Anything can be accomplished if you set your mind to it. Once you understand what’s important, then you can utilise your passion and achieve anything. The rising story of 65-year-old first generation entrepreneur Ravindra Sinha, from a small Garage with Rs. 250 to building Asia’s largest manpower security firms is incredibly inspiring.
Born and grew up in a lower-middle-class family of Patna, he was inclined to do things on his own since childhood. He along with his six siblings got the early education from government’s school. Later, he decided to pursue his higher education in political science.
To fulfill the financial need of his family, he started working as a part-time journalist in crime and political reporting with a publication named Searchlight. During the reporting of Indo-Pak conflict, he got a chance to stay with the Bihar Regiment at a border post and got an idea of finding Security and Intelligence Services. In 1973, he was kicked out from the company for his sympathizing Jayprakash Narayan’s political activism. After this, he has searched many jobs but got nothing as per the expectations. Few of his friend was in the construction business and looking for former army men to guard his project site, Sinha supplied some retired soldiers to them and realized the potential of the private security agencies and decided to form a company. Finally, in 1974 he leased a small garage in Patna and started Security and Intelligence Services (SIS India Ltd).
In the first year, SIS recruited 250 army men and achieved a turnover of approximately Rs 1 lakh. In 1988, SIS opened new division as a training academy, where they trained lakhs of graduate freshers and security guards. By 2005, company’s turnover reached nearly Rs 25 crore and he decided to expand his presence in other countries. In 2008, SIS acquired Australia’s largest security company, Chubb Security for Rs 1000 Crore. Today SIS is one of the largest manpower security firms in the Asia-Pacific region with sales in excess of Rs 1850 crores and manpower of 70,000 employees. SIS offers security services to more than 2000 major corporate industries including Tata Steel, Tata Motors and ICICI Bank.
In 2014, Sinha became the richest member of the upper house of parliament as he was elected to the Rajya Sabha to represent Bihar State by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) . He also got Loss Prevention Promoter Award in 2006 and CAPSI’s prestigious Life Time Achievement Award by the Governor of Punjab for his significant contribution to the private security industry. He has also authored a book named ‘Janandolan’ on student movement between 1970 and 1975. His extraordinary achievement is the mark of his courage, determination, and desire towards the goal.
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