Student entrepreneurship is to an extent a debatable topic. People around me sometimes ask that being in EDC, why am I pushing poor soul into realms of entrepreneurship when they can avoid all the risks involved and simply do a fat-package 5-9 job while the markets are high. Economy is booming (or at least it’s getting back on track now) and there is no shortage of opportunities for those whose want to exploit them. And besides all that, they don’t mind attesting the fact that we are actually interfering in the normal production of highly skilled engineers for the economy. Superficially, it makes sense. But what they forget is, that all the India-shining and economy booming has much to owe to the entrepreneurs of India, who realized a decade back that thousands of miles of cables had been laid beneath the oceans, the walls dividing the countries are no longer erected, India has cheap skilled labor and America has tons of calls to outsource. It was the Indian entrepreneurs who put all these pieces together to engineer India’s soaring GDP growth. And least that can be said about them is that they were nothing like the previous generation of entrepreneurs we have seen. They were (and now) smart, educated from elite colleges and aware of what’s going on all around. Infact, in today’s scenario, nothing makes more sense than smart and educated entrepreneurs churning out of Indian schools.
That being the case, it is quite safe to declare that as a society and a nation, we haven’t been doing enough to endorse the important cause. Even in elite institutes like IITs and IIMs, most students spend their tenure winning a presentable resume for better job prospects. Out of thousands of students who take admission into these institutes, we should expect at least 15-20 % of them opting out of normal path and start something of their own. After all, around 50% of students passing out of Harward start their own companies. Same is the case with leading American and European universities which have given us facebook, google, twitter, Microsoft and what not ? And while the situation is not very inspiring in these selected institutes of India, there is nothing much to count on the majority of students in other regional and national colleges. Talking particularly about IIT Roorkee, it is heartening to notice the new start-ups coming