Inspiring Journey Of B Ravi Pillai, The First Indian To Own Rs 100 Crore Airbus Helicopter

A lot of people have to let go of their dreams because they don't have the privilege to fulfil them. But this man with his hard work made sure that he got what he desired and in the end achieved it.

We are talking about B Ravi Pillai, a Dubai-based Indian businessman who hails from a coastal town in Kollam in Kerala. 68-year-old B Ravi Pillai is the son of a farmer, and as a kid had to struggle. But despite facing poverty, he worked hard to do better for himself.

First Indian To Own An Airbus Luxury Helicopter Worth Rs 100 Crore

Head of the RP Group of Companies, B Ravi Pillai has recently made such a record that narrates his richness. Pillai has become the first Indian owner of the Airbus H145 helicopter. 68-year-old billionaire Ravi Pillai has bought this helicopter for Rs 100 crore.

View this post on Instagram

The state of the art helicopter which has all the latest safety features has the capacity to carry seven passengers and two pilots. Along with this, this helicopter is capable of taking off and landing from a height of 20,000 feet above sea level. The helicopter was delivered by Airbus in Kovalam and took its inaugural flight from Kovalam to The Raviz Ashtamudi with the RP Group Vice-Chairman on board.

It's the first Airbus D3 helicopter in India and the first five-bladed H145 helicopter in Asia. The H145 helicopter is the latest member of Airbus' four-tonne-class twin-engine rotorcraft product range. In addition, the chopper boasts of energy-absorbing seats which ensure the safety of its passengers in case of an accident and the helicopter is also equipped with an advanced wireless communication system.

The helicopter is going to give a boost to his tourism activities as he owns a string of luxury hotels across the state and will be used to ferry his guests across tourist destinations in the state, said a top official of the RP Group.

B Ravi Pillai bought Rs 100 crores helicopter | Instagram/B Ravi Pillai

The RP Group has helipads at The Raviz Kadavu in Kozhikode, The Raviz Ashtamudi in Kollam, and The Raviz Kovalam in Thiruvananthapuram. Pillai, who maintains a low profile, is also known for his charity activities and closeness with top political leaders cutting across political parties.

Born into a farmer¡¯s family

Ravi Pillai was born on 2 September 1953 in Chavara village, Kerala. Pillai's family used to feed themselves through agriculture. Despite being born in a small village farmer family, Ravi Pillai gave great importance to education. He completed his post-graduation in business administration from Kochi University after graduating from a local college.

Started his business by borrowing money

B Ravi Pillai is a richest man in Kerala | Photo: TOI

Ravi Pillai always wanted to do his business. He started it at the same time when he was studying at Kochi University. During this, he started his own chit-fund company by borrowing Rs 1 lakh from a local moneylender. After earning money from his business, he repaid his loan and kept accumulating profit money. After that, he started his own construction company.

Never gave up

Ravi Pillai also saw many ups and downs in his life. He got a big setback when he got the contract from Vellore Hindustan Newsprint Factory. He had to close his unit due to a labour strike. But Pillai was not one who give up. He left India and went to Saudi Arabia in 1978. There he started the construction and trading business. He soon started his own construction company named Nasser S. Al Hajri Corporation (NSH) with 150 employees.

His construction business grew manifold as NSH began receiving large contracts such as hangar construction for a French airline company. Along with this, his company was also building another major work a Royal Terminal which was worth $50 million.

B Ravi Pillai's daughter wedding | Photo: B Ravi Pillai/Instagram

B Ravi Pillai who was born in a farmer's family is today an employer of around 70,000 employees in various companies. According to Forbes, Pillai's net worth is $2.5 billion. You can guess his wealth from the fact that around 30,000 guests from 42 countries attended his daughter's wedding ceremony including CEOs of global tech firms and members of royal families in the Middle East. Forbes magazine included Ravi Pillai in the list of 1000 billionaires of the world. And also considered the richest person in Kerala.

Awards and recognition

Ravi Pillai has been awarded the Padam Shri by the Government of India in 2010 and the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman in 2008. He is a recipient of a doctoral degree from Excelsior College, New York.

With leadership and hard work, B Ravi Pillai may inspire a lot of youngsters, who are able to withstand and tolerate any form of setback simply on their belief that they can reach their goals.

For more interesting stories like this, click here.