Dream Away In-The Winds Of Change!

At just 23, he has achieved a lot. The work that he has done has rewarded him in many ways, one of them is the tags that he has earned change maker, social entrepreneur and others. And he is well aware that it comes at a price. He measures his steps carefully and within that, he is determined to change the state of Bihar and our country too. Meet Ranjan Mistry Bihar’s youngest social serial entrepreneur, speaker, and a nominee of Forbes Asia 30 Under 30. He has risen from the ashes and he knows the importance of what he has earned. In conversation with Ranjan

Corporate Citizen: Do introduce yourself to our readers…

I am a social entrepreneur. And I am also the new identity of changing Bihar. I was born and raised in Chakauri Bigha, Tankuppa block, Bihar, which happens to be a Naxal affected area. My parents Gopal Sharma and Sudama Devi toiled hard to raise me. I know education is very important and I had to work really hard to pursue my basic schooling and further studies. Owing to several factors like the lack of teachers or my family’s financial condition, I took it upon myself to get things going. From not being to afford the computer classes to learning more than 10 programming languages to working as a software developer, social entrepreneur, a think tank and much more, I have come a long way.

CC: Could you enlighten us a bit about your career?

Growing up, as money was an issue, I started taking tuitions to support myself. That’s how my career as a teacher started. It was by accident but I guess that some things are just meant to. Incidentally, it was the start of something beautiful as after that I taught several students and I even took classes of my classmates due to the lack of teachers. I am proud to say that so far, I have taught more than 10,000 students. I also bring education to more than 10 Naxal affected villages of Gaya by providing them with teachers regularly. The best part is, my experience not only helped me grow but it gave me a chance to create opportunities for others. Being one of the youngest serial social entrepreneurs and a think tank, I have closely seen Bihar evolve.

To give youngster’s ideas a new shape and to give wings to their entrepreneurial dreams, I became the founder member of Patna University Incubation Hub (PUI-Hub).

Rural areas produce some of the best entrepreneurs and to connect these rural students with the rest of the world, I founded Campus Varta, which is India’s first EdTech Media, that connects rural schools, colleges and universities on a global platform. We grow by empowering others and over the years, I have mentored more than 150+ startups across the country.

“Our life is like a business where everyone is a CEO. We need to maintain the balance sheet of relationship, tax filing of grief, a bank statement of health and, profit and loss of love. If you understand this concept, then the sky is your limit”

CC: You are touted as one of the think tanks of Bihar. What according to you is the role of a think tank?

There isn’t a formal book that describes the role of a think tank. As per me, a think tank is born when they overcome adversities which not only aids in their self-growth but their experience and knowledge empower others too. It’s not that I decided to be a think tank. Right now, I am just doing my job of a responsible citizen which is to uplift society.

I feel that a think tank’s thought process is to bring in development at any cost. And the institutes that I proposed were to enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Bihar. Change does not happen overnight, it takes days, years or even decades. But trust me, when things fall in place, people will appreciate and applause you. The road to enlightenment or change is not easy to navigate. But with hard work the change you want to see in the world slowly becomes visible.

Over time what I have realised is, some people are not ready to educate their daughters even now. To change this situation, we decided to give free education to those girls. Times are changing but at a slower rate. However, it gives me immense happiness when I see the girls of my village reading books, letters, newspapers and they are also educating their daughters in the villages.

CC: How can a social entrepreneur help in building a better world, especially after the recent outbreak of COVID-19?

Since our planet’s inception, earth has been hit by several calamities, but sooner or later us humans have bounced back. Although unfortunate, this Covid-19 situation also comes with a silver lining. It will create several opportunities for people who are willing to take risks and think big. Sure, a lot of startups, companies and industries have come to a standstill. And to add, several youngsters have lost their jobs due to the financial crisis, but all of us know that we are entrepreneurs, and entrepreneurs are born to take risks and they will surely bounce back. They come with a trait, they look for fixing the problems instead of just identifying them. Now, just imagine if all these people come together to solve these issues with innovative solutions, then they are not employing themselves, but also creating opportunities for others.

“I vow to create 100 entrepreneurs and personally mentor and guide them. They will be provided with networking guidance, resources and everything which they are looking for”

CC: What according to you is important - education or awareness?

I believe both of them are important. However, there are misconceptions between a degree and education. A degree is just a piece of paper which helps you to prove that you have followed some rules to get educated while education is the learning from different sources, conditions and situations. Well, I have always said that I didn’t complete my degree, but I have completed my education as a freelancer.

My knowledge due to this freelance education, awareness and experience speaks volume as I hold the will to change the world. If you want to innovate or come up with impactful ideas, then start learning and educating yourself from local people, stay among them and most importantly take a rural tour of different parts of India.

CC: Too often people associate the term ‘dropout’ with someone who hates learning. Do you agree?

The tag of dropout doesn’t mean that a person hates learning or educating themselves. Nowadays, it’s one of the fanciest terms used by all. Most of the terms which were associated with my name were not known to me. When I met people and was interviewed by them, they informed me about these tags. I was never willing wanted to drop out of college, but owning to my financial condition I was forced to do so. But I did not give up, that’s why I found an alternate way to learn and educate myself.

CC: Brief us about your Program Nxt100. What do you think its impact would be?

The youth of Bihar is hungry to work but unfortunately, there is no such effective ecosystem developed by the government to provide for them. That’s why I decided to launch a programme known as Nxt100 to help these youths independently at free of cost. I vow to create 100 entrepreneurs and personally mentor and guide them. They will be provided with networking guidance, resources and everything which they are looking for.

CC: At such a young age, you have become a change maker who is looked up to by many. How does that make you feel? Does that tag create some sort of pressure?

Nothing beats the feeling when someone appreciates your work. Yes, I am an inspiration for many. But all of this comes at a cost. I need to be careful about my actions and everything in general. These tags indeed create some sort of pressure as well because great things come with great responsibility. There are thousands of youths across India who have started following me, if I take a wrong step then it will not only affect me, but it will also make an impact on them.

CC: Any message for the youth of our nation?

Our life is like a business where everyone is a CEO. We need to maintain the balance sheet of relationship, tax filing of grief, a bank statement of health and, profit and loss of love. If you understand this concept, then the sky is your limit.