C Balagopal’s book ‘Below The Radar’ debunks notions about Kerala being an investor-unfriendly State

The bureaucrat-turned-entrepreneur lists more than 50 Kerala-based companies that have a national presence to prove how Kerala’s eco-system nurtures hi-tech manufacturing industries

Which is the biggest dental lab in India? The biggest in-vitro diagnostic company in India? Which company in India makes steel castings for Mitsubishi Heavy Engineering, Man Turbo Switzerland, British Petroleum and so on? Which is one of the largest manufacturers of blood bags in the world?

The fact that all those industries are situated in small towns in Kerala enthused Chandrasekhar Balagopal, social entrepreneur and chairman of Federal Bank, to learn more about such manufacturing enterprises that had been established in the State and quietly making a mark in competitive world markets.

“DentCare, the nation’s largest dental lab, is in Muvattapuzha while Agappe, a name to reckon with in invitro lab kits, is in Pattimattom. Both are in the suburbs of Ernakulam district while Peekay Steel Castings is in Feroke, Malappuram district. Terumo Penpol is in Puliyarakonam, Thiruvananthapuram,” points out Balagopal.

Intrigued by the facts he found, Balagopal embarked on a study of manufacturing industries in Kerala. Not a surprising decision from Balagopal who has always taken the less travelled path right from 1983 when he resigned from the Indian Administrative Service to become an entrepreneur by founding Peninsula Polymers (Penpol), a manufacturer of blood bags. In 2011, after selling his shares in his company to the Japanese Terumo Corporation, Balagopal focussed on social causes close to his heart and on mentoring a new generation of entrepreneurs.

With forty years of experience behind him, he discusses his entrepreneurial highs and lows in his fourth book, Below the Radar, wherein he sets out to debunk several myths on the investment climate in Kerala by discussing the success stories he found all over the State.

“My new book is on the emergence of a modern manufacturing sector in Kerala in the last three decades. My intention is to provoke thought and discussion on a subject that has otherwise been dominated by cliches and anecdotal information,” he says.

Since Balagopal was familiar with the ups and downs of the company he founded, he wanted a close and honest study of another manufacturing industry in India. Initially, he mailed 50 entrepreneurs a set of questions about their enterprise and requested them to share their stories. However, even after months, the response was not encouraging.