What began as a journey with just ₹140 and a bag of hopes has today become a global enterprise—this is the story of K K Basheer, a native of Kechery in Thrissur of Kerala, who built a thriving international business from the ground up, quite literally.

In October 1984, 18-year-old Basheer, son of Kunhumarakkar and Fathima, left his village carrying just ₹140 and a few changes of clothes. He arrived in Delhi and stayed in a small room in Karol Bagh with Sadanandan, the younger brother of his friend Prakash.

Fate, however, had a harsh welcome in store. The next day of his arrival, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated, plunging the city into violent communal riots. The landlord of Sadanandan with whom Basheer was staying was a Sikh, putting them all at immediate risk. Dreams were momentarily overtaken by survival.

Once normalcy returned a month later, Sadanandan arranged a clerical job for him at a carpet company. But Basheer was clear—his calling wasn’t paperwork. With a background in welding, he set out to Mayapuri Industrial Area in search of work.

There, despite language barriers, he impressed two engineers—Rajpal and Dhaka—with his sincerity and enthusiasm. They hired him as an assistant at their steel fabrication unit for a salary of ₹300 a month. Basheer threw himself into learning everything he could—about machinery, customer needs and precision engineering.

His big break came when he was tasked with designing display racks for one of Delhi’s early supermarkets, Move n Pick. The project was a success. Encouraged by Rajpal and Dhaka, he began taking up small side projects from friends’ factories, gradually building confidence—and a portfolio.

In 1998, he rented a factory unit in Mayapuri and formally launched his own venture, designing and manufacturing racking systems for commercial and industrial establishments. His commitment to quality and on-time delivery helped the business grow steadily.

But the journey wasn’t without setbacks. In 2002, Delhi authorities began shutting down industries contributing to pollution. Basheer's factories had to close. Thankfully, he had already acquired land in Haryana and quickly shifted operations there, ensuring business continuity.

By 2012, he took a major leap—acquiring two acres near Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport in the Aerospace Park. Within two years, he had set up a state-of-the-art factory covering 1.2 lakh square feet, equipped with robotic welding systems and cutting-edge infrastructure.

Today, his company, Velca Racking Systems, exports racks, display equipment and storage solutions to the US, Africa, Oman and other countries. The firm employs nearly 200 people across Bengaluru, Haryana and Mundur in Thrissur, and is targeting an annual turnover of ₹100 crore within the next two years.

Basheer’s entrepreneurial vision now turns back to his roots—he’s preparing to launch a new ₹20 crore export hub in Thrissur, giving back to the land where his journey began.

Alongside business, Basheer has been actively involved in community welfare, having served for many years as the president of the Kerala Muslim Welfare Association in Delhi.

Supporting him throughout this journey is his wife Jameela, who is also a director of the company. Their children are equally accomplished– Jasmin, a fashion designer, Dr Jasni, an MD student, Aniza, pursuing law, and Rizwan, currently in Class 9. Their sons-in-law are Ajmal Abubacker, founder of I AM Social, and Dr Shahrukh Abdullah of the Janapriya Group of Hospitals.