This 18-year-old catering boy serving food at a random reception is the same Chef Pillai you know me as, today.

A friend of mine sent me this photo a few days back, and it took me back years.

When you have nothing, you have to start somewhere, right?
All my life, I’ve been a businessman – and that is something I’m proud of.

I did my first-ever “business” in class 6th or 7th.

We had a big Kambili Moosu/ Kambili Naranga (Pomelo) tree at home, and that was a staple childhood fruit. I loved it to such an extent that I used to get up at 5 in the morning and pluck a couple of them, in time for breakfast.

Soon, this grew from being just enjoyment to my first source of pocket money. Plucking in batches, I used to sell this at the market at 25 paise per piece – or 4/5 for a rupee. You could imagine my pride in showing off a couple of 1-rupee notes to my friends at that time! Ah – those were the days!😍

My recollections of childhood are filled with memories of going to the Panakkattodil Devi Temple for the festival, and like my Pomelo gig, this too turned into a source of pocket money soon.

My second stint at being a businessman was selling groundnuts for the temple festival – roasted, whole groundnuts, to be specific.

Taking the government ferry to Kollam town, I bought about 2 to 3 kgs of raw groundnut, came back to the temple ground, roasted them in sand and sold them for a rupee. Not just that, I sat at very strategic locations near the fireworks, ganamela or the drama stage – to get more customers.

This thirst to do business, earn money and BE someone led me to take up more and more opportunities as they came by me – and in some cases, I made those opportunities myself.

In my late teens, I was a hotel waiter, a cleaner at a temple eatery, and a catering boy among other jobs before gradually I became whatever I am, today.

Sometimes, it is okay to feel stuck and confused.
It is okay to not know what to do.

But keep trying, just start – the rest will fall into place by itself.

Or as Steve Jobs said: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.”

Just start – bakki ellam seriyavum!
Everything’s gonna be alright!💕