INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
once used to sell tea to make a living
Today, P Anil Kumar is a crorepati who has taken the political plunge
The 43-year-old has filed his nomination papers for next month's Karnataka assembly elections as an Independent candidate from Bommanahalli
constituency in Bengaluru.With declared assets worth Rs 339 crore, Mr Kumar is the richest Independent candidate to have filed nomination
papers for the polls scheduled on May 12
He also owns a fleet of 16 cars, including imported brands though he wouldn't name them.For Mr Kumar, who is from Kerala, struggle began
After his father died, his mother worked as a house help to look after her three children."My mother used to wipe floors and wash utensils
She would get four idlis to eat but would first feed us," said the businessman, breaking into tears.With resources stretched at home, Mr
Kumar could not study beyond the third standard
He left home for Bengaluru when he was just 11 in 1985.With no place to stay in an alien city, he used to sleep in front of closed shops at
One day, a kind-hearted man gave him food and offered a job in his shop
I was told to carry mangoes from one place to another, he said.Soon after, he started selling tea at small companies and later, during the
IT boom in the 1990s, at software companies and big showrooms
He got more people and expanded his tea-selling business
I started earning more and even managed to save, he claimed.His fortunes changed after marriage when the couple bought a plot in the city to
build a house of their own
But he sold the land after somebody offered him double the price
It was his venture into the world of real estate that, according to him, yielded high returns."I started buying small plots and sold them
That was in the late 90s," he said, claiming that he made crores in a span of six years.Eight years ago, he set up his own company called M
J Infrastructure in Bomanahalli
He says he is also into philanthropic work that includes building a church and a temple as well.Pitted against the BJP's Sathish Reddy who
holds the Bomanahalli seat, Anil Kumar seems confident of a win
I have the Almighty's blessings and support of the people, he said.
