Anand Jain

Anand was born before the independence of India in New Delhi of a large family of ten brothers and sisters. Graduated as the first BITS Pilani graduate in 1965 in Electrical Engineering. Finding a job in India for a new engineering graduate was a bit challenging even in those times. When he couldn’t get a job in 4 months by sending resumes with almost no interview calls, his basic trait was to look for an alternative coming. He decided to stop sending resumes and planned to visit large Corporation offices on Parliament Street, New Delhi by knocking on their doors to look for a job. Able to land his first job as a field engineer in a British company International Computers and Tabulators (ITC) in a matter of a week. This got his first learning which lasted all his life “Opportunity and success do not happen on their own, one has to make them happen” Worked in India for over 9 years in various good positions as a successful person in Sales, Marketing and management decided to come to Canada in 1975 as an immigrant with a family of 4 with two sons. No job offers just the confidence to make success happen. Leaving a senior job as a Branch Manager in Crompton Greaves Ltd in Lucknow did not deter him to take a new challenge in life to fulfilling his dream to travel around the World and meet people of various countries and backgrounds. Like any other immigrant first two years were a bit challenging, study French for six months full-time course to get his Professional Engineer designation. Idea was to get professional membership that would consider him par with any other engineering graduate. Quickly got a job and worked with Canadian Standards Association, in Montreal. Left while working as a senior certification engineer for 12 years to fulfill his dream of business. The objective was very clear to full fill dream of having my own business and to get three sons not to work for another employer but to become my own boss.

Business success came with the ethics of being honest, creative in engineering design, and sincere to both customers as well as suppliers. Earning money was one of the objects but was not to be greedy but to earn with own skills. His wife Vijay was a great support in the progress and growth of the business. In 1995 when business was doing very well, decided to share their earnings for philanthropy work to help and share with others. Anand and Vijay both started Vijay Anand Foundation and start transferring each year anywhere from 10 to 20% of personal earnings, to make each base to generate annual income to be distributed to charities. Started supporting first-year students at the University of Waterloo and Operation Eyesight Universal, a Canadian Charity working in India to do cataract operations in villages to give sight. Learning from his mother “one who makes charity to support others will always get benefits of good feeling, learning detachment and even more financial earnings” he says it is so true with his experience and tries to inspire all their family members. Charity and support to others is now the activity for golden years.

After all his three engineer sons came into the business and got married, he decided to take retirement from active business, the day he turned 65 years of age. According to him, one must pass on the business to a younger generation and just stay to be an advisor to use one’s experience and skill.

The young enthusiastic generation could do wonders with new ideas and skills. Any business run by the older generation for too long can not expand with successful but old ideas. Spend his time in doing investment of their earned wealth, philanthropy to help others, looking after personal health, traveling, and doing what one could not do during working life. His phrase is “I want to live like a teenager carefree, do what I want to do, and live a fun life”. He says he is not a long-term planner and lives a happy life day to day stress-free. Being a salesperson, he is easy to accept failures and keeps moving on with different ideas. He claims to be successful in every criterion of life; financial success, good health, and great social and family life.