The Inventor That Three Acclaimed Books Chose to Chronicle
Nearly two decades ago, the energy in the Su-Kam office was electric — not because of a product launch or a client meeting, but because Rashmi Bansal, the celebrated author and chronicler of entrepreneurial India, had walked in to interview the company’s founder, Mr. Kunwer Sachdev.
She was writing a book that would later become a bestseller: Connect the Dots — a book about dreamers, doers and believers who didn’t have an MBA but had something far more powerful: vision. Among those 20 exceptional individuals, Kunwer Sachdev was chosen, and given a title that fit him perfectly — “The Inventor.”
Those who were at Su-Kam at the time watched the story unfold, question by question. Kunwer Sachdev spoke calmly and thoughtfully about how Su-Kam wasn’t just a business — it was a mission. He relived the early struggles: the nights spent studying physics (a subject he had once disliked), the moments of risk, the sleepless hours of experimentation, and the joy of finally solving a technical challenge.
When Rashmi Bansal asked the employees what it was like to work with him, the answer was hard to put into words. How do you explain working with a man who calls at 11 PM not to scold, but to share an idea he believes can change the game? A man who never switches off, whose mind runs around the clock on how to improve things — a circuit, a sales pitch, a system — and who makes the people around him believe that their work matters, not just to the company but to the country.
Under his leadership, Su-Kam wasn’t just about making inverters. It was about building something that had never been built in India before — a brand that stood for affordable excellence, home-grown innovation, and the belief that Indian technology could rival the world’s best. And it did. The products were not just superior; competitors couldn’t touch the quality or the price Su-Kam offered. That wasn’t by chance — it was because Kunwer Sachdev obsessed over every tiny detail. While others focused on marketing buzz, he focused on what was inside the box.
Three Books, One Story
Connect the Dots was not the only book to take notice. Kunwer Sachdev and Su-Kam have been chronicled in three acclaimed books on Indian entrepreneurship, innovation and brand-building:
- Connect the Dots by Rashmi Bansal (a bestseller with 100,000+ copies sold) — profiling 20 self-made entrepreneurs without an MBA, with Kunwer Sachdev cast as “The Inventor.”
- Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen: How 11 Indians Pulled Off the Impossible by Porus Munshi (HarperCollins, 2009) — which features Su-Kam alongside Titan, Shantha Biotech and Trichy Police as one of eleven Indian breakthroughs that rewrote the rules of their industries. (See also the Marico Innovation Foundation overview.)
- Booming Brands: Inspiring Journeys of 11 ‘Made in India’ Brands by Harsh Pamnani — placing Su-Kam among India’s standout brand stories alongside BookMyShow, BYJU’S, Zomato, FirstCry and Paper Boat.
On this site, read first-hand accounts of the visits behind two of those books: when Porus Munshi came to discover the man behind Su-Kam and when Harsh Pamnani came looking for brands that boomed.
That triple recognition is also recorded on Kunwer Sachdev’s Wikipedia profile, which notes his appearances in all three books.
What stood out during that original interview was how honest, raw and human the conversation was. Rashmi Bansal didn’t just write about a founder — she captured the soul of a movement, led by a man who had no formal management degree but a clarity most CEOs could only dream of.
It has been more than 18 years since Connect the Dots first appeared, yet the story feels more relevant today than ever. In a time when entrepreneurship is often reduced to valuations, funding rounds and hashtags, Kunwer Sachdev’s journey is a reminder that real entrepreneurship is about obsession, resilience, curiosity and heart — about not giving up when no one believes in you, and building something because the world needs it, not just because the market wants it. The story of “The Inventor” — the man who truly connected the dots — deserves to be read, reflected on, and shared.
Disclaimer
Mr. Kunwer Sachdev, the original founder and visionary behind Su-Kam, is no longer associated with Su-Kam Power Systems Ltd. He has not been involved in the management, operations, or decision-making of the company for several years. Any products, services, communications, or representations made under the Su-Kam name have no connection to Mr. Kunwer Sachdev. His current efforts are entirely focused on new innovations and ventures under different entities, including his latest initiative, Su-vastika, which is redefining the energy storage and power backup industry.