The Young Turks

Skilling the youth to be employable, productive and job ready is the flavour of the times. The spirit of entrepreneurship is moving youngsters. Apart from the success stories of start-ups being set up by graduates, it is heartening to see how small-town youngsters and regular students are earning more than ‘pocket money’ while in college. The earning may not be substantial, but it is the spirit to do something more and to be financially independent that is remarkable. This is what makes these simple stories worth a look. Small town yes, small time yes, but their impact is not small in any way — neither are their dreams

Aryan Singh  16

School is a challenge for teens, but when Jaipur boy Aryan Singh says that his biggest challenge is school one can't help but chuckle, as this 'wonder boy', at 16, is already the CEO and founder of two companies. The teen has two companies EazyTech and TensaX. Learning extensively from the Internet, he stepped into the start-up terrain at an age when most of his peers were playing video games. "I have been interested in science ever since I was six.” Programming and prototyping is his passion and his lab in his basement is where his genius flowers. He started coding at 12 and is proficient in several languages like C, Python, Java, etc. 

"Three years ago I came up with the prototype of a computer that would cost just Rs 3,000 and is so interactive that even an illiterate can use it.” Two years ago he set up his first company Eazy Tech and is its CEO. The company consists of 57 volunteers spread across nine countries. Making technology affordable for everyone is the aim of this spirited social entrepreneur. He is currently the head planner of Sunday Pathshaala, a Sunday school held across six villages of Rajasthan and Ladakh and in some rural parts of Africa. This tech enthusiast has already made 11 apps some of which are even being used by the government.

He launched his second company TensaX last year. This venture focuses completely on artificial intelligence. "I have generated a platform wherein AI and blockchain can be used together," he says while talking about his 'real-life search engine'. "This search engine is for objects around us. It will classify every object, be it your watch or phone or anything around you or being used by you. If any such thing is stolen or used by someone else, the information will be stored in blockchain. This technology can curb thefts effectively."

The second project, Dyna sync camo, senses a location and then generates a camouflage for it. "This can be used by Army units and wildlife photographers among others,” he says. 

Aryan is not only earning for himself, but has also employed people much older than him. Ask him how he manages that, he candidly admits that initially people would think that he's too young to be taken seriously. "But once they talk to me for five minutes and hear about my ideas and vision, it is clear to them that I know what I am talking about and the way they interact with me changes from there on". Aryan might have just taken his Class X board exams, but being an entrepreneur is what he has set his eyes on. A stint in Stanford last year and a short course in MIT this year is how he plans to keep his academic stint active. He has worked in R&D for a few of innovations for top companies like Google and Apple. Making a difference to society, earning for himself and getting good projects has surely put him on the road to his dream destination. 

— Geetu Vaid

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Shobhit Tripathi  22

Shobhit Tripathi, a college student from Jalandhar, is the co-founder of Tripzada, a travelling and touring company, along with Sudhanshu Ranjan. While Shobhit handles the media promotions and public relation aspect of the company, Ranjan takes care of the ground work like arranging accommodation and planning trips for their customers. Shobhit was bitten by the travel bug at an early age but co-founded the company in 2017. It made a turnover of Rs 12 lakh in its very first year. 

The company has a Facebook page with 40,000 members. Through it, the duo gets to analyse and understand their customers’ requirements and preferences. Shobhit is putting his mass communication degree to good use for advertising, public relations, basic camera handling and social media profile of his company. According to the company policies, which are quite strict for maintaining exclusive services for their customers; each batch for a trip is of not more than 50 persons due to safety reasons. 

Being a student, it requires determination and patience in abundance to start a venture and stick to it. As the competition in tourism business is stiff and customers’ loyalties keep fluctuating, Shobhit says that it is only social media promotion and quality of one’s services that makes or breaks a deal. Keeping in mind the affordability, the tour packages are set at nominal rates, starting from Rs 2,500, to attract maximum college goers. Afterall who’ll know the choices of fellow students better! — Banisha Kundu

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VARUN SHARMA  19

Varun Sharma, a student at S.D. College, Chandigarh, is following his passion for photography. What started as a hobby has now transformed into a lucrative business through which he earns a neat Rs 20,000 every month. He has covered many mega events like Meraki-2018 and Miss Diva 2017-2018. He has also worked for brands like Yamaha, Royal Enfield, Excalibur, American Tourister, Look suave.com, O’cean, etc. Varun is currently the chief photographer for online media portal, Update Punjab. 

Despite being a good photographer, he had to face many challenges. People didn’t want to collaborate with him, even though he had an impressive portfolio. Varun has inherited his love for photography from his father. It was because of him that he started photography as a part-time job. 

Despite initial problems, the year ahead seems bright for this young lensman, as he will be covering Mr & Ms India Icon & Manyawar later this year. 

— Shruti Sharma

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TANYA GUPTA  20

Who says you need a degree before you start earning? Tanya Gupta from Jammu finished her graduation this year. But she started her career even before she started her degree. Turning her hobby of baking into a profession four years back, she earns a cool rs 10,000 a month or more, depending on the orders she gets. 

Like most beginners, Tanya had to face many hurdles as this setup needed good investment specially in ovens, moulds, etc. which is a definite hurdle for any novice. Tanya, too, initially turned to YouTube but soon realised that baking as a career requires professional training. "Though YouTube provides you a cheaper platform to learn but training under an expert gives you a competitive edge," says the young chef who is now taking professional classes from Truffle Nation, Delhi.

 — Aditi Raina

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PALAK JAIN 21

A student of GCW, Jammu, Palak Jain earns Rs 15,000 per month through her business. What started as a hobby became a business. It deals with a huge range of handicrafts, gift items, trousseau packing, quilted serving trays, bouquets, 3D greetings, platters for engagement and wedding, customised albums, wall clocks and much more. 

Interestingly, Palak furthered her creativity through the help of YouTube videos. Talking about challenges, Palak says, “This creative business requires constant supply of materials so that your store is always updated. Therefore, a good amount of investment is required. You also have to keep track of the competition, which is quite stiff.” 

“While having the right knowledge and an imaginative mind will come in handy, it is your passion that will help you succeed,” is her advice to beginners.  — Aditi Raina