Retrenchments in the tech industry have hit many over the years, including 47-year-old Singapore Permanent Resident Palani Pandi, who got laid off in July 2018.
But the technician did not wallow in his misfortune.
He immediately looked for a job and found one, but it was something his Nitec certification in precision engineering did not prepare him for – working at a hawker centre and then running his own stall.
Mr Pandi’s work at the tech firm would end at 3.30pm each day, so it gave him time to do part-time maintenance work at a hawker centre. Through this part-time job, he made friends with the hawkers and they helped him get a full-time job at hawker centres after his retrenchment.
After a couple of years working at hawker stalls, Mr Pandi was inspired to open his own food stall. He took up a one-year lease on a shop and used it to gain working experience before opening Taj Kitchen @ TJ on Feb 23 this year.
The decision to sell Indian food at the Taman Jurong Hawker Centre stall was not well-received by Mr Pandi’s wife Nadhiya and their two sons, polytechnic students Adheeshwar and Nadesh.
But they eventually gave Mr Pandi their full support after witnessing his grit and confidence in running his own business.
Ms Nadhiya now helps out at the stall and Adheeshwar manages the food delivery apps, payment, Internet banking and design of menu boards. Mr Pandi hired two workers to do the cooking and cleaning.
Mr Pandi did not think he would one day be a food stall owner.
In 1999, he left Karaikkudi in Tamil Nadu to work as a machinist at Jurong Shipyard.
He became a Permanent Resident in 2004 and enrolled in the precision engineering course, which led him to the job at the tech firm.
Mr Pandi enjoys learning new things and picked up conversational Malay while working at the hawker centres. Now he is trying to learn Mandarin.
Despite the initial struggles, Mr Pandi is content with his new career trajectory and is motivated to thrive.
“It was easier working for an organisation that belonged to someone else. I had paid leave, time off and other benefits. I was able to spend quality time with my family,” he said.
“My stall is open from 6am to 10.30pm daily, so the workload is heavy. And running the shop seven days a week means I can’t take a day off.
“But I am working without considering all these problems as I dream of expanding to other parts of Singapore.”
