Ludhiana businessman names shop 'Gupta and Daughters'

LUDHIANA: Sons and brothers have long monopolised the business name game . So when Ludhiana contractor Manoj Kumar Gupta decided to christen his medical store "Gupta & Daughters" after his daughter Akansha, it was a blow for " Beti Bachao , Beti Padhao" beyond sloganeering.


Gupta, 54, also owns a construction company whose name – Gupta & Sons – doffs its hat to male lineage.

But when he started his second venture in Ludhiana’s Civil Lines three years ago – a charitable pharmacy with "Guru Nanak Modi-Khana" written in Gurmukhi on the board – the proprietorship went to his daughter not just in spirit but also in name.

"It's a symbol of gender equality . When I told my family about it, they were all happy despite some initial reservations about a different-sounding name. But I had made up my mind," said Gupta, a resident of Pakhowal Road.

Akansha, a law student, said she was proud of her parents for setting an example in gender equality. Her elder brother Roshan Karan, an MBA, said he had always been taught to treat his sister as an equal. "In India at least, we haven’t seen or read about anything like our father's initiative," he said.

While Gupta was inspired by the Centre's Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao campaign, he credits his parents with instilling the right values in him and his wife for keeping the family rooted to that philosophy. "I am thankful to God and my parents for giving me these values, including respect for women. I am also thankful to my wife Rama, who is the boss at home."

Gupta & Daughters, which has a tie-up with the Sikh Welfare Council , provides medicines for free to poor patients.