Meet India’s richest jeweller who left his father’s business to start his own company, started from zero, now his net worth is Rs…., his brand is…

Kalyanaraman put all of his savings of Rs 25 lakh into opening a jewellery shop. But the amount was not enough, so he took a Rs 50 lakh loan.

Success Story: T.S. Kalyanaraman is the managing director of Kalyan Jewellers, a gold jewelry chain with 277 outlets spread across India and the Middle East. The business has its origins in a century-old textile store established in south India by his grandfather, who hailed from a family of Hindu priests. Kalyanaraman who his father’s textile business to venture into the jewelry industry, worked in the family’s textile trade from age 12 until 1993.

Kalyanaraman put all of his savings of Rs 25 lakh into opening a jewellery shop. But the amount was not enough, so he took a Rs 50 lakh loan. With Rs 75 lakh in hand, he opened the first showroom in Thrissur and named it Kalyan Jewellers.

It is important to note that, Warburg Pincus invested in Kalyan Jewellers in 2014. The company got listed seven years later in 2021. His sons Rajesh and Ramesh sit on the company’s board.
Kalyanaraman is a philanthropist and has donated to various charitable causes. He is also a patron of the arts and has supported several cultural initiatives.

All You Need To Know About T.S Kalyanaraman:

• T. S. Kalyanaraman was born on 23 April 1947 in Thrissur, India.
• He was born into a Tamil Brahmin family and is the eldest son of T. R. Seetharamaiyer.
• Kalyanaraman was named after his paternal grandfather, who was the founder of the Kalyan Group.
• He learned the business from his father at the age of 12
• He went on to study commerce at Sree Kerala Varma College.
• T. S. Kalyanaraman is married and has two sons and a daughter.
• Kalyanaraman is the chairman and managing director of Kalyan Jewellers and Kalyan Developers.
• The Kalyan Group is the holding company of Kalyan Jewellers.

T.S. Kalyanaraman: Career

Kalyanaraman started Kalyan Jewellers in Thrissur City in 1993 with a capital of ₹50,00,000. He expanded the business to 32 showrooms across South India and listed in Forbes magazine’s annual tally of billionaires in 2016 with a net worth of US$1.2 billion.