"True perseverance is balancing dreams and responsibilities, even when the odds are against you."
INTRODUCTION
Santosh Kumar’s life is a masterclass in the art of resilience and adaptability. A local of Siliguri in West Bengal, the young boy had to face horrible loss, without warning during his childhood, which thrusted heavy responsibilities upon him far much greater than what a child should take up. Coming out of that labyrinth of hardships, Santosh is stronger, which he utilizes each opportunity coming his way as a challenge for improvement.
With a great effort and strong determination, he established Baba Security Services and managed, which flourished very much during his tenure. Besides all this, he continuously strived for higher studies up to law, business and educational degrees. He speaks multilingual fluency, but his community development work highlights his zeal for individual improvement and social welfare.
One of the incidents in Santosh’s life is when he and some passengers survived a very harrowing train ride. They were stuck in this precarious situation for hours, and during this time, they became very close as they decided that they were going to survive this crisis. This became a turning point, where Santosh’s whole attitude towards leadership and resilience was altered.
success as well as becoming the very pillar of hope for other people. He exhibits how with resilience and flexibility, one can overcome any major obstacle and make it memorable. With this biography, readers will go through the journey of Dr. Santosh Kumar—through thick and thin, victories, and defeats, to seek inspiration for their own dreams.
Phase 1 : Early Life and Childhood
Very early days of Santosh Kumar are a poignant tale of promise, upheaval, and incredible resilience. He was born on June 15, 1993, in Siliguri, West Bengal; however, his roots go back to Balia, U.P. (Sikandarpur), a place ripe with cultural richness. This double heritage added depth to his early influences, blending the discipline of military life with the grounded values of his ancestral village.
Santosh’s father was an Army officer in the Artillery (AIG), which instilled discipline, stability, and pride in the family. The family lived a structured life provided by the Army, and Santosh benefited from an Army School education that emphasized discipline and routine. He described these early years as a “golden spoon” phase of his life.
However, in 2006, a highly destructive event shut this utopic world. Santosh’s ancestral village was invaded by 100-150 arms carrying attackers on Holi festival 15th day. The mishap resulted in the killing of two attackers but injured two while blaming Santosh’s unfortunate father for killing them while he was there in the room. This action put his father behind the iron bars.
et, Santosh’s maternal grandfather was a scholar of Ved and Puran, which greatly grounded him. The grandfather instilled strength in his character in terms of survival and spiritual fortitude in him, especially at times of hardship in life. Moreover, during such moments of crisis, support from Mama Ji (maternal uncle) and other maternal members, where he had shelter of some sort, was like an encouragement at a crucial moment in his life.
In his words, “It was a facility like having a golden spoon in my mouth.” But as fate often reminds us, life is unpredictable. For Dr. Santosh, the idyllic world he knew was soon to be shattered, throwing him into a reality marked by hardship, loss, and responsibilities far beyond his age. Among the other memories from his childhood, he recollects an incident of attack on his father’s army unit by Maoists. The incidence didn’t turn into a bloodshed, but it was imprinted on his psyche as how vulnerable life can be, just a minute before becoming quite impossible.
It is on 15 March 2006, that an unimagined ordeal has begun to unravel for Santosh. It was a day of festival Holi- the time of frolic, dancing, and joy when such an unprovoked attack took place in his village in the most unheard-of manner; it would turn out into a day of mayhem and bloodshed, on an otherwise colorful jubilant festival day.
Santosh’s family, a proud lineage and a cohesive unit, had found itself in the crosshairs of armed men-who numbered about 200-attempting to murder everyone in the family.
For a boy just entering adolescence, the duties thrust upon Dr. Santosh were staggering. His father had gone away, and all these financial burdens fell on young shoulders. Schooling became a thing of the past, and survival was a priority for the family to focus on.
This drastic shift from life’s comfort into a life of day-to-day strife necessitated Dr. Santosh maturing to adulthood. Gone was he now the just a boy, but an epitome of supportiveness for his family.
Despite all these adversities, Dr. Santosh never lost hope. He built the will and determination to turn all his circumstances around. With this fresh memory of earlier times and with an unshaken desire to get the stability back for his family, he started working full time with all his power to keep them alive.
