Once a poor barber, Ramesh Babu now owns Rolls-Royce, BMW, Mercedes-Maybach & Jaguar — his 400+ car collection will shock you

Ramesh Babu

His story begins with an end. Ramesh Babu was just seven years old, a boy focused on his second-standard exams, when the world as he knew it collapsed. Around 11:30 in the morning, he received the devastating news that his father had passed away from a heart attack.

That day marked the beginning of a profound struggle for his mother. With three children to feed and no one to rely on, she began working as a servant, her tireless efforts ensuring the family had at least one meal a day. Ramesh grew up in this reality of hardship. He took on part-time jobs, distributing newspapers and supplying milk in the early mornings, somehow managing to complete his SSLC and join an evening college.

His father had left behind a small saloon on Brigade Road, which was run by another man who paid the family a meager five rupees a day. This was their lifeline. But one day, that lifeline was snapped when the man refused to pay. Ramesh returned home to find his mother in tears. It was in that moment of her despair that a resolve steeled within him. He asked her why he couldn't take over the saloon himself. When she worried he was too young, he replied with a simple, powerful conviction: "Let me try, there's no harm in trying."

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That marked the start of a grueling routine. His days began at 6 a.m. at the saloon. He would finish at 5 p.m., rush to evening college, and then return to work until midnight. He worked nearly 16 hours a day, embracing the title of 'barber' as he rebuilt his family's life from the ground up.

By 1993, with some savings and help from his grandfather, Ramesh took a loan and bought a Maruti Omni van. The dream, however, came with a heavy EMI of Rs. 6,800. The saloon's income wasn't enough, so he began renting out the car. Without any grand design, this humble beginning marked the start of his car rental business.

Many wondered how a barber, charging a modest fee for a haircut, could ever come to own luxury cars. For Ramesh, the answer was built step by step. From one Omni in 1994, he grew his fleet to seven cars by 2004. He noticed a gap in the Bangalore market for luxury cars and decided to take a daring risk. He acquired his first Mercedes through a huge loan with an 18% interest rate, believing that without risk, there could be no great success.

That belief motivated him to an even bigger dream. In 2011, he decided to buy a Rolls-Royce for nearly Rs. 4 crore. Many called him crazy, but he went ahead. And it worked.

Today, the legacy of that single, ambitious Maruti Omni is a thriving empire named Ramesh Tours & Travels Pvt Ltd. For three decades, this Bengaluru-based company has been a testament to its journey, growing from a single van into the largest chauffeur-driven fleet in South India. What began with a barber's determination now commands a majestic fleet of over 400 vehicles.