R G Chandramogan

The story

R G Chandramogan was born into a modest family in a village in Tamil Nadu. His father ran a provision store near Chennai Central station, but it collapsed in 1968 and the family went back to the village with nothing. He failed mathematics in his pre-university course and never finished college.

His father found him work as an apprentice at a timber depot in Viluppuram, where he earned ₹65 a month for a year, taking orders and doing manual work. The experience made him want his own business. With ₹13,000 that his father raised, in 1970 he rented a 250 sq ft space in Royapuram, Chennai, bought a basic ice-making machine, hired four people and began making ice cream under the Arun brand. In the early years he pushed a cart through the streets himself.

In the 1980s he moved into milk, and later butter, ghee and curd. He focused on building ties with farmers and retailers rather than racing to grow. Hatsun Agro Product became India's largest private-sector dairy company. In 2025 the company reported revenue of about ₹8,700 crore for the previous year.