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The self-made tycoon, who started astatine 24 by fabricating powerfulness instrumentality and taking connected giants for illustration BHEL, reflected connected really surface science and connection near him isolated from India's powerfulness corridors.
He’s launched caller ventures, including a smart location business successful Chennai, and claims India’s regulatory ambiance is yet moving successful nan correct direction
In a brutally honorable infinitesimal during a podcast pinch Ranveer Allahbadia, Aircel laminitis C Sivasankaran didn’t blasted luck, rivals, aliases regulators for nan wealthiness he ne'er made. He blamed language—and location.
“If I had learned Hindi, I would person attracted each 140 crore Indians,” he said, adding, “And if I had moved to Delhi aliases Bombay erstwhile I was younger… I would person decidedly made ₹1 lakh crore.”
It’s a staggering declare coming from a man who erstwhile stood astatine nan pinnacle of India’s telecom revolution, competing pinch titans for illustration BSNL and Bharti Airtel. But for Sivasankaran, amended Hindi—not amended deals—was nan 1 move that could person changed everything. The self-made tycoon, who started astatine 24 by fabricating powerfulness instrumentality and taking connected giants for illustration BHEL, reflected connected really surface science and connection near him isolated from India's powerfulness corridors.
His regret isn’t wrapped successful bitterness but successful clarity. “I don't want to return loans. I pull money,” he told Allahbadia. “At 68, I’ve ne'er borrowed ₹100 successful individual capacity.” Yet, contempt his entrepreneurial instincts, his biggest deals slipped through—not for deficiency of vision, but perchance for deficiency of connection.
Though he’s now battling bankruptcy, fraud investigations, and recreation restrictions owed to superior ineligible charges, including indebtedness defaults and alleged money laundering, Siva hasn’t mislaid his appetite for resurgence. He’s launched caller ventures, including a smart location business successful Chennai, and claims India’s regulatory ambiance is yet moving successful nan correct direction.
But it’s that 1 crisp admission—that missing retired connected a connection costs him a fortune—that cuts done nan noise. In a state wherever location entrepreneurs often deed a solid ceiling of power and description , Sivasankaran’s reflection isn’t conscionable personal—it’s a warning.
“I made 2 mistakes,” he said. “Not learning Hindi. And not moving to Delhi aliases Bombay. That’s it.”
And sometimes, that’s each it takes to miss ₹1 lakh crore.
Published on: May 6, 2025 9:32 AM IST
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