Ranchi, Dec 25
A man laden with heavy gold jewellery caught everyone's attention during the programme organised at the Jharkhand BJP office in Ranchi on Wednesday on the 100th birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. His name is Thakur Manoj Singh and these days he has become famous as 'Gold Man'.
From a labourer to a transport company owner to a BJP leader, this man, in fact, has come a long way. Manoj, who moved to Mumbai three decades ago as a labourer, is today counted among the biggest businessmen in Maharashtra. He has employed around 500 people in his transport company.
Thakur Manoj Singh originally hails from Kutlu, a small village in Chauparan block of Hazaribagh district in Jharkhand. Since the financial condition of his family was not good, Manoj shifted to Mumbai at the age of 18. After wandering around for many days in Mumbai, he did not get any work, so he started working as a labourer. Sometimes he would carry goods on his shoulders, and sometimes on a cart. Later he got a job in a transport company.
When he gained experience, he formed his own small transport company in 2010. This company first started sending goods from Mumbai to Rajkot. In a few years, the transport company made huge strides and today it has more than 100 trucks. Manoj is very popular among about 15 lakh people of Jharkhand living in Mumbai and nearby areas.
Manoj is also active in politics. In 2014, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He also got a chance to work with the then Education Minister and Mumbai BJP President Ashish Shelar. During this time, he proposed the formation of the Bharatiya Janata Party 'Jharkhand Cell' in Maharashtra on the party forum. The party accepted the proposal and 'Jharkhand Cell' was formed on January 7, 2021. Thakur Manoj Singh was made its president.
Thakur Manoj Singh says that about 15 lakh people from Jharkhand live in Mumbai and the surrounding areas. He is also working for their unity.
He says that Jharkhand is his birthplace and Maharashtra is his ‘karmabhoomi’. He organises a programme every year in Mumbai on behalf of the BJP's 'Jharkhand Cell', in which senior leaders of Jharkhand BJP also participate.
Regarding his passion for gold jewellery, Thakur Manoj Singh says, “I have seen a lot of poverty in my childhood and always dreamt of earning money through hard work. God has blessed me with success and that is why I live a carefree lifestyle. I love gold jewellery a lot.”