Puttu Vaikuntha Shet

Puttu Vaikuntha Shet was a philanthropist, social worker and founder of famous P.V.S. Beedies, Mangalore. Honesty, hard work and visionary ideas led the small business into big industry.
Career
Being a man of independent spirit and bold ideas and firm conviction, he ventured his independent business enterprise by starting a petty shop in the year 1906. Simultaniously made a humble beginning of beedi manufacture to help lazy and idle relatives and friends, which became a growing industry in the South Kanara District. In those days the raw materials for the manufacture of beedies had to be procured from far away, facing all the problem of poor transport facilities. He gave employment to thousands of men and women by providing the materials to manufacture the beedies at their doorsteps during their liesure. This inspired others to start similar industries many years later. Puttu Pai became a pioneer in beedi industry and was hailed for his concept of providing rural employment opportunities.
Today 115 years later, the foresight and vision of Puttu Pai culminated into a growing organisation P.V.S. Beedies (P) Ltd, which is providing employment to thousands of people directly and indirectly in the establishments dependent on this Parent Organisation. Though bereft of formal education, his wisdom and vision of upliftment of social, economic, cultural, spiritual and religious activities irrespective of any faith, besides extending munfience to all deserving causes, hailed him as an institution rather than mere individual.