that didn’t materialise. “I kept doing whatever came to my mind. I tried Eamcet but lost hope as my original rank doubled. I finished degree and then M.Sc in organic chemistry. I didn’t discover who I was till then,’ he shares. When his neighbour started a company, he was ‘put there’ and earned ₹1000 for a month. From thereon, in one and a half years, he became an invaluable resource for the company and quickly moved up the ladder from being a lab assistant to become a project leader.
Journey in IT
After he moved to Applabs, ‘the journey never stopped.’ Back then, he was not too comfortable speaking English. “I come from a Telugu medium background and the initial years were humiliating When I was asked to talk to a client, I’d be stumbling.” He improved his language, communication and leadership skills.
Shashi Reddy, the CEO of Applabs (“if there is one person who has always been there in my whole journey it has to be him”) understood his impulsive nature. “I went to the US but I felt the place was not for me. In 2005 again, I got another opportunity and my first son was born in the US. But I wanted to return.” In 2010 when he was chosen for a critical project, he moved to the US. “It was a rapid journey and within a year and a half, the team had phenomenal growth. I was managing a massive multi-billion dollar account and the experience was fascinating.”
Big shift
The trajectory of his life changed when Applabs was acquired by CSC and he returned to become a global leader. “I was in a senior position and had a bigger portfolio. I felt it was too much glory and that I was settling to be in admin, rather than being on the cutting edge.” The urge for change was instant and he quit. “It was tough; I had a seven star lifestyle. I enjoyed being on the edge of the fence and didn’t want to be tied to something else.”
That’s when he plunged into food industry with Hello Curry. “We (Sandeep Penmetsa, co-founder who has since exited) created a sophisticated home delivery chain and evangelised the concept of food inducing technology. For the first time, people were calling the call centre, knowing the delivery status; we had set up small kiosks in theatres and were the first brand selling biryanis inside theatres,” he enthuses.
The chain expanded to other cities but the company was not making profits. “I was bold enough to tell the board that we should close some stores and converted it into a franchise,” he says adding courage is the only mantra which has kept him going. “From sky high, we got completely busted and now we are back in the game. Some situations are critical in the food business. I have learnt my lessons and I am bold enough to admit that I failed and also succeeded in some areas. As a captain of the ship, you will get opportunities only when you stay. Be smart and know what it is that you need for a long journey.”
(The column features people who dared to give up their lucrative jobs in pursuit of their dreams)