Nand Kishore
Agrawal
Founder & Managing Director — Agravanshi Group
From a tin shed to a charter plane — a 25-year journey built on conviction, resilience, trust and the responsibility to create jobs.
Founder. Builder. Institution maker.
25+ YearsFrom a Tin Shed to a Charter Plane
The 25-year journey of Nand Kishore Agrawal.
The Beginning
An Anchor's lesson. A mentor's direction. A first licence.
The story begins at the Indo English School in Rourkela — started in a tin shed, back in the seventies, by a couple the town came to love: Mihir Baran and Manju Mukherjee, fondly called Head Uncle and Head Aunty. Head Uncle was not a subject teacher. He was not an administrator, nor merely a mentor. He was an Anchor — for the school, its staff and teachers, the parents, and society at large. And what he taught was conviction: Always try to create jobs. Among the children who heard those words was Nand Kishore Agrawal. He listened. And he never forgot.
NK graduated in 1998 — first in his merit class in Commerce (Honours) from Municipal College, Rourkela, under Sambalpur University. He spent the next two years in finance and project implementation roles. Then, in 2000, everything changed.
“I was clueless where to start from. It was Sitaram Berlia who told me — iron ore. He didn't just point me in a direction. He walked with me.”
NK · On the founding year, 2000
The first licence to trade iron ore was procured. Agravanshi Minerals — a partnership firm — was created. In the early years, NK stayed in dharamsalas in Odisha's mining towns. He had no office, no fleet and no corporate address. He had a licence, a mentor and a belief that the ore beneath the landscape was worth more than it was being given credit for.
The Restart
Losing almost everything — and choosing to begin again.
By 2003, there was a crusher in Barbil. By 2005, a casting unit supplying the railways. By 2007, Agravanshi Private Limited was formally incorporated — and a Group was taking shape.
Then 2008 arrived. The global recession almost entirely wiped out the iron ore market. There were no buyers, there were debts, and there was the slow, grinding mathematics of loss. NK did not sell. He did not surrender. He held on.
2012 Business Loan
Debt Cleared
The Restart
“Back to Barbil. A restart.”
NK · On 2012 — the second founding
That restart, built on ₹60 Lakhs and the same stubbornness that had kept him going through four years of difficulty, became the foundation of something far larger. The Group rebuilt and expanded. Goa came, followed by mining blocks and the formal entry into commercial mining.
The Group Today
From trading to mining, hospitality and aviation.
In 2022, Anandam Minerals Private Limited was incorporated, signalling the Group's formal entry into commercial mining. In June 2025, Anandam won the Jalahuri Iron Ore and Manganese Block in Keonjhar, Odisha — 175 hectares, a 50-year lease and approximately ₹140 Crore invested, won at competitive e-auction at a final bid of 122.80%.
In 2026, NK manages the Group's growing mining portfolio by charter plane, flying between Odisha and Goa to oversee assets that span states, sectors and supply chains. Rivaah Resort in Jamshedpur is operational. A 4-star hotel is in development. Agravanshi Aviation is taking shape.
Revenue
Companies
Mineral Assets
Years
Twenty-Five Years of Building
The milestones that shaped the Agravanshi Group.
The Lesson That Started Everything
Schooling at Indo English School, Rourkela — founded in a tin shed by Mihir Baran and Manju Mukherjee, "Head Uncle" and "Head Aunty." Head Uncle's lesson: "Always try to create jobs."
First in Merit
Graduates B.Com (Hons), First in Class — Municipal College, Rourkela, Sambalpur University.
The Beginning
Mentor Sitaram Berlia suggests iron ore. First licence to trade iron ore procured. Agravanshi Minerals created.
Into the Market
Iron ore trading operations established at Barbil — one of Odisha's primary ore hubs.
First Physical Asset
First crusher set up in Barbil — the Group's first owned infrastructure.
Diversification
Railway casting unit established, supplying India's rail infrastructure.
Corporate Identity
Agravanshi Private Limited formally incorporated.
The Year of the Recession
Global financial crisis. Iron ore business almost entirely wiped out. NK holds the course.
Four Years of Holding On
Slow, difficult recovery. Debts accumulate. NK does not exit.
Back to Barbil — A Restart
₹3 Crore business loan taken, ₹2.4 Crore debts cleared, ₹60 Lakhs remaining.
The Rebuild
Rebuilds from ₹60 Lakhs. Goa mineral blocks acquired.
Mining Formalised
Anandam Minerals Private Limited incorporated. Commercial mining becomes a formal Group vertical.
The Landmark Acquisition
Jalahuri Iron Ore & Manganese Block, Keonjhar — 175 hectares, 50-year lease, approximately ₹140 Crore investment.
The Group Today
Mining assets across states, Rivaah Resort operational, 4-star hotel in development and Agravanshi Aviation taking shape.
The Man Behind the Group
Character, leadership and the philosophy behind the business.
How He Leads
NK leads the Agravanshi Group with warmth that is not performed, conviction that is not loud, and a consistency that makes people around him feel that the standard will not shift. His close associates repeatedly describe him as calm, positive, approachable and trustworthy.
In an industry built on hard negotiations and harder margins, NK's singular advantage has never been leverage. It has been trust. Relationships built while staying in dharamsalas in Barbil in 2000 remain, in many cases, relationships that anchor the Group's business today.
“Worst condition in your life and business is a good sign. It is a time of screening, preparing you for survival. Don't fear the worst situation.”
— NK · Signature philosophy
“There is no enemy in business.”
“When you can think, you can achieve it.”
“Spirituality and trust go hand in hand.”
“Always try to create jobs.”
People Are His Currency
NK's idea of wealth is not what most would expect from a man who has built a ₹639 Crore enterprise. “Friendship is the word,” he says. The warmth of his social circle, the loyalty of his friends and the laughter in a room when he enters it are, to those who know him, reliable indicators of who he actually is.
Traveling with family is his luxury. The man who stayed in dharamsalas in Barbil during the foundation years now flies by charter to oversee mines across Odisha and Goa. The distance between those two images is not simply a story about accumulation. It is a story about sustained effort and unbroken faith across twenty-five years.
CSR & Social Legacy
The giving that has never needed an audience.
The School
Every rupee that NK has given back to his community connects to the couple in a tin shed in Rourkela and the lesson Head Uncle gave there. Decades later, he returned to Indo English School not with a building bearing his name, but with a science and innovation laboratory.
“A lab was needed for students to experiment and innovate. I strongly believe knowledge is life.”
NK · On Indo English School, Rourkela
Verified CSR · FY 2024–25
Contributing Companies
Impact Areas
The Group's verified CSR footprint spans education, healthcare, women's empowerment, food and grain distribution, rural development and infrastructure, and environmental protection and greening initiatives.
Nand Kishore Agrawal at a glance
“Always try to create jobs.”
A lesson taught in a tin shed in Rourkela became a 25-year philosophy of building, creating opportunity and carrying responsibility forward.
Meet the people behind Agravanshi Group.
Return to the leadership team and explore the people shaping Agravanshi Group across generations.