Sixty-five years of life, more than three decades in business and a journey that began with just USD 150, Harshad Barot has plenty to celebrate today.
As the founder and Chairman of Tirupati Group marks his 65th birthday on September 17, friends, family, business associates and the wider business community are celebrating a man whose life story has become closely intertwined with Uganda’s business landscape.
Barot arrived in Uganda from his native India in 1993 and started modestly, selling household items door-to-door and learning the market one customer at a time. Through resilience, vision and calculated investment, that humble beginning grew into Tirupati Group, with interests spanning property development, construction, commercial real estate and infrastructure.
Over the years, his investments have produced shopping malls, residential apartments, warehouses, business parks, housing estates and industrial developments, creating spaces for businesses to operate and people to work.
For Barot, however, the journey has been about more than buildings. His experience as a small trader shaped his appreciation of the challenges faced by entrepreneurs, influencing his focus on commercial spaces where SMEs can establish and grow.
His contribution to Uganda was recognised nationally in January 2026 when President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni awarded him the Distinguished Order of the Crested Crane (Grand Officer) during the 40th NRM/A Liberation Day celebrations at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
At home, Barot’s entrepreneurial legacy is also finding its way into the next generation. His son, Miraj Barot, his wife, Kruti Barot, and daughter, Juhi Barot, are playing key roles in the day-to-day running of the business, carrying forward the values and experience he has cultivated over the years.
At 65, Barot’s story is as much about the people around him as it is about the business he built, a journey of ambition, perseverance, family and a lasting belief in the possibilities of enterprise.
