The Gislens from Sweden: At home in Chennai for three decades

With a Chennai address printed on their calling card for 32 years, Mikael and Maria have fashioned separate legacies in this city. 2024 is a milestone year for both in terms of what they started back in the 1990s

In Sweden, the winter stretches on, and temperatures can plummet to sub-zero readings. Juxtapose a piece of that country with Chennai (a land of seemingly endless summer), and you have extremes from the weather spectrum on your hands. When Mikael Gislen was seeking to put down roots in Chennai in the 1990s, navigating the road from one weather extremity to another was the least of his concerns. He was feeling the heat from elsewhere, not the Chennai summer. Mikael was too caught up in the struggle to make the cultural and social adaptations in a vastly different land to be overly bothered about the weather, oppressive though it was in the early days.

Sweden covers a sufficiently wide band on the weather spectrum to offer varied climatic conditions: its northern parts can get bitterly cold; in contrast, southern Sweden offers a moderate climate. Gislen hails from the village of Okome in southwest Sweden, a factor helping him acclimatise himself faster to Chennai — only in terms of weather. Other acclimatisations took time, but the process was hardly onerous, thanks to an overriding love for India.

A sojourn in India in 1991 had got Mikael hooked on the country, as also the continent it was subsumed in, Asia. The next year he would undertake a tour of Asia, his wife Maria in tow. The 1990s was the time when the world was becoming more globalised and India was beginning to cradle an IT industry. He was ready for that industry, having cut his technology tooth back in Sweden with a small computer he had bought in 1980 with earnings he had managed as a farmhand. In 1993, the Gislens rented a house at 12th Main Road in Anna Nagar West — an address they have kept to this day. In 1994, Gislen Software was established at MEPZ Tambaram where it has stayed put. Mikael swears by public transport and the Metro is his trusted steed, which he boards at Thirumangalam station. He disembarks at the Airport Metro station where he hops on to a waiting Gislen company van and travels the rest of the distance to MEPZ with those on his company’s payroll.

While he was finding his feet along with this fledgling software company, fording the country’s red tapism was a challenge. The warmth of the Chennai people made up for whatever difficulties he encountered on the entrepreneurial front.

In its early years, Gislen Software was focussed on personal consulting, catering to a select set of Swedish clients. Thanks to the 1990s dotcom boom, Mikael would soon spread his wings. But the good run would be cut short when the dotcom bubble burst, followed by 9/11 and the uncertainties that came hand in hand with it. Mikael and his team would struggle through this period, and recover gloriously in 2004 when they set foot in the Norwegian market, their major sign-up being with Q-Free.

Now, Gislen Software’s offerings include bespoke software development services for the web and mobile web, integration of business systems, user-centred design, payment solutions, collaborative economy initiatives and a slew of other IT services.

Mikael has ensured his company keeps strides with the sustainability demands of the times. “We are using more resources and destroying more than we contribute, and I think that is unsustainable,” he reflects. “We have to start somewhere.”

Mikael does not view sustainability as a business strategy, but a choice that needs to be made, with utmost urgency, to save a beleaguered planet.

One of the markers of this resolve is the initiative to harness solar power through the installation of a solar panel set-up with a 15 kW capacity in 2013. Two years ago, the system was upgraded, its capacity going up to 22.3 kW.

The company is also focussed on responsible solid and liquid waste management. Employees actively sort food waste in designated bins for paper, food and plastic waste in the cafeteria. Food waste is collected and processed in a composting machine, turning it into nutrient-rich compost, which is spent on the gardens on the company’s campus.

Mikael Giselen’s journey in Chennai has not been a solitary one. His wife, Maria, had her own vision which would not only complement Mikael’s work but also fashion a different form of legacy in Chennai.

A parallel journey

When Maria first set foot on Chennai’s sun-baked streets in 1992, she was struck by the bustle. Maria hails from the Swedish city of Mariestad, occupied by only 16,611 people in 2019. It does not take rocket science to see how sparsely populated it would have been when Maria (now 57 years old) was growing up in Mariestad. Yet, something about this unfamiliar world called Chennai captured her heart, sparking a journey that would forever change the lives of numerous children.

A teacher back in Sweden, Maria lost no time in taking up volunteering assignments at schools in Chennai. Before long, she realised she had to hew out a path of her own, one underprivileged children can take on their way to meaningful education. Besides, the education that she had in mind was close to what she herself had benefited from as a student in Sweden. With this thinking, the seeds for what would be called Little Lambs School were sown

In 1999, with just four children (including the Gislens’ eldest son), Little Lambs School took its baby steps. On a parcel of land accounting for 6.5 grounds at Vijayalakshmi Nagar in Puthagaram off Surapet Main Road in Chennai, the school with a built-up area of 9,000 sq.ft was established with Matriculation syllabus, enhanced by added elements aimed at fostering creative learning. The fee is kept nominal to suit the wallet of the unprivileged families sending their children to the school. “The most needy children are provided food and drink,” says Maria.

It took time for those baby steps to become long strides. Only in 2006 would Little Lambs School open its first custom-built classrooms, providing a permanent home for the children who had become part of Maria’s extended family. Building the school from the ground up was no small feat, but Maria’s determination saw it through. Now the school (up to seventh standard) has 275 students on its academic roll and 15 teachers on its payroll. Little Lambs School also depends on volunteers to sustain its initiatives. “We do invite volunteers, sometimes we get volunteers from other countries who come for a few months and help out,” says Maria.

Little Lambs School mirrors Gislen Software’s commitment to sustainability, something Maria values as much as Mikael does. Inspired by how Indians repurposed everyday items, she integrated the three Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) into the school’s curriculum. Students are taught environmental responsibility – one striking sign of this is how students are encouraged to recycle materials for creative projects.

As Little Lambs School is celebrating its silver jubilee this year, Maria counts among the achievements not only the accreditations but also the everyday moments — the first confident smile of a child known for diffidence, a parent’s tearful words of gratitude and so on.

“I want to create a place where every child, no matter their background, can blossom,” says Maria.

Looking ahead, Maria envisions Little Lambs School expanding even further, offering education up to the 12th grade and nurturing more students.

But beyond their respective areas of work, what truly connects Maria and Mikael to this city is the warmth of its people, the pulse of its streets, and the spirit of resilience that is branded into its heart.

The Gislen Timeline

1980: Mikael buys his first computer with earnings from farm work in Sweden.

1991: Mikael visits India for the first time and develops a strong interest in the country.

1992: Mikael and Maria tour Asia, including India, where they decide to settle down.

1993: Mikael and Maria move to Chennai. They rent a house in Anna Nagar West, where they still live.

1994: Mikael establishes Gislen Software at MEPZ Tambaram. The company remains at this location.

1999: Maria starts Little Lambs School in Chennai with four children, including their eldest son.

2004: Gislen Software enters the Norwegian market. A partnership with Q-Free helps the company recover from previous challenges.

2006: Little Lambs School builds its first custom classrooms, providing a permanent space for students.

2013: Gislen Software installs a 15 kW solar panel system as part of its commitment to sustainability.

2021: Gislen Software upgrades its solar panel system to a total capacity of 22.3 kW, further enhancing their sustainable energy usage.

2024: Little Lambs School celebrates its 25th anniversary, with 175 students and 15 teachers. And Gislen Software celebrates its 30th anniversary, marking three decades of growth and innovation in Chennai.

Published - November 08, 2024 07:48 pm IST