The year was 1965 and Navin Soni’s village in Gujarat’s Kutch region had already faced three years of drought. For a family of seven, there was barely any food to eat. Being the eldest, Soni, who was in his early teens, took it upon himself to leave and earn for the family in Mumbai, since many people spoke about how there is a better life here. He explains, “I borrowed Rs 10 from somebody I knew to travel to the railway station which was far away. Till then, I hadn’t travelled by train so didn’t know anything and ended up travelling to Delhi. Since I didn’t have enough money, I did odd jobs, survived and earned for myself.” 

On one occasion, a relative in Delhi happened to spot him and tried to send him back home, but Soni had made up his mind to come to the maximum city. So, after four years, he travelled to Mumbai and reached Mumbai Central railway station, walked from there all the way to Andheri station market. It was here that he met a man from his village because of the turban he wore. As it so happens, the man knew his family, and that’s how he first earned at a scrap shop. The rest as they say is history.