Pune’s Arun Started With STD Booth, Now Sits On Annual Turnover Of Rs 140 Cr

One can get a fair idea of this man’s success by the fact that he began his career from a tiny two-room chawl in Khadki, Pune. Today, he is a booming entrepreneur who is a well-known and respected figure in the top most circles of the city. He has come far from his struggle of earlier days and now operates from posh locality of Koregaon Park.

Yes, this is about Arun Kharat who did not fuss about the gain but worked hard with consistence and is now living his dream. Born into a lower-middle class Maharashtrian family, Arun was a day dreamer. His father retired as a civilian Health Superintendent.

Studies did not fascinate him much and after completing his STD 10, he started lurking around a small footwear shop which was managed by an uncle in his family.

His brother excelled in studies and became a doctor. Arun’s mother pressurised him to which did not let him quit studies. He wanted to set up his business but he was pushed into pursuing a career in engineering. Well, the smart chap took a short-cut and saved one year by opting for a three-year course in mechanical engineering.

After getting a hold on his degree, Arun took a couple of jobs but realised that it would take him years to earn handsomely. He knew he wanted to venture into business as soon as he can. He set up a STD booth then gradually began to sell tickets for a private bus company.

Within a couple of years, his confidence boosted and he stepped into car rentals and started buying cars and build his own fleet.

“Now, our company-owned cabs number 475. There are more than 800 under the Malik Chalak scheme, and an attached contracted fleet of 5,500 cabs,” Arun told.

Arun’s Wings Travels did not stop at that and set-out to keep adding attractive features and also help a social cause. It trained 300 people belonging from the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community to drive private taxis. It collaborated with Humsafar Trust and is working towards providing opportunities to the people who are looked down upon by the society.

Another revolutionary feature added in Wings Travels’ cabs brings a feeling of safety to its passengers. Its cabs come embedded with an SOS feature that gets activated if a passenger panics or screams. “If it seems like the passenger is in trouble, the staff dispatches other cabs nearby to aid them,” Arun says who achieves an yearly turnover of Rs 140 crore.

Surely, Arun is living the dream which the little boy had seen outside that small footwear shop in Pune. His story is inspiring and promotes us to push our limits.

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