A Barber From Bangalore With A Rolls Royce—And 67 Other Cars

BANGLORE: Ramesh Babu is a Bangalore-based barber who gives customers a haircut for a modest Rs100 but owns a Rolls Royce Ghost worth Rs3.1 crore, and 67 other cars.

 Ramesh Babu with his prized possession, the Rs 3.1 crore worth Rolls Royce Ghost, for which he pays an EMI of Rs 7 lakh

Babu was nine when his father died in 1979, leaving the family with nothing. To make ends meet, they rented out his father’s saloon on Brigade Road (Bangalore) for a mere Rs5 per day. Forced to get a fulltime job, Babu dropped out of school after Class 10 and started working as a barber.

In 1991, he started his own salon, Inner Space, which gained popularity among the city’s trendy bunch. But the turnaround happened in 1994, when Babu purchased a humble Maruti Omni van and started renting it out.

Seventeen years later, his car collection is anything but humble. Apart from the Rolls Royce, his fleet includes four Mercedes, an equal number of BMWs and 50 Toyota Innovas — which he rents out. Renting the Rolls Royce for a day will set you back by Rs 50,000.

Losing his father at the Age of 7, made Ramesh the iron hearted he is today. Took over his responsibilities much earlier than ideal, but nothing could come in between him and his dreams. Took over the family business and started his journey to happiness. Started off with an Omni Van in 1993 and rented it out. The business clicked and in 2004 he had his hands on his first Luxury car, a Mercedes E class.

Ramesh bought one of the most prized possession of the Auto world, a 3.1 crore Rolls Royce Ghost recently. Put his hard-earned money and a huge bank loan to get the car, for which he pays an EMI of 7 lakhs per month. More than the business, it is his love for the cars that has been pushing him forward with his endeavours.

Even with such a lavish life, he is still rooted to his originality. Every day he visits his saloon for 6 hours, cuts hair of his customers and then takes care of his car thing. He still cuts hair for a meagre Rs 65. He firmly believes that his kids will also be a part of his family business. Some very high profile people including the likes of Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bacchan have taken a ride in his luxury cars.  His future deals will be including a stretch limo to his collection costing around 8 to 9 crores.

Doing what he did takes a lot of courage and will power, and this story is not just about achieving your dreams, but doing it the right way, without any wrong to your name. He is an inspiration to me, for his attitude towards life and his achievements.

 Ramesh with his proud possessions - a Rolls Royce Ghost and a BMW

 Ramesh on his Suzuki Intruder, which costs a cool Rs 16 lakh