Calcutta girl Chanda Zaveri, who left home at the age of 17 in 1984 to escape arranged marriage, went on to writing her own success story of becoming a millionaire entrepreneur and innovator. Instead of compromising with the life chosen for her by her parents, she preferred to leave home and embrace Life`s challenges head-on. She faced them with extraordinary courage and dedication and returned home after three decades as a millionaire entrepreneur. She called up David Ross in Boston. She had met Ross when he had visited Kolkata as a tourist. `David agreed to send me a sponsor letter. I sold my diamond rings, purchased a British Airways ticket and fled to US,` she recalled. Today, Chanda Zaveri (49) is one of the world`s leading molecular biologists, founder-owner of companies like Actiogen and Skin Healix, which have a combined turnover of $150 million and is a dollar multimillionaire in her own right. Zaveri, who had graduated with biology from Calcutta University, had her own plans. `I dreamt of winning the Nobel Prize. And I knew I could never do it if I had to live a borrowed life as a housewife. So I decided to escape at any cost,` says The early years were difficult. She worked as a maid to support herself. Then, a second chance event completely changed her life. One employer was impressed enough to give Zaveri a huge gift: $30,000 to go to Harvard, where she completed the two units necessary to pursue a master`s degree. "David Ross introduced me to his father-in-law, who adopted me."She went on to complete her master`s degree in molecular biology from the University of California and began her research in bio-chemistry at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) under Nobel laureate Linus Pauling. She dreamed of working in his lab, but the professor didn't have much available. "I will clean the petri dishes," she told Pauling. "I would just be happy to be around you." Right away, Pauling noted Zaveri's keen sense of observation and put her to work developing peptides. The first one she made, which improves collagen in the skin, became an instant best-seller. Zaveri, who likes Indian food like khichri and Bengali gur sandesh, specialises in anti-ageing skincare, wound-care and cancer-care treatments. In 1994, she decided to set up her own business. B2 Actigen, the first product she developed, was a runaway success. Many more best-sellers followed. `Today, lots of peptide-based skincare products are available in the market. But I was the first to use peptide in skincare lotions,` she said. Despite the success of her business, she has no plans of either listing her companies or cashing out.`I do this because of the satisfaction it gives me,` she added. Even today, Zaveri focuses mainly on research & development end of the business. Despite her busy schedule she makes it a point to make time for herself. `I love painting, which I do for self satisfaction. My second passion is Argentinean Tango dance and I have almost completed my course,` she said. PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW HER SUCCESS STORY