From odd jobs to owning 17 buses and mini trucks

Romen Das seems to have the Midas touch. Whatever business he lays his hands on appears to prosper. But behind the success story is a childhood marked by poverty, hard labour and tough choices, including putting business ahead of formal education to support his struggling family.

Born in Tipomia Shantipur village in Assam’s Jorhat district, Das, now 48, grew up in difficult circumstances. His father, an illiterate man displaced by floods from Nimati Ghat, earned a living by selling vegetables and occasionally ploughing other people’s fields. Despite severe financial hardship, he strongly believed in education and ensured that all six of his children—Das and his five sisters—attended school.

The family lived on a government-allotted plot along with several other flood-displaced families. Life was never easy. Watching his father struggle day after day left a deep impression on young Romen.

“He worked very hard and for a long time. Watching him struggle, I made up my mind as a child that I would not go for higher education and instead, help him by doing something,” recalls Das.

His first brush with business came early. At just eight years old, he began selling leafy vegetables in village markets. By the time he was in Class 3, he had become a regular trader. “I was in Class 3 when I started selling fresh coriander, grown on our land. My father sold vegetables and later took to the fish trade. He would give the fish that he could not sell to me, and I would sell it off in the village markets,” says Das.

As he grew older, he juggled school with odd jobs. When his father started trading in goats, Das was given the responsibility of collecting payments. He would cycle 15 kms, everyday.