Co-founder and Group CEO of ixigo Aloke Bajpai possesses more than 700 coins, some of which date back to the Mughal Empire.
Aloke Bajpai, Co-founder and Group CEO of the online travel aggregator platform ixigo, received several British-era coins from his grandfather when he was about ten years old. The young youngster was enthralled, which is how his passion for coin collecting began.
Bajpai has accumulated coins from both the Maratha and the Mughal eras throughout the years. “I discovered several of these coins in a family box. The 43-year-old claims that some others were traded with other coin collectors. He also possesses vintage, undated copper mohars.
In his spare time, Bajpai likes to collect coins that were issued to commemorate milestones like the Commonwealth Games or India’s 50th anniversary of independence. “Recently, commemorative coins have grown more difficult to find. As a result, I retain one if I find one.
The co-founder of ixigo says he also possesses coins dating back to the British Empire. “I have coins from Queen Victoria’s, King George V’s, and King George VI’s reigns. The first set of currency notes printed after independence are among of Bajpai’s favorites because his father was born in 1947. “I also have bank notes from the time of George VI,” Bajpai admits.
Of course, his collection is not just limited to old coins and bills. “I also possess money from various nations. It has been gathered throughout time as either I or the family have traveled. Even though I have approximately 700 coins, I even asked family members to bring back some cash from their international trips.
As ixigo has developed over the past few years, he has not been able to devote as much time to coin collecting. Today, technology is his greatest passion. “I enjoy learning new things and engaging with them. I have been having a lot of fun using the new AI tools. But things are going by so quickly. In the field of AI, a day is comparable to many years in technology, claims Bajpai.
ixigo, which was introduced 16 years ago, reported revenue of Rs 380 crore in FY22. In FY23, Bajpai anticipates revenue to surpass Rs 500 crore. “The demand will remain higher than the supply for the upcoming year. With expansion, we will draw from that. We are also developing new verticals,” he adds. Between Bengaluru and Tirupati, ixigo just began offering an electric bus service. “We have aspirations to expand across India. By the end of 2026, we plan to have more than 1,000 buses.
Bajpai thinks that electric vehicles would dominate ground transportation in the future. He claims that while India is on track to have a fully electrified rail network in the following three years, it still has a ways to go in terms of buses. Governments must make EV buses available for intra-city commuting.
So what lies next for ixigo? “We are already relevant in the transportation sector, but can we be relevant in other sectors as well? We must respond to that, says Bajpai.
