From railway platform to Rs 5,000 crore: Thyrocare founder Velumani shares how a Rs 7 train pass changed his life

Dr A. Velumani, the founder of Thyrocare who built the diagnostics firm into a Rs 5,000 crore enterprise, says his biggest advantage in life was not privilege, but poverty. In a series of reflections on his student days and career journey, Velumani explains how financial hardship, long hours on a railway platform and strict self-discipline shaped both the scientist and entrepreneur he later became.

How a Rs 7 train pass helped him

Dr A. Velumani said a Rs 7 quarterly train pass played a quiet but decisive role in shaping his life and career. Long before building a Rs 5,000 crore enterprise, Velumani spent his student years studying on a railway platform, driven by poverty, discipline and an unshakeable focus on education.

Looking back, the 66-year-old entrepreneur calls those years his biggest advantage, not his biggest hardship.

Why distance and low fees decided his college

From 1974 to 1978, Velumani said he studied at Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya (SRMV) near Coimbatore. The choice was not academic prestige, but affordability.

"City colleges charged between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000 in fees. Hostel expenses were around Rs 200 per month. SRMV, located 25 km away from the city, charged Rs 300 as college fees and Rs 75 per month for the hostel. Even that amount was beyond reach. When hostel fees were still too expensive," he said.

Velumani says he could not afford the SRMV hostel either. Instead, he found a government Harijan hostel in the city that was free. Daily travel, however, became the next challenge.

"A bus ticket cost 60 paise one way, adding up to nearly Rs 30 a month. That expense felt heavy. The alternative was a passenger train running on the same route. A student quarterly train pass cost Rs 7," he added.

A daily routine built around a train timetable

The train left at 5:50 am and arrived at 6:25 am. In the evening, it departed at 6:10 pm and returned by 6:45 pm. College started at 9:00 am and ended at different times each day.

This schedule left long gaps.

From 6:30 am to 9:00 am, and again until the evening train, Velumani had hours to spare. On average, nearly six hours every day.

Studying on a railway platform

With nowhere else to go, Velumani sat on the railway platform and studied Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. He followed the same routine day after day.

“What I did: Sat in this Railway platform and studied Maths Physics Chemistry”

He credits this habit for his academic success and his entry into India’s elite scientific institutions.

How focus led to a BARC job

Velumani says his breakthrough came from relentless concentration over several years.

“My 1000 days and 6000 man hours intense focus on Avagadros, Ohms and Pythagoras”

That effort helped him secure a job at BARC, marking a turning point in his life.

A family surviving on Rs 3 a day: During this period, Velumani’s mother was the only earning member of the family. She earned Rs 3 a day. To ensure her son completed his education, she sold four gold bangles to pay his college fees.

Velumani says every decision was made to avoid disturbing her fragile household budget.

Reflecting on those years, he sums it up in one line:

“Fortunately I was poor”.

Lessons he carried into business

Velumani says the hardships of his student life shaped his approach to college, career and business.

“Patience, Focus, Frugality and Discipline “ Gives slow but sustainable success.

In 2015, he even took his wife to the same railway platform to show her how, in his words, “a railway platform made a Scientist”.

What decades of hiring taught him

In an earlier social media post on X, he said that after years of interviewing candidates, he sees three clear patterns.

Freshers are easy to hire and rarely challenge recruiters. Mid-career professionals often stop learning. Many claim 20 years of experience but carry only 10 years of real growth. That is when, as he bluntly puts it, “Budda ho gaya”, rejected.

The third group stands apart. These candidates may have worked for 10 years but gained 20 years of wisdom by constantly learning. They are the “Bada ho gaya” candidates who get appointed.

Jobs versus careers

Velumani draws a sharp distinction between jobs and careers. Jobs bring money early in life. Careers build wisdom that pays off later.

A job may keep someone comfortable in their 20s. A career, he says, keeps a family secure and proud in their 60s. That is why he believes the 20s are meant for review, reset and restart, not relaxation.

A warning against early comfort

Velumani’s final message is simple and direct. Comfort zones formed too early can be dangerous. What feels easy today may become costly tomorrow. If something feels difficult, it is often the right path.

From a Rs 7 train pass to a Rs 5,000 crore company, his journey shows how small sacrifices, repeated daily, can quietly change a life.