Kerala is a state full of aspiration but weighed down by financial anxiety. Rising living costs, fluctuating incomes, and the fear of unexpected expenses shape how households spend, save, and invest. This climate of caution also affects how businesses grow.
It is in responding to this culture of financial inseucrity that KP Manojkumar has built his career, and perhaps the reason he stands out. Born in Kollangattukara in Kerala's Thrissur district, his early life was shaped by social and cultural engagement. When he started out as a journalist, Manojkumar sought to understand why unemployment persisted in a state full of opportunities. This curiosity and drive pushed him to start Suryabharathy in 1994—originally a socio-cultural group aimed at uniting people across caste and creed. What started as a community-driven initiative gradually evolved into a network of 100 families across three villages, working together to alleviate poverty, provide healthcare, and offer social support.
Over time, his work with Suryabharathy expanded, and today, it has grown into a Section 8 foundation (a non-government organisation). Beyond his foundation, Manojkumar leads nearly fifteen major ventures. His responsibilities stretch across Suryabharathy Foundation, NBFC operations, Chittanda Gajja Natural Park, New India Travel Cooperative Limited, Milk Farmers Fisheries Trade Multi-State Cooperative Society, Taniniram Daily, the renowned TJKC handicrafts brand, Swarnamukhi Jewellers, Suryabharathy Insurance, Suryabharathy Mess, Suryabharathy Medicals, Budget Homes, and several other initiatives. These ventures are not just businesses—they are a way to systematically reduce financial instability and offer dependable support to the communities he serves.
Manojkumar says the purpose was simple: “People don’t lack ambition. They lack stability. If you remove everyday insecurity, they grow on their own.” This core belief shaped not only Suryabharathy’s evolution into a Section 8 foundation in 2023—now running scholarships, health initiatives and elderly support—but also every business he later built.
But titles do not explain his relevance. What defines him is the way he treats welfare as a serious operational principle. His companies employ nearly 2,000 people, the majority of them women. He trusts women with responsibility, he says, because “they handle finance better, they stay committed and they stabilise the organisation.” Salaries in his companies increase every six months, PF and ESI are compulsory, and health insurance is non-negotiable. For him, this is not generosity; it is a business calculation. “An entrepreneur may have vision,” he says, “but execution rests entirely in the hands of employees. If an employee’s life is unstable, the business will be unstable too.”
Recently, Manojkumar has also ventured into the film industry as the producer of Adinaasam Vellapokkam under the banner Surya Bharathy creations, contributing to Kerala’s entertainment landscape. These ventures, from social enterprises to creative industries, are not just businesses—they are a way to systematically reduce financial instability and offer dependable support to the communities he serves.
This philosophy extends to his understanding of Kerala’s financial behaviour. With 128 gold scheme branches, he observes the shifting patterns of household financial behaviours: families unable to afford sudden gold purchases lean on 11-month schemes; Gen Z prefers diamonds, but gold remains Kerala’s strongest safety net; silver is gaining value not through jewellery but through industrial demand. His assessment of the cooperative sector is equally rooted in ground experience. He calls political interference its biggest weakness, yet believes cooperatives remain more relevant to rural life than new-generation banks because they understand local rhythms and credit needs.
In a state where one hospital bill can collapse the financial foundations of an entire family, Manojkumar’s next ambition carries unusual weight. He dreams of establishing a specialised hospital offering cancer, liver and cardiac care at minimal or no cost. “A single treatment should not destroy a family’s savings,” he says, pointing to the harsh contradiction between Kerala’s celebrated health indicators and its rising medical expenses.
His relevance lies not in the spread of his enterprises but in the logic connecting them: Kerala’s long-term growth cannot depend solely on capital or innovation; it must rest on institutions that reduce insecurity, build trust and strengthen the everyday life of the workforce. His model suggests that welfare is not a corporate add-on, but an economic infrastructure as essential as capital, technology or strategy.
In a state defined by high aspiration and high vulnerability, leaders who understand this balance are rare. That is why Manojkumar—and the systems he builds—deserve attention.