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From Rs 7 train pass to Rs 5,000 crore empire: Thyrocare founder recalls ‘how a railway platform made him a scientist’

Dr A Velumani recalled studying at Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya in Coimbatore, a choice driven entirely by cost.

4 min readNew DelhiJan 31, 2026 03:58 PM IST

To manage, Velumani stayed at a free government Harijan hostel in the city

Dr A Velumani, the founder of Thyrocare, believes that the greatest advantage he ever had in life was not comfort or connections, but poverty. In a deeply personal reflection on his student years, he shared how financial struggle, routine discipline and hours spent studying on a railway platform quietly laid the foundation for the scientist and entrepreneur he would later become.

Long before Thyrocare grew into a Rs 5,000 crore diagnostics company, Velumani was a student trying to make education affordable. Writing about the years between 1974 and 1978, he recalled studying at Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya in Coimbatore, a choice driven entirely by cost. While most city colleges demanded hefty fees and hostel expenses, his college charged Rs 300 in fees and Rs 75 a month for accommodation, amounts that were still beyond his reach.

To manage, he stayed at a free government Harijan hostel in the city. Daily travel, however, became another hurdle. A bus ride cost 60 paise one way, adding up to nearly Rs 30 a month, which he couldn’t justify. The solution came through the railways, a student quarterly train pass that cost just Rs 7. That small decision, he said, ended up shaping his life.

His days followed a strict rhythm. He caught a 5.50 am train that reached the city by 6.25 am and returned on the 6.10 pm service. With classes starting at 9 am and ending early, he had several hours every day with nowhere to go.

Check out the post:

1974 to 1978 I studied in Sri Ramakrishna Misson Vidyalaya, Coimbatore.
Reason to go there :

City colleges fees: Rs 1000 to 3000.
Hotel fees : 200 per month.

In SRMV: (25 kms from city)
College fees: 300
Hotel fees : 75 per month.

Reason to travel by train:
I could not… pic.twitter.com/MPmvbS6Ag9

— Dr. A. Velumani.PhD. (@velumania) January 30, 2026

“So what did I do?” Velumani wrote. He studied, sitting on the railway platform, poring over Maths, Physics and Chemistry. He believes those years of relentless focus, “1000 days and 6000 man hours” spent with “Avogadro’s, Ohm’s and Pythagoras,” eventually helped him secure a job at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

Behind this discipline was real sacrifice. His mother was the sole earning member of the family, earning just Rs 3 a day. Determined not to add to her burden, Velumani endured extreme hardship. At one point, she even sold her four bangles to pay his college fees.

Reflecting on his journey, he summed it up with four guiding values: “Patience, Focus, Frugality and Discipline” – principles he believes lead to steady and lasting success. In a poignant moment, Velumani shared that years later, he took his wife to the same railway platform, wanting to show her “how a railway platform made a Scientist.”

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The post struck a chord online. Many readers said the story was about far more than poverty. A user wrote, “Wonderful story. We have to make sure the next generation is able to access education, transport and hostel for free at the point of use.”

Another user commented, “Intelligence and willingness for hard-work are such sterling qualities. You are a fantastic human being to thank your impossibly difficult conditions that forged you. Almost all people simply blame conditions and play victim. Salute to your spirit.”

A third person added, “This is not a story of poverty. It is a story of purpose. Very inspiring, sir.”