"While growing up I had the desire to join classical dance, but I was sent to karate classes to be fit and strong, both physically and mentally."
"As a woman I have never thought I am less than any man."
"My family brought me up to be tough and strong."
Entrepreneur Timple Luloo whose mission is to make India fit and healthy takes us through her career journey and the lessons she's learned along the way.
Health, fitness and healing are the key elements of this entrepreneur’s life.
Born into a family which has for generations practiced the art of alternate medicine, Timple Luloo is taking the tradition forward with a twist.
She aims to reach out to the entire country with her Ayurvedic based products that she is manufacturing.
She is a naturist and on Sundays will be found in the forests to watch and observe not just the birds but also the bio-diversity the forests have to offer.
A marathon runner, she walks almost 10 kilometres daily to keep fit and energetic.
Here, Timple talks about her association with alternate medicine and Ayurveda.
Growing up with Ayurveda
I hail from a family, last five generations of which have been Alternate Medicine Therapists (AMT).
With my grandfather as a homeopathic practitioner and my father with his specialisation in Ayurveda, I think this form of healing is into my genes and has probably played an integral role in helping me set up a company that manufactures Ayurveda based products.
While growing up I had the desire to join classical dance, but I was sent to karate classes to be fit and strong, both physically and mentally.
I studied at the local government school in Coimbatore and loved participating in competitions especially debates and oration which gave me the confidence to speak in public and removed stage fear.
This was followed by college in Coimbatore where I did my BSc in Zoology followed by Masters in Accupuncture.
The latter led me to be an acupuncture practitioner at 25.
I also have a clinic in Coimbatore through which I am able to support and cure patients with chronic diseases like facial paralysis, paralytic patients, sinusitis, cervical spondylosis, chronic headaches, all kinds of pain, arthritis, gouts, and infertility etc.
Getting started
A motivational speech by the then Collector of Coimbatore about entrepreneurs in India, fired my zeal.
I then started my research and manufacturing unit under the guidance and blessings of my father who himself was a seasoned Ayurvedic therapist.
Fugle Pharma specialises in Ayurvedic products, under the brand name NOVY.
Our flagship product is a pain relieving oil prepared from freshly handpicked herbs that provide instant relief from headaches, arthritis, knee pains, common cold, headaches and back aches and also sinusitis.
The idea is to have a multi-purpose solution which will reduce the frequency of visits to hospitals for common ailments.
NOVY is going to be the trusted home doctor for every household in our country very soon.
We have more than 50 formulations and we are planning to bring in new products with the traditional touch of Ayurveda as well.
Challenges
Like any entrepreneur, I too underwent the typical hardships in obtaining all the necessary government compliances such as licenses etc.
Though it took lot of time, I never lost hope and pushed very hard for success.
Like any other start-up, we had financial constraints and required investment to scale up.
A friend and well-wisher invested in our company and that helped us immensely.
One of key constraints other than finance was extending the product reach across various markets in the retail space.
Though there were initial hiccups, today we have established our presence in more than 300 outlets in Coimbatore and have extended our chain outside Coimbatore like Erode, Udumalpet, Pollachi, Palani, Salem, and Nilgiris and plan to extend in other parts of Tamil Nadu also.
Today, with this hard work, NOVY is a brand to reckon with in Tamil Nadu.
Fugle Pharma dreams to reach out to all over India, with the aim of providing high quality Ayurveda Medicines to everyone and at an affordable cost.
On balancing roles
As a woman I have never thought I am less than any man.
My family brought me up to be tough and strong.
I always balance my family with my work and spend equal time with my family members, who are my biggest motivation and the primary source of my inspiration and energy.
Initially, I had to travel for my machineries purchase and raw materials sources even to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Nilgiris and tribal areas.
I got immense support and guidance from my friends and many even accompanied me on my travels to source raw materials etc.
As we have streamlined our production process, things are much easier today and I am able to strike the right type of balance between my company and my family.
Future plans
My focus currently is on innovation and use of latest technology and modern methods to produce high quality Ayurvedic medicines and garner a pan Indian presence for my flagship product.
I also hope to build a hospital which comprises of all the alternative system of medicines like ayurveda, siddha, unani, homeopathy, yoga and music and Aromatherapy treatment, with the combined efforts of the relevant experts in all these fields.
In future, we are going to get rid of chemical-based medicines and return to ‘mother nature’ as the single source for all our medicines.
This will see a greater dependency on organics.
We are already growing organic fruits, vegetables and herbs.
ALSO SEE: 'Ask shamelessly, be empathetic'
