It goes a long way for him. Once a street vendor, he is now CEO of a management and tech consulting company in Dubai, which he established in memory of his elder brother, who had envisioned a bright future for him, despite the trials and tribulations in their lives.

Life has been full of twists and turns for Sreedhar Bevara, a native of Vantara village in Vizianagaram district. Occupying a high position, he has not forgotten his humble beginnings, and is full of gratitude for his ‘mentors’, who helped him realise his innate abilities.

Work pressure and difficult situation at home led to failure in studies. But that did not dent his determination and he managed to complete his degree privately by clearing 15 subjects at a go in March 1998. He quit his job and studied hard and made it to the IIM, Ahmedabad.

There was no looking back for him ever since. He worked for various companies and within 10 years became the senior GM of Panasonic Corporation. His resume now reads like this: Alumnus of IIM, Ahmedabad, CEO of BMR Innovations, a Dubai-based Management and Tech Consulting company, with branches in India and the USA, author of two international bestsellers ‘Moment of Signal’, published by Fingerprint, and ‘The Roaring Lambs’, published by HarperCollins, contributor to Forbes magazine on leadership and business, mentor at IIT – Madras …

Life was not a bed of roses for Sreedhar, as his family went through economic crises, and found it difficult to make both ends meet. Sreedhar did odd jobs such as a milk delivery boy and a helper at a chicken stall in the city.

“I had to borrow the dress and shoes of a friend to attend the interview for the job of ‘waiter’ at the Taj Residency in the city during the early 1990s. It was a great learning experience for me, though I had to slog for 12 to 14 hours, a day, at the hotel’s ‘Ming Garden’ restaurant, which was frequented by celebrities, cricketers and foreigners,” he recalls.

His elder brother Bevara Muralidhara Rao, a constant source of support and guidance to him, succumbed to bone cancer in 1997 and that left a void in the family. Sreedhar established BMR Foundation to perpetuate the memory of his elder brother. He motivates students on developing leadership qualities by giving them examples from his own experiences.