Meet Shobhit Singh, once lived as a monk in ashram, now owns a multi-crore company

Shobhit Singh wanted to become a ‘Yogi’ and search for the ‘meaning of life’ in an Ashram. However, he ultimately scripted a different success story: from a middle-class Lucknow boy to boss of a multi-crore turnover brand in Vadodara.

Shobhit Singh is Director of Stone Sapphire India and the brain behind upcoming stationery brand ‘Skoodle’. His company is a leading ‘Make in India’ stationery and toy brand which has clocked an outstanding turnover of Rs 120 crore, as per a Weekend Leader report

From monk to magnate

Shobhit Singh hails from Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur. Pursuing his graduation and MBA from the Aligarh Muslim University, he also had a bent towards ascetic and philosophical way of life. He studied various religions, from a Vedic management program to Islamic teachings and Christian theology. He started his career working for a German software firm in the national capital Delhi.

At 26, he decided to become a monk and went to become a disciple of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in his Rishikesh ashram. But after around 18 months living as a ‘Yogi’, he returned and got married under family pressure. His wife belonged to a business family in Vadodara Gujarat. He entered the business world with his brother-in-laws. Luck smiled when the US hiked duties on Chinese products which brought the opportunity for him to provide a manufacturing alternative in India.

Singh founded Skoodle in 2016 with Rs 1.2 crore capital and a workforce of 50 people. The brand now has 250 workers and is the Indian home of several famous international brands like Hasbro, Playskool, My Little Pony and Play-Doh. They also manufacture licensed toys for brands like Barbie, Hot Wheels, Marvel, Fisher Price and Disney. 

READ | Ratan Tata follows only one Instagram handle, here’s who