It is something that Dr. Santosh had learned while his communication with his grandfather helped him sail through such trying times. Well-learned in Vedas, Puranas, and Sanatan texts, the grandpa’s knowledge and holiness were always a beaming light before him; Dr. Santosh used to devour religious material and revolutionary stories alike that gave him strength.
Even while being rejected and ostracised in some sections of society, there were people who stood forth to help him out. As limited as that support may be, Dr. Santosh found shelter in temporary setups. His uncle, and similar relatives, offered to help him out for some time. But even such provisions were transitory. Very soon, he realised sympathy came with its conditions attached.
There was also, even in darkness, a silent goal-the need to rise above-the reclaim of the dignity and stability Dr. Santosh’s family had first felt. Sometimes, that allowed him to take refuge in reflection-on what his father could do and couldn’t do, on what became possible in rewriting their story.
His experiences of almost death and survival by miraculous means instilled in him a deep appreciation for life and a strong resolve to make his presence meaningful in the lives of others.
Phase 2 : Overcoming Hardships
The fight with the difficulties that Dr. Santosh Kumar took into himself, from 2006, after the tragedy in his family, became a tale of sheer determination, grit, and unrelenting drive toward turning despair into hope. For that long road, wracked with struggles and sacrifice, he had just begun to tackle the adversities that followed. Yet, he bore all these adversities forward, turning them into stepping stones for a brighter tomorrow.
Stepping Into Survival Mode: A Young Breadwinner
With his family’s finances crashing down all of a sudden, Dr. Santosh, then still at a tender age of hardly early teens, was obliged to become the bread winner of the family. His imprisonment meant that his father left both emotional and financial gaps for Dr. Santosh. School wasn’t an option anymore. Instead, he began odd jobs to support his family.
He used to work at a small photo studio near the Allahabad RTO. He got a salary of Rs. 50 per day, for which he had to assist customers with photographs, operate photocopy machines, and attend other minor errands. It was not much, but enough for the next meal of the family.
Balancing Education and Responsibilities
Even as he was working hard to maintain his family, Dr. Santosh kept his dream of completing education in his mind. He knew that acquiring knowledge and skills was what was needed to break that vicious cycle of poverty to achieve a better future.
In 2010, Dr. Santosh enrolled in high school under the Uttar Pradesh Board. This was a difficult time in his life because he would work and study with equal dedication. By day, he attended classes, but by evening, he returned to the photo studio and earned whatever money he could to contribute to the household.
Finding Strength in Struggle
This has been one of the characteristic features of the journey Dr. Santosh undertakes; that is, learning a lesson out of each problem. He constantly dwells on the fact that hardship had made him more disciplined, persevering, and resourceful.
Dr. Santosh once mentioned: “The weight of my responsibilities taught me to value every opportunity, no matter how small. It shaped me into someone who could endure and adapt.” Such thinking helped him not only to survive but also formed a base for the later success of Dr. Santosh.
Milestones in Education and Personal Growth
Dr. Santosh never lost his dream of dreaming big in life. He did intermediate and then moved to a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Education from Maa Gayatri Mahavidyalaya, under CSJM University. Dr. Santosh graduated in 2015 despite financial issues and tight schedules.
Dr. Santosh had a passion for learning and continued to enhance his qualifications. In 2015, he completed an Advanced Diploma in Computer Applications (ADCA), which proved to be very useful for him in his career.
His thirst for knowledge also drove him to study an MBA in Human Resources under distance education. While doing the MBA, he managed work and came out with an outstanding score of 77% for the MBA in 2017.
Phase 3 : Building Baba Group Services
Building a business is never easy from scratch, but Santosh Kumar, on the ground, had a very great feat even while battling at the bottom and against numerous legal cases. Baba Security Services is a symbol to him for being an entrepreneurial figure as it turns his fortunes into rescuing the fortunes of his family and affects numerous others positively.
Baba Security Services was born in 2010 when Santosh Kumar, still fighting financial woes and legal battles over his father, wanted to create something revolutionary. He named the company “Baba,” which is a term for Lord Shiva (Bholenath), meaning strength and resilience. The name eventually became a familial honorific for his father, adding a personal layer of meaning to the brand.
