By IANS,
Kuala Lumpur : Malaysian woman entrepreneur G. Vimalah Nair attributes her early inspiration to portraits of Indian leaders, Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru among others, put up at home by her grandfather.
She has been through years of hardship since – to win the RM 30,000 ($9,300) Woman of the Year award 2008 Saturday.
It is given annually by the Women’s Institute of Management (WIM).
Nair, 55, told the audience of the hardships she endured while young, being married off at 17, only to meet with tougher times.
That did not put her off – she became a teacher and later secured a scholarship to do her masters in educational management from a British university.
She attributed her string of successes to her late grandfather, The Star newspaper said Sunday.
“He kept telling me that I can be a leader and advised me that leadership knows no gender,” she said.
Besides the trophy, she also won a RM30,000 watch, RM15,000 worth of jewellery and hampers.