He also has a fleet of Mercedes and BMW s. Next year, he will
be buying a stretch limo. Imagine he once earned just Rs 5 a day!
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| Ramesh Babu with his prized possession, the Rs3.1 crore worth Rolls Royce Ghost, for which he pays an EMI of Rs 7 lakh |
Like he has been doing every day for the past 25 years,
Ramesh Babu spends at least five hours daily in his tastefully done but
no-frills saloon in Bowring Institute, one of the Bangalore elite clubs. He
personally styles the hair of his regular customers. As a professional barber,
he doesn’t want to forget his roots.
On most days, however, Ramesh drives to work in an egg-white
Rolls Royce Ghost, handling the controls on the car’s spiffy dashboard with the
same deft touch and care as when he is shaping somebody’s coif. The Rolls costs
Rs 3.1 crore and there are only five other people in Bangalore who own such a
pedigreed car.
The 40-year-old bought the Rolls a few months back with his
own hard-earned money, supplemented by a huge bank loan with a monthly pay-back
instalment of Rs 7 lakh. His earnings from the saloon are quite modest, but
Ramesh, who networks well with the rich clientele of the elite Bowring
Institute, has built a lucrative luxury car rental business. But mainly, the man has a collector’s passion for fancy
cars. And if there is some social prestige attached to it, then he’s not
complaining. “Let me enjoy the
comfort of a Rolls Royce which was restricted to rajas and maharajas in the
past,” Ramesh told Bangalore Mirror. Next year, Ramesh is planning to buy a
stretch limousine worth around Rs 8 to 9 crore.
 | |||||
| Ramesh on his Suzuki Intruder, which costs a cool Rs 16 lakh |
Currently, he has a fleet that includes Mercedes Benz (E,S
and Viano series) and BMW (5 & 7 series). He hires out these cars to
corporates through a travel agency. The Rolls, however, he rents out sparingly.
He charges Rs 75,000 for a day for the Rolls when it is let out and his usual
clients are corporate bigwigs and visiting Bollywood and Tollywood stars. The
last High Net Worth Individual who hired his Rolls was Hero Honda’s chairman
who was in town during the World Cup India-England clash.
The other notables in the city who own a Rolls include top
builder Dayanand Pai, Royal Orchid Hotel’s owner Baljee and Gold Finch Hotel
owner Prakash Shetty.
When his father died in 1979, Ramesh, a nine year-old boy,
was literally on the streets. The barber shop his father ran on Brigade Road’s
St Patrick’s Complex was rented out for Rs 5 per day. Ramesh’s family survived
on that money.
After completing SSLC, he quit studying and like his father
became a full-time barber. He became a hair stylist subsequently. His fortunes
changed in 1994, when taking a leaf from his uncle who rented out cars, be
bought a a Maruti Omni van and started renting it out. From there began
Ramesh’s tryst with cars. Even now, he has the Omni with him. In 1996, he started
a saloon at Bowring Institute and has not looked back since.
Ramesh also owns a Suzuki Intruder high-end bike costing Rs
16 lakh. He rides this bike during weekends and it’s purely for his private use
though occasionally he lets some of his close friends enjoy a ride. Meanwhile,
his two-year-old son already seems to share his father’s passion. He
effortlessly identifies each and every car in Ramesh’s fancy fleet. Inside the saloon, as he dons his black overalls, Ramesh
seamlessly makes the switch from Rolls Royce owner to barber.
 | |||
| Ramesh with his proud possessions - a Rolls Royce Ghost and a BMW |
“Even today, I cut the hair of my regular customers
for just Rs 65. I can easily hike my rates but I don’t. It’s the family trade.
And if I don’t cut someone’s hair on a particular day, I won’t be able to sleep,”
Ramesh confessed. No matter that gleaming Rolls parked outside, his head surely
is in the right place.
Courtesy: Bangalore Mirror,http://www.bangaloremirror.com
Copyright
2011
© Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.
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