From bell-boy to billionaire Eighty eight kilometers south of Islamabad near Chakwal is a small town called Bhaun. It was here in 1898 that the father of Indian hospitality industry was born. Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was orphaned when he was six months old. Although his widowed mother had meager resources, she encouraged her son to study in the village school and later in Rawalpindi. He however, could not continue his education after intermediate due to lack of finances. Oberoi began his career as a bell-boy at Cecil hotel Shimla when after two years, in 1922, he was offered a job as a clerk at rupees 50 per month. The diligence, enthusiasm and intelligence displayed by Mr. Oberoi impressed the manager of the hotel. A quick learner, Mr. Oberoi did not restrict his efforts to fulfilling the job description of a desk clerk but sought and shouldered additional responsibilities. A few years later, when Mr. Clarke acquired a small hotel he asked Mr. Oberoi to assist him. It w...