Reaching New Heights Of Success

The Ideal Group, which has presence in real estate, logistics, automotive dealership and alloys and minerals, keeps its chairman Srawan Kumar Himatsingka busy full-time. In between managing his ₹1,500+ crore business group, he lets MARWAR in on how he built it, starting in Kolkata more than three decades ago.

- Pooja Mujumdar

There are many reasons to be self-employed. While the desire to be one’s own boss is what motivates many to strike out on their own, for others like Srawan Kumar Himatsingka, it was all about opting for a life where each day meant new opportunities and challenges and being creative and learning something new. “As a young man, I always had the desire to do things differently. Regular nine-tofive jobs never held any appeal for me. Therefore, after completing my studies, I started the Ideal Group in 1982,” says Himatsingka, who is now 69 and the chairman of the Ideal Group that boasts a turnover of over ₹1,500 crore.

Family roots

Himatsingka’s family originally is from Singhana, a small town in the Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan. He was born in the Dumka district (that was then in Bihar), where he studied till the ninth standard at the Zilla School, and then moved to Kolkata in 1963 with the family shifting base for better prospects, and completed his schooling there from the Hindi High School (now Birla High School). Thereafter, he pursued his graduation in chemical engineering from BITS Pilani.

Striking out on his own

Himatsingka started the Ideal Group with the wholehearted support of his family and close friends. His first office was a 2,000 sq ft rented space at Camac Street, Kolkata with just three employees. The group operated from this office until 1991, before relocating to its current headquarters at 50, Jawaharlal Nehru Road in Kolkata, where it occupies three floors.