Mr. Pramod Bharal, a man of immense tenacity, compassion, and dedication, is a revolutionary and innovator in spirit who has celebrated the idea of shouldering for a cause for over 5 decades via his steadfast efforts. He is now best known as the founder of PSA Chemicals and the winner of the prestigious Samaj Bhushan award, given to him by the Govt. of Maharashtra for half a century’s dedicated contributions to the pharmaceutical industry. This entrepreneur’s dream is to create a disease-free world, which makes up the foundation of his ventures.

All great stories begin somewhere. Pramod Bharal’s began in a small town called Arvi in Wardha, Maharashtra. Mr. Bharal was born to entrepreneur parents, Jasraj and Sushila Jain, in a small town called Arvi, Wardha. The first-born son, he was expected to bring light to the family from birth. "My name actually means happiness and delight, and was rightly picked as they would find out later", reveals MrBharal. His father and mother were both entrepreneurs, who were hindered by their lack of formal education, but never let themselves be held back by it. Married at the young age of 20, the responsibility of the younger siblings also fell to them. This is where the story starts, in fact, with Mr. Bharal’s uncle passing his 10th examination. Arvi was a small town, with government-aided schools, but no degree colleges which led his father to move the family to Nagpur, which was sin his eyes a dream destination – one should remember that this was right after Independence, and thus Nagpur was the capital of central provinces in British India. A perfect place for a man’s children to pursue their education in a way he could not.

Despite just barely making ends meet, the family was aided by his father’s brave exploits as a freedom fighter and the reservations made for the families of these courageous men. His uncle went on to complete his BSc, the first one to graduate in the family, and became a high school teacher… and when the time came for the budding entrepreneur to engage in higher studies, his uncle stepped in. The guiding light to this young genius, Mr, Bharal remembers that his uncle was clear and kind as he taught him and his friends – whether it was a doubt that needed to be cleared or a concept explained, he could be counted upon. He always encouraged them to go beyond the textbook, to learn more, to explore new fields, new ideas and new concepts.

It was with this support that they were introduced to the branch of Chemical Engineering: the proverbial spark that lit the flame. The young man ended up securing the second academic rank in his school. After graduation, it was to Mumbai he went – the city of dreams. It was there, between the racing winds during the day and the silent sleepers in the night that he made his plans and concreted his dreams. "On this journey, I decided I would uphold the legacy of my entrepreneurial father, and establish my own firm. I decided I would not work for anybody, or under anybody for more than 10-12 years, that too for the sake of field experience", he says.

After working at Jayant Vitamins Limited, in Ratlam, he married his wife, Suman, in May 1979. It was then that he moved back to Mumbai to start his consultancy firm. It was due to the efforts of his friend, Mr. Bharat Bhat, that he was given an interview at Exomet Ltd. and was able to lease a flat from his cousin for only the price of the society charges. His eldest daughter was born in Nagpur, and with his wife, stayed at Latitpur, her parents’ place of residence during this process, and the family swiftly moved to Mumbai. By the time the second child was born, they had shifted to Vashi, in October 1981.

What was supposed to be a routine delivery was thrown out of bounds by an early labor. Due to the facilities at the time, the communication services available was mainly telex. This meant that Mr. Bharal only found out about his wife’s condition through a colleague who lived nearby, hours after the situation had begun. He rushed out of his headquarters and to her side, mixed emotions running haywire in his head. There was no need for concern however, as his wife delivered a healthy baby girl. "She became my inspiration to take a leap ahead, and I aptly named her Prerana," he reveals.

And with his inspiration in hand, he put in his notice at Exomet Ltd. His situation was risky, the father to two young daughters and the eldest son of his family – but he had a good feeling. An instinct that urged him forward, and good luck that it did. Today he's been awarded the Samaj Bhushan award and Midday icon award for his initiatives. And yet he says it's only the start of his journey.