The journey of Dr Sanjay Gupta, Chairman, Ramagya Group, has been a rags-to-riches story of a self-made entrepreneur
The extraordinary life of Dr Sanjay Gupta has been no less than a Fairy Tale where there are hardships, struggles, a bit of luck, hard work, determination and above all faith in Almighty as well as in one’s own capabilities. A true living example of transforming adversity into opportunity, Dr Gupta has risen from a humble beginning to become an eminent entrepreneur of the country today.
Born in 1965 at Kasturba Gandhi Hospital, Delhi, Dr. Gupta started his entrepreneurial journey with meagre means. Eldest among four siblings, he would repair watches, make candles, sell them till midnight on a footpath at Chandni Chowk, Delhi and his entire family lived in a 6’x9’ room in the same area. His father used to repair watches on a footpath in the same area. Since there was not enough space at his home for everyone to even sleep properly, Dr. Gupta would spend his nights on the footpath.
Obviously those were very hard days for his family and to make both ends meet he would also work as a peon for the shopkeepers during the day – cleaning the shops, bringing tea or water or doing their petty jobs. Later in 1981, he started to repair scooters while continuing his studies through correspondence. In the meanwhile he continued with several small businesses like selling audio cassettes and supplying video cassettes on rent. He would walk for 3- 4 miles every day to deliver video cassettes to his clients. Despite so much of labour, he was not able to earn enough to support his family properly. Always in the search of finding new means of income to provide for the family he ventured into the business of buying cheap watches, cassettes and other small articles to sell them at low profit.
Gradually, he bought a small shop in Old Delhi’s Lajpat Rai market in 1990 on loan but he had to face many problems to repay the loan. When it was time to pay the loan interest amount he had no money so he asked one of his acquaintances to lend him five thousand rupees, who in return asked him to keep a photo of Sai Baba in his shop. Subsequently, things started to get a little better but the struggle still continued. At one time he was almost on the verge of giving up but his unflinching faith in himself and his own capabilities did not let difficulties overpower his endurance. With all his might and determination he persistently kept moving towards his goal. Finally, his hard work paid off and his business started picking up and thereafter there was no looking back for him. While he started earning enough to survive well he also saved money for future investments to have a regular income.
Most of his well-wishers suggested him to open a hospital or construct a banquet hall where there were quick and immediate financial returns. But he had different plans. He had always thought of giving back to the society – he wanted to serve mankind by fulfilling his dream of opening a school for children. Since he couldn’t get a chance to go to school himself and enjoy the real teaching and learning environment, he knew the importance of school in the life of a child. He knew that quality education plays a major role in bringing a difference to one’s life. He stayed committed to the cause and started with the process of opening a school in 1993 which finally materialized in 2005.
Today he is the proud owner of a vast empire - The Ramagya Group - comprising of Ramagya Group of Schools (six schools) ranked amongst top 30 schools in India by Forbes, Ramagya Sports Academy which is one of the top 10 Sports Academies in India, and Ramagya Institute which is also ranked as one of the top 15 Institutes in India by India Today Group. Besides, the Ramagya Group encompasses Ramagya First Step (Day Care), Ramagya Roots (Pre Schools), Ramagya Foundation (an NGO that has served over 11 lakh people under its 12 programmes), Baal Saathee (a Student Health Programme), Knowledge Vista (an online learning portal), Ruchika Sales Corporation (an import export company) and Nishabd (a dog shelter), among others.