Launching the company was not easy. Santosh started small, providing quality security services in Prayagraj. His early days were marked by relentless determination and an ability to think on his feet, even as financial constraints and his father’s ongoing legal troubles loomed large.
Using innovative strategies like client-centric pricing models and rigorous employee training, Santosh managed to grow the company exponentially. Through such measures, he achieved 600% in sales and brought about a turnaround that transformed Baba Security Services into one of the trusted names in the industry, with more than 2,500 personnel.
Milestones in Education and Personal Growth
In addition to the success of Baba Security Services, Santosh Kumar ventured into the hospitality industry with the launch of Mahadev Café, a venture aimed at providing affordable and high-quality dining experiences for middle-class families. The café quickly became popular for its welcoming atmosphere, delicious food, and value-driven service.
Together, Baba Security Services and Mahadev Café came to be known as Baba Group, symbolizing Santosh’s ability to diversify and create opportunities in multiple sectors. Baba Group stands as a testament to Santosh’s entrepreneurial spirit and his commitment to addressing the needs of diverse communities.
Overcoming Financial Struggles and Legal Battles
Launching a business against the backdrop of financial woes was not an easy endeavour. Dr. Santosh had to stretch every rupee so that operational costs, which included employee salaries and most basic equipment, were kept in check. However, his resourcefulness and acumen to think on one’s feet helped him float the company through those fateful early years.
At the same time, there was another challenge from his father’s legal battles. Dr. Santosh was working tirelessly to build the company but was also bearing the burden of emotional and financial fight for justice for his family. It made him into a leader who could handle pressure with ease, keeping multiple responsibilities in balance with remarkable composure.
Phase 4 : Education and Personal Growth
This story exemplifies what all is there in learning – Dr. Santosh Kumar never lost focus to adversities amidst all and catalyzed both personal as well as professional growth. He kept his studies in parallel to his entrepreneurship; he exemplified how much determination, discipline, and knowledge pursuit can transcend the hardest obstacles.
Starting With a Strong Foundation
This story exemplifies what all is there in learning – Dr. Santosh Kumar never lost focus to adversities amidst all and catalyzed both personal as well as professional growth. He kept his studies in parallel to his entrepreneurship; he exemplified how much determination, discipline, and knowledge pursuit can transcend the hardest obstacles.
Santosh started his educational journey in challenging circumstances. After his family’s financial breakdown and his father’s court battles, formal education became a luxury that his family could hardly afford. But Santosh’s determination to study and complete his education formed the foundation for his future success.
He passed his high school in the year 2010 under the Uttar Pradesh Board from Dr. Murli Manohar Inter College, Prayagraj. Earning a commendable score of 70%, his performances reflected the hard work and grit that Santosh had with so many jobs to feed the family. He has witnessed the times when he worked hard in a photocopy shop throughout the day and in the night he worked as a security guard studying along with his notebooks. He never forgot the times when his brother-in-law helped him financially and morally to achieve his academic excellence.
Dr. Santosh’s thirst for knowledge propelled him to pursue a degree in a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from the Maa Gayatri Mahavidyalaya, affiliated to the CSJM University. English and Education were the major disciplines he chose to major in, knowing the power communication skills and pedagogy in his career. With these obligations at Baba Group Services in view, Dr. Santosh graduated from BA in 2015.
Acknowledging the increase in importance of technical skills in today’s world, Dr. Santosh did an ADCA in Computer Applications in 2015. It was here that he was provided with IT skills to enhance his capability to bring operations at the company he worked for more streamlined and make himself adapt to the digital world.
He was not satisfied with his undergraduate degree. Dr. Santosh decided to further his education by joining an MBA program specializing in Human Resources under SHIATS’s distance learning course in 2015. That changed everything in his life because it gave him the opportunity to learn and understand business management more in-depth while leading Baba Group Services.
In this quest for holistic development, Dr. Santosh came to know the importance of legal awareness in the challenges of business and society. In 2018, he pursued his Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Allahabad State University. For three years, he dived deep into the world of law and learned about the legal framework and compliance with regulatory frameworks. He graduated in 2021 with a 62% score, thus being better prepared to face the difficulties thrown by law.
