Chanda Zaveri – the Kolkata lady who sells peptides

Thirst for knowledge

Chanda Zaveri was brought up as a Marwari girl at Kankurgachhi, Kolkata, till she was 17 years old. She did her schooling at Balika Siksha Sadan on Vivekananda Road and was admitted to City College with Biology as the major subject. When her parents were planning to get her married she fled to US for higher studies. She arranged the tickets by selling two diamond ear rings as the only fund she had but landed in Boston penniless because she had to leave all her Indian currencies at the Airport. What was her inspiration? In her own words “But I was very influenced by the culture of education in Bengal; so I wanted to study.”

The common story of hardship

David and Karen two Americans she had met in Kolkata near American Library on Park Street helped her in first few steps in Boston. There she took the job of a help of an old lady. The day she joined the lady died. She was alone for arrangements of the old lady’s last rites. Next she got the job of help of another nonagenarian lady. This old woman of 98 years got pleased with Chanda and gave her $30,000 to go to Harvard for higher degree. Next she was adopted as daughter by David’s father-in-law and took her to California Institute of Technology (Caltech). There she met with a famous Noble Laureate who achieved Noble prize twice, first time for Biochemistry and second time for Peace. He is Linus Pauling. When she met him he was 90 years old. She was so obsessed with learning that Sir Pauling had no other way but to give her a job, a job of washing petridishes after the students of his laboratory went home in the evening. She used to do an unusual thing while she washed the petridishes – she used to write down what she could see.

The reward

When Pauling found her keen observations and writing he told “I want you to be learning about peptides because I am not going to be in this world for too long.” He gave her practical lesson on how to make peptides – The Skill of Making Peptides – A Million Dollar Skill.

Her successes

• The first peptide she made was B2 Actigen. It improves the collagen in the skin. She thought to use it in skin creams to mend up the collagen degeneration symptoms. The idea sparked in her from the observations she made when she was exposed to radioactive particles in her laboratory. Her skin was bloated.
• She had helped Caltech to obtain a patent on rust inhibitor. Her professor gave her $70,000 and she got a green card of US as an inventor.
• With that money she found her own company Activor and started to use peptides in cosmetics.
• Emami’s Fair and Handsome product has her peptide in it.
• She had formulated skin lightening, anti-ageing and sunscreen products for Estee Lauder and Revlon.
• Now she renamed her company as Actiogen which is based in Los Angeles. Now her company creates scientific peptide-based skincare products like anti-ageing, acne, cleansers, toners, day and night creams. Her company is eyeing for $100 million turnover

Her wishes

• She loves Calcutta and she built her own house at Salt Lake.
• More and more Marwari girls pursuing higher studies.
• She hoped Indian people will one day treat each other as equal.

Her message: “If you want some thing and you don’t have ifs or buts, you will get it. No matter what.”

Mohua Das. Calcutta girl who fled home & marriage at 17 returns as millionaire US innovator. The Telegraph. 26 Jan 2013