Malkit Chand Janagal (born c. 1962) is an Indian entrepreneur and founder of Janagal Exports, a Ludhiana-based T-shirt manufacturing company.[1] He is noted for his success as a Dalit entrepreneur, having built a successful business after starting his career as a tailor.
Biography
Malkit was born in 1962 in Ludhiana where he was eldest of the six siblings. His father, Mansa was a farm worker in Bore, a village 20 kilometres (12 mi) outside Ludhiana, but moved to the city to start a tailoring business.[2]
Chand studied in Ludhiana where he finished his twelfth grade schooling in 1979. He saw no room for growth in family business and sought other enterprises, eventually accepting a job at a T-shirt manufacturing company. His family disapproved of his choice.[2]
Chand was later promoted to the position of a master cutter in a hosiery factory in Ludhiana, Punjab.[3] He later founded his own garment manufacturing business, Janagal Exports. The company manufactures T-shirts that are exported to countries in Europe and Africa. As of 2014, his business had a reported turnover of Rs 80 crore.[3]
Recognition
Chand's entrepreneurial journey is featured in several books. He was one of the featured profiles in the 2014 book Defying the Odds: The Rise of Dalit Entrepreneurs, co-authored by Devesh Kapur, D. Shyam Babu, and Chandra Bhan Prasad,[2] and 2013 book Dalit Millionaires: 15 Inspiring Stories by Milind Khandekar.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ "Empowerment by enterprise". The Financial Express. 2011-07-10. Retrieved 2025-07-09.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kapur, Devesh; Babu, D. Shyam; Prasad, Chandra Bhan (July 18, 2014). Defying the Odds: The Rise of Dalit Entrepreneurs. Random House India. ISBN 978-81-8400-639-1. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Dalits who defied all odds". The Pioneer. August 3, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ↑ Khandekar 2013, Chapter 4.
Books
- Khandekar, M. (2013). Dalit Millionaires: 15 Inspiring Stories. Penguin Books Limited (published December 15, 2013). ISBN 978-93-5118-583-3. Retrieved July 4, 2025.