Dr. Santosh’s academic life reached its peak when he obtained his second master’s degree: an MA in Education from Allahabad State University. This, done in 2023 at 72%, reflected the desire of Dr. Santosh to nurture growth in education and make positive contributions to the betterment of society.
Santosh Kumar’s journey of continuous learning has not stopped. Currently, he is pursuing an LLM (Master of Laws) to deepen his understanding of legal frameworks and advocacy. This decision reflects his commitment to both personal growth and empowering his community. By gaining advanced expertise in law, Santosh aims to address more complex challenges in business and society while advocating for justice and fairness. His pursuit of an LLM signifies his belief in the power of knowledge to bring about meaningful change, reinforcing his role as both a leader and a catalyst for societal transformation.
For Dr. Santosh Kumar, more than a means to promotion in the career, education stood for a transformative experience - it was one where an individual’s thinking was altogether transformed and their dreams rebalanced. Every degree acquired helped him move to new steps of expanding the wide world and adding strength for wise decisions.
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Dr. Santosh’s story is how he had been balancing his education with entrepreneurial obligations. Baba Group Services, an increasing enterprise that has over 2,500 employees on its rolls, would command many hours and hard work. Dr. Santosh managed, however, to give due prominence to his education without trading off professional commitments.
His daily routine showed his observance towards discipline and time management. All through the day, he would attend classes or study, whereas in the evenings, business operations he had to conduct. Often, he had to work overnight since he has attended all client needs as well as employee complaints and he went back to his books late into the night.
Dr. Santosh Kumar’s story is one that inspires a lot of people who have faith in the power of perseverance and self-improvement. He completed high school working at odd jobs, to achieving advanced degrees in business, law, and education. Dr. Santosh showed the world that if one puts his mind and heart to it, nothing is impossible.
His story truly shines as an example for how education can empower human beings to transcend their circumstantial reality and make positive impacts. For Dr. Santosh, each degree was far more than just an accomplishment; it symbolized something much more significant: tenacity, determination, and a never-giving-in belief in the power of knowledge.
Phase 5 : Social Contributions and Advocacy
The story of Dr. Santosh Kumar is not just one of personal strength and professional achievement. It is more a story of selfless service and a commitment to the betterment of society. Strongly influenced by the challenges that he faced and the help he received during those struggles, he felt a great sense of responsibility towards giving back to society. Through his work along the lines of organizations including, but not limited to Red Cross Society and Antarashtriya Manavadhikar Association, along many efforts towards resolving family dispute along with helping the lower economic status of communities, he stands in the way for quite many as a ray of hope.
Working With the Red Cross Society
The very first kind of social experience Dr. Santosh had was with the Red Cross Society when he joined that. What they emphasized at that point was humanitarian aid and removal of suffering; these values were close to his heart because he, himself had gone through the other extreme of adversity.
As a volunteer, Dr. Santosh actively participated in many initiatives that aim to provide medical aid and disaster relief as well as community support. He helped in organizing the blood donation camps to distributing of essential supplies during emergencies while helping vulnerable populations. These were acts of service to him, but also the growth that had come through them. Reminding him of how collective action is the power one can gain through empathy, he would say to people, “Working with the Red Cross taught me that even the smallest act of kindness can create ripples of change.”
Youth Leadership in the Antarashtriya Manavadhikar Association
In 2017, Dr. Santosh began to work with the Antarashtriya Manavadhikar Association as its Youth Head. Here, he was to engage with human rights advocacy efforts as an international organization. In this role, he could finally channel his justice passion into direct action. He addressed hundreds of cases of family conflicts, harassment at workplaces, and miscarriage of justice during his tenure. Dr. Santosh, through his conflict mediation skills, was able to amass many accolades for himself. He listened to each case with care and a commitment to defending the cause of human rights with utmost commitment towards fair treatment for each.
He freed a Nepali man, who had been wrongly detained over his term in a jail in Varanasi. Dr. Santosh dedicated all his efforts to simplify the legal complexities of this case, coordinating with various authorities and pleading for his freedom. This victory did not only bring justice to the family affected but also highlighted Dr. Santosh’s dedication to fighting for the marginalized.