When life closes a door, some search for another way in. Others build a whole new house. At just fifteen, Inder T. Jaisinghani was thrust into circumstances that could have easily broken him. Instead, he chose resilience. What began as a desperate attempt to save a family shop in Mumbai’s crowded Lohar Chawl would evolve, decades later, into Polycab India, a ₹1 lakh crore electrical empire that powers millions of homes and industries. His journey is not just about building a company; it is about wiring together a story of grit, vision, and an unrelenting belief in quality.
Born into a modest Sindhi household, Inder grew up watching his father, Thakurdas Jaisinghani, run a small store called Sind Electric Stores. The shop sold fans, switches, and basic electrical goods to local customers. For young Inder, life was simple, until tragedy struck in 1968. With the sudden passing of his father, the family’s only source of income was left vulnerable. At an age when most children were worried about exams and friendships, Inder faced a much heavier question: should he continue his studies or abandon them to keep the shop alive? He chose the latter. That sacrifice, trading a classroom for a counter, became the spark that lit his entrepreneurial fire.
The early years were unforgiving. Inder, along with his three brothers, tried to keep the store running by buying goods from manufacturers and reselling them. But he quickly understood the limitations of being a trader. Suppliers dictated prices, deliveries were unreliable, and margins were razor-thin. Every day felt like a battle for survival. It was in this crucible of struggle that the defining realization struck him: if he wanted stability, he had to move from dependency to control. Instead of merely selling goods, the family needed to start making them.
In 1975, that bold decision took shape. Pooling every rupee they could gather, the Jaisinghanis set up a tiny manufacturing unit in a garage. The mission was simple but profound, to create wires and cables that Indian families could trust without fear. While others cut corners with cheap materials, Inder insisted on durability and safety. That choice became Polycab’s differentiator. Word spread quickly among electricians and contractors that Polycab wires never failed. In an industry where failure meant fire hazards or breakdowns, reliability was a currency more valuable than gold.
The climb from a garage to India’s largest cable manufacturer, however, was far from linear. Funds were perpetually short, machinery outdated, and expertise often learned the hard way. The brothers reinvested every profit, sometimes stretching themselves painfully thin. But through these sacrifices, Polycab built something priceless: trust. By the 1980s, the company registered as a small-scale industrial unit in Gujarat, and by 1996, it had incorporated formally as Polycab Wires Pvt. Ltd.
The following decades saw an extraordinary expansion. From building wires, Polycab entered power cables, control cables, communication lines, and eventually a wide range of electrical solutions. Distribution networks widened across India, reaching towns and villages where reliability mattered most. Unlike many who chased quick market wins, Inder built slowly, brick by brick, ensuring that quality remained uncompromised. This long-term discipline turned Polycab into the most trusted name in the industry.
The transformation accelerated in the 2000s. Polycab ventured into fast-moving electrical goods, including fans, lighting, switches, and later solar solutions and home automation. Strategic moves like backward integration into copper manufacturing reduced dependency on volatile suppliers. Partnerships with global leaders like Nexans brought world-class technology into its products. What had begun in a cramped garage now sprawled across 28 modern manufacturing plants, supplying more than 200,000 retail outlets.
The defining validation came in 2019 with Polycab’s initial public offering. Investors lined up eagerly, and the IPO was oversubscribed 52 times. For Inder, it was not just a financial milestone; it was symbolic recognition of five decades of grit. From the narrow alleys of Lohar Chawl to the wide screens of Dalal Street, Polycab had cemented its place as one of India’s corporate giants. By 2024, the company’s market capitalization had crossed the ₹1 lakh crore mark, and Inder himself was listed among India’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, with a net worth surpassing $8 billion.
Behind this empire, however, remains a man who is surprisingly private. Unlike flamboyant tycoons, Inder shuns publicity. He is known for his humility, discipline, and relentless focus on quality. Colleagues recall seeing him walk factory floors, interacting with workers, inspecting products, and ensuring standards are upheld. To him, Polycab is not just a business but a promise, one that must never betray the trust of its customers. Away from work, he is a family man who prefers simplicity over showmanship, a reflection of his Sindhi roots of resilience and thrift.
But success never arrives without challenges. Polycab has faced its share of scrutiny, from tax raids to cybersecurity threats. It has battled volatile copper prices, aggressive competitors, and the pressures of managing rapid expansion. Yet, every challenge has been met with reinvention: integrating backwards to secure raw materials, diversifying product lines to reduce risk, and investing in R&D to stay ahead of global standards. Each hurdle became another chapter in its growth story.
Today, as India races toward a future of renewable energy, smart infrastructure, and electrified mobility, Polycab is positioning itself as more than a cable maker. It is evolving into a complete energy solutions provider. Its ventures into solar products, energy-efficient appliances, and home automation signal a vision aligned with the nation’s ambitions. Inder believes that wires may carry current, but what truly powers progress is trust. “Quality builds trust, and trust builds empires,” he is known to say, a philosophy that has guided every decision.
The story of Inder Jaisinghani is more than a business chronicle; it is an inspiration for entrepreneurs everywhere. It is proof that resilience, when paired with foresight, can transform the humblest beginnings into legacies that touch millions of lives. In the end, what makes his journey extraordinary is not just the scale of Polycab’s success, but the spirit behind it, the teenage boy who chose responsibility over comfort and in doing so, illuminated the path for countless others.
From a garage in Mumbai to a global stage, from a grieving son to a billionaire industrialist, Inder’s life is a reminder that empires are not always built with grand inheritances or bold headlines. Sometimes, they are built with quiet determination, relentless work, and the courage to keep promises, one wire, one home, one dream at a time.
