Ravindra Kishore Sinha at his office. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Ravindra Kishore Sinha is the founder and chairman of SIS, the country’s leading security services provider. SIS recently became the first company in security sector in the Asia-Pacific region to receive the highest credit rating, SME-1, in technical jargon. The world’s premier credit rating company, CRISIL, awarded the certificate to SIS which opened the first of its six training centres in Garhwa in Jharkhand. In a tête-à-tête with Nalin Verma, Sinha discusses the ideas and innovations that he implemented to make SIS a top-notch security agency.

You set up your first training centre at Garhwa in 1974. Why did you pick up Garhwa, a relatively remote place, to set up the centre?

I noticed hard-working and adventurous young men, who constitute the backbone of a security agency, available to be tapped in and around Garhwa (then in united Bihar). We were looking for robust and courageous youths. Moreover, I belonged to Bihar and it was easy to begin the venture where I was born and brought up.

What is the nature of your services?

Set up as an investigation firm over 30 years ago, today the company has grown into a total security solution provider offering manned guarding, consulting and investigations, electronic security system to over 15,000 corporate customers across 24 states.

How do you claim to be a provider of the “best security guards”? How do you train and prepare them to guard the banks and ATMs?

A good initial training and regular upgrade is the secret of efficiency. Since its inception, the training has been the cornerstone for shaping our people. Moreover, we never outsource training for we have our own residential training academies at six places. They are Sriperumbudur, Garhwa, Gurgaon, Dehra Dun, Bhubaneswar and Bangalore.

What are the specific training that your centres provide?

It includes all — martial arts, driving, executive protection, investigation and intelligence work, use of dogs in guarding, patrolling and tracking, fire-fighting and prevention, use of computers in documentation at gates, wireless communication and housekeeping.

You are also a senior BJP leader. How do you strike a balance between politics and business?

It is not that tough for me. The SIS is a corporate manned by executives and professionals at all levels. SIS officials address customers’ demands and grievances. Being a committed worker of the BJP, I find enough time to carry on with social work and politics.

What is the goal in your life?

I cannot describe myself as an entrepreneur committed only to do business and earn profit. Our venture is highly employment oriented aiming to earn and let others earn.