To build a diversified Rs 300 crore business group from just Rs 1,400, you need the instincts of a trained cook and the sharp mind of a businessman. Meghraj Singh Royal, 54, had these qualities. Today, his MRS Group of Companies has interests in infrastructure, mining, and hospitality. In the next few years, he plans to add a 600-acre township on the outskirts of Jaipur, at least two more hotels, and several infrastructure contracts. Not bad for a man who was once close to pawning his wife's jewelry to pursue his dreams.
"I was a cook for 10 years, working at places like the Ram Bagh Palace and the Governor’s House in Jaipur, and earlier at the Greek embassy in Bahrain.
I wasn’t always meant to be a chef. If my father had his way, I’d be a teacher today! In 1977, after I passed my Class 10 exam, my father sent me for a teacher’s training test, but I arrived too late. Instead, I saw an advertisement for a hotel management course, so I enrolled. While training at the Ram Bagh Palace (a Taj property), I had the chance to go to Dusseldorf, Germany, but missed the application deadline. Determined to go abroad, I went to Bahrain in 1981, earning Rs 1,800 a month. After two years, I returned to India and got married. My father was unhappy because he thought I was unstable for leaving a good job. I wanted to prove him wrong.