The mind behind Merair

Merair Travel and Tours is one of ten companies founded by Mr Shakthivelu Mani.

He is the son of a mason. No business in the family, no technical background, no head start. His first job was as a sales executive, covering Bengaluru on a TVS 50 scooter — and that is where the habit the company still runs on was formed: turn up, know the customer, do the thing you said you would do.

Twenty-five years on, he has built companies across travel, construction, interior design, film production, event management, forex and software. Merair is the travel arm of that group. It holds IATA accreditation and issues airline tickets directly, which is why there is no reseller sitting between a client and the fare they pay.

The spread is not incidental. Because the group also owns a film location company, a production house and an events business, a film unit can have its locations, permits, visas, crew travel and accommodation handled from one desk in Jayanagar rather than assembled from five separate vendors.