Anand Mahindra’s Monday motivation is 'Velu Garu', who studied in a sarkari school but now leads Mahindra Auto

Anand Mahindra kicked off the week with his signature #MondayMotivation by highlighting Velu, a homegrown engineer whose journey from a government school in Tamil Nadu to the helm of Mahindra’s Automotive Business is inspiring thousands across India.

From Sarkari School to Heading Mahindra Auto team

“Meet Velu. He and his team have just introduced the world’s first suspension featuring DaVinci damping technology in the new Mahindra XUV 7XO,” Mahindra wrote in his post.

Known affectionately as “Velu Guru” within the company, Velu began his education in a government school in Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, before earning a B.Tech in Automotive Engineering from Anna University. He joined Mahindra as a junior engineer and rose through the ranks, eventually becoming Head of Technology and Product Development. Last year, he was appointed President of Mahindra’s Automotive Business.


Also Read: Nestle infant formula recall: Why the CEO of world’s largest food firm apologised, is baby milk powder in India affected?

A story of homegrown talent

Mahindra used Velu’s journey to shine a light on the broader pool of talent at Mahindra Research Valley and the company’s R&D teams.

“Homegrown engineers who are:

• Hungry to learn
• Hungry to lead
• Hungry to take on the world’s best

India is a talent factory,” Mahindra said.

He recalled how, in 1991, global consultants advised Indian companies to “throw in the towel” as the economy opened up, but Mahindra Group chose to push forward. “We’re still here. We’re still learning. And we’re still driven to serve you with world-class technology.”

Also Read: Noida techie death: 90 minutes of cries, fog, and a deadly pit, how Yuvraj Mehta lost life as a helpless father stood a few feet away

Velu and the automotive team, Mahindra said, are not just his #MondayMotivation but his constant inspiration.

As per M&M's website, Velu joined Mahindra in 1996. Velusamy began his career in powertrain development and is renowned as the visionary behind the cutting-edge M-Hawk engines. His leadership has been instrumental in the development and launch of several flagship products like The All New Thar, XUV700, ScorpioN, and the recent blockbuster models XUV3XO and Thar ROXX which have set new benchmarks in the automotive industry.

Chennai’s Perungudi dumpyard: Another story of Indian innovation

In another Monday motivation post last week, Mahindra praised Chennai for transforming the decades-old Perungudi dumpyard using Made-in-India biomining technology from Blue Planet Environmental Solutions.

“Chennai recently cleared the Perungudi dumpyard using bio mining tech from @BluePlanet_Env. If 50 years of garbage can be reinvented, then there’s hope for India’s waste problem and room for many more such growth stories… #MondayMotivation,” he wrote.

Over 96 acres of the 200-acre landfill were cleared, turning 1.7 million cubic metres of garbage into reusable materials such as steel utensils, glass bottles, concrete slabs, and outdoor furniture made from plastics that can be recycled seven to eight times.

Mahindra highlighted that these stories—of talent like Velu and innovation like Chennai’s biomining project—show India’s ability to turn challenges into opportunities, proving that dedication, technology, and vision can reshape the future.