The Story of Vels Group began in 1992, when our founder and chairman, Dr, Ishari K. Ganesh started Vels College of Pharmacy in a rented building in Mylapore, Chennai with only 36 students and 10 teachers. More than 25 years later, Vels has now become a well-renowned name, not only in education, but also in entertainment, healthcare, hospitality and more.

Dr. Ishari K. Ganesh started Vels Group of Institutions in memory of his late father, Shri Ishari Velan. He started it with the hope of making quality education accessible to all. With this goal in mind, our founder introduced one new institution every year. Today, Vels Group of Institutions is spread across 11 campuses in Chennai, Hyderabad, Singapore and London offering diverse disciplines from Pre-KG to PhD. All our institutions promise world class facilities and infrastructure.

Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS) was established as a Deemed University by the University Grants Commission (UGC) in 2008. They offer 48 Undergraduate programs, 40 Postgraduate programs and 10 Diploma and Certificate programs. VISTAS also became the first private sector institution to offer Maritime and Nautical Science courses in India. The Kindle Kids International curriculum, introduced in 2019, is now used in schools across India and Singapore. The schools under Vels Group offer curriculums from CBSE, CISCE and Cambridge International. Holistic education and development forms an important aspect of our approach to education.
With the same dedication and passion with which we sustained and developed our educational institutions, we also started our foray into other fields like entertainment, film production, healthcare, etc. Our chairman’s father, Shri. Isari Velan was a well-known actor in the Tamil film industry. With this unforgettable connection to the industry, Vels Film International was established in 2019 and is currently headed by Dr. Ishari Ganesh, Mrs. Arthi Ganesh and Ms. Preethaa Ganesh. Vels Film International has produced several successful films like Komali, LKG, Bogan and more. We are also looking forward to producing more successful films that appeal to a huge audience in the future.

“There are more good things to offer to the society, we all have limited time, let us speed it up” – Ishari K Ganesh

Vels Group of Institutions started with the aim to help those in need and uplift the underprivileged. True to our initial objective, we donate regularly to charities to help people affected by natural disasters and other problems. We also offer Annual Scholarship and Fee concessions to deserving students. Our philanthropic efforts also stretch to the other fields. During the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdown, Dr. Ganesh donated 500 bags of rice and dhal to help struggling actors.

With this same spirit of philanthropy and dedication to social service, we started Sri Isari Velan Mission Hospital, Thalambur to provide quality treatment, medicine and food free of cost. The hospital is equipped with 100 beds to relieve suffering and improve the quality of life for those with advanced illnesses. We offer a wide range of treatments and ensure quality care for our patients and their family. Emotional and spiritual support and counseling are a core part of our approach to healthcare. Our dedication to holistic healthcare has touched the lives of many and will hopefully, continue to do the same in the future.

Vels Group has come a long way since its inception in 1992. We hope to continue with the same spirit of dedication with which we started, continuing our journey of changing lives for the better.