SHE ASKED FOR THIRTY THOUSAND RUPEES. I DECLINED HER BECAUSE THE MANUAL SAID BREWMASTER WAS A MALE OCCUPATION. SHE FRAMED MY REJECTION LETTER IN HER BOARDROOM.

Kavita Deshmukh sought a ₹30,000 loan in 1978 for her biotechnology startup, but her application was rejected due to outdated bank policies that deemed brewing a male occupation. Twenty-six years later, her framed rejection letter hung prominently in her successful company's boardroom.