The heavy machinery and the technicians give the narrow lanes of the Adityapur industrial area a feel that it is a male-dominated world.

And one wouldn?t expect a woman to hold fort in one of the establishments.

But this is exactly what a successful woman entrepreneur is doing for years. Gogi Vig has made this her workplace and has carved a niche for herself.

?I have been in the business right from day one,? says Gogi proudly but adds that the idea was originally her husband?s.

Today, their unit at Adityapur is the largest plastic injection moulding outlet for Tata Motors vehicles in the entire region.

An alumnus of the Sacred Heart Convent School, Jamshedpur, Gogi?s journey began at a very young age when she decided to get married to Kunwarjit Singh.

?I met my husband when I was only 14 years old and got officially engaged at 15. Marriage followed soon after and then I was busy helping my husband set up our business,? recalls Gogi.

The business woman remembers the difficult days of their life together while setting up the unit with a meagre amount in their purse.

?My husband does not have his left hand right from birth. That made it more difficult for him to pursue people to invest a huge working capital so we started with just Rs 1,000 in our pocket,? says Gogi.

Their business set-up saw a very humble beginning. They started their business in a small garage at Gogi?s father?s residence by setting up an single handed injection moulding machine.

?My husband handled the mechanical and the technical part while I took care of details such as packaging and marketing,? says Gogi.

The initial years saw the couple going through a lot of struggle but Gogi says: ?It was our faith and my husband?s strong determination that sailed us through even in those tough days,? adds Gogi.

Right from the beginning, her company has been one of the leading anxillary units supplying to Tata Motors.

?They are our oldest clients and I am happy that so far we have been able to satisfy our customers without any complaints,? says Gogi.

Though the initial years were full of struggle, but Lady Luck smiled at them and soon they were able to buy a small plot of land in the industrial area.

?When we brought this land we just had one small room but slowly gradually we worked hard and gradually this factory came up,? says Gogi.

Today, their set-up at Adityapur is the largest plastic injection moulding outlet for Tata Motors vehicles. With the flourishing business came the scope for expansion, hence a new unit came up at Pune.

?We supplied our products even to the Tata Motors unit in Pune. Later, the demand increased so much that we had to set up an independent unit there which now is looked after by my husband,? says Gogi.

So setting up a new unit also meant that the family lives separately. ?That?s perhaps the sacrifice of our success but I try to make it work by going back to Pune whenever I can,? smiles Gogi.

Initially, they had decided to manage both the units from Pune as their daughters were also staying there.

?Initially, we had decided to stay there but later realised that one unit cannot be controlled from so far, so I decided to take control of the Jamshedpur unit while my husband looked after the other unit,? says Gogi.

Their unit in Pune manufactures injection moulding for Tata Motors cars and at the same time also supplies to other Tata concerns in and around the area.

Ask her the mantra behind this success story, and she is quick to add: ?Since I have been born and brought up at Jamshedpur, so right from childhood the principles on which the Tatas work have been imbibed in me and my siblings. Of course, it?s the steel city principles that has helped us succeed,? she adds with a smile.

And it?s business as usual when it comes to handling the workers.

At an early stage, the duo realised that with business comes a lot of responsibilities.

?We do not do social service. We believe in helping our own people first. Whatever is their due should be given to them. I may be the boss but it?s the sheer hard work of my team that has given us this position in the market,? says Gogi attributing the unit?s success to the employees.

Her daughters, too, seem inclined towards business. But the parents are not against the children taking up other options.

?They are assisting their father in Pune. If they feel like, they can join the family business in future,? feels Gogi saying that they would happy if the girls take over the business from them. ?As parents, we would be very happy if they take over from us,? she says.

With her elder daughter ready to tie the knot soon, Gogi?s heart is always in the Peshwa city though responsibilities have kept her away from loved ones.

Life isn?t too easy shuttling between Pune and the steel city but she has taken it in her strike to keep the business going.

Gogi, as a break from the factory visits, had tried her hands in the food business. ?I had started fast food joint in the heart of Pune. As it was close to colleges, it made good money. In fact, it was a break from my regular visits to factories,? says Gogi.

But, unfortunately, she had to close her business as there was no one to look after it when she decided to move back to Jamshedpur.

Ask her will she ever restart the food business, and she smiles ?Anytime.?

Any future plans?

?There has been lot of suggestions from the Tatas to set up more machinery to smoothen our work. Though there is no problem in starting something but where is the demand for such large-scale productions?? questions Gogi.

But Gogi also believes that one has to keep growing with time so whenever the time is right this lively couple would not hesitate to take the final plunge.

For a woman who had started early in life sacrificing her youth, being together with the family, she has come a long way.

Nilanjana Ghosh Choudhury