Mohan Singh Oberoi a pioneer of Indias hotel industry is regarded by many as the father of the Indian hospitality sector who established Oberoi Hotels and Resorts which has today grown into the countrys second-largest hotel chain. The Oberoi Group owns and operates 31 hotels in India Egypt Indonesia UAE Mauritius and Saudi Arabia. But did you know that Mohan Singh Oberoi started his entrepreneurial journey from humble beginnings working as a clerk at the front desk of a hotel. Let us delve into the remarkable life story of this ace hotelier who changed the face of Indias hospitality business. Who was Mohan Singh Oberoi? Born on August 15 1898 in a Punjabi Sikh family in Bhaun a tiny village in Jhelum District (now Chakwal District) in Pakistans Punjab Mohan Singh Oberoi was raised by his mother after his father who worked as a contractor in Peshawar passed away when Mohan was a six-month-old infant. Growing up Mohan Singh Oberoi completed his schooling at local schools in his native villages and later in nearby Rawalpindi and then travelled to Lahore to attend college. Mohan Oberoi attended the Lahore Law College and lived with his uncle a devout Sikh who took exception when Oberoi shaved his beard and asked him to leave. After dropping out of college because of financial constraints Mohan Oberoi moved to Shimla to search for opportunities in the hospitality business and landed a job as a front desk clerk at the The Cecil Hotel in 1922 at a monthly salary of Rs 50. The birth of Oberoi hotels Impressed by his hard work and dedication the hotels manager Ernest Clarke and his wife Gertrude took a liking to Oberoi and handed him the responsibility of managing Hotel Carlton now renamed to Clarkes Hotel. The new job presented a unique opportunity for Mohan Singh Oberoi to gain valuable experience of managing a high-end hotel. Oberois managerial skills shone through as he doubled the hotels occupancy to 80 percent in six months. Upon their return the Clarkes offered to sell the hotel to Mohan Oberoi at a agreed upon price as they wanted to move back to England. However Mohan Singh Oberoi did not have any money to make the purchase but managed to raise the required funds by pledging his wifes jewelry and mortgaging every piece of property he owned. Thus Oberoi acquired his first officially marking his foray into the hospitality sector. Four years later Oberoi leased the Grand Hotel in Calcutta and with his sharp business acumen and managerial skills transformed the 500-room hotel into a successful and profitable business. Over the years Oberoi invested in the shares of Associated Hotels of India (AHI) which owned hotels across British India including Shimla Delhi Lahore Murree Rawalpindi and Peshawar. In 1943 Mohan Singh Oberoi acquired a controlling stake in AHI becoming the first Indian to manage the countrys largest hotel chain. Mohan Oberoi established the The Oberoi Intercontinental in New Delhi in 1965 and in 1973 opened the 35-storey Oberoi Sheraton in Mumbai. Rise of Oberoi Group and Trident Over the years Mohan Oberoi established the Oberoi Group the second-largest hotel chain in India and later launched Trident group of luxury hotels which owns premier hotels in major Indian cities such as Mumbai Chennai Gurgaon (Delhi NCR) Hyderabad Bhubaneswar Cochin Agra Jaipur and Udaipur. Trident also owns property in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. Mohan Singh Oberoi passed away in 2002 at the age of 103 but the hotel empire he built continues to flourish with over 12000 employees worldwide and a market cap of Rs 25000 crore.