Sri T V Sundram Iyengar
1877-1955
The TVS Group was formed by T V Sundram Iyengar, one of the pioneers of Indian Industry in 1912.
He was a visionary, whose ideas were years ahead of their times, and a man of principles. Both these things combined to make him a legend in his own lifetime all over Southern India.
Three years before World War I, when the automobile was still seen as some kind of initmidating "horseless carriage", Sri TVS Iyengar had the vision to set up South India's first ever rural bus service. And, over the years, this transport company became the largest of its kind in the country - legendary for its punctuality and service. In fact, the rules and regulations our Founder laid down for himself later became the blueprint for the Motor Vehicles Act.
Those days the buses where chain driven and not gear driven, as it is in the modern times. The wheels were made of wood and had a rubber layer fixed on the rim to minimise the jerks and jolts on the poor country roads. The bullock carts were the immediate competitors to exploit these roads. Asphalting the road was not yet a common practice. But this did not deter Sri TVS Iyengar to brave delivery of a service to the common man. The open buses were a luxury.
To ensure that the buses completed the journey safely and surely, the service included the accompaniment of Mechanics who had to time and again put the chains of the engine back in place because of the rough roads. Sometimes the rubber peeled of the wooden tyres and it had to be put back in place. These mechanics were not the Engineers who had their academics in the colleges. But only Black Smiths and Carpenters.
This service also came with the Indian tradition of serving food to passengers to relieve them of inconvenience.
The glory and hallmark of the bus service was that buses would leave on time and every time and reach on time. Most others would set their watches based on the passing of the bus service near them.
On reaching one end of the journey the buses would be thoroughly checked, cleaned and made ready for the next trip and that too ON TIME.
Sri T V Sundram Iyengar's philosophy of business reflected that kind of man he was simple, but stern. It was based rigidly on four concepts - quality, service, reliability and a sense of ethics.
It is this personal philosophy that has formed the cornerstone of our corporate culture as, over the past 87 years, we have evolved into one of India's leading industrial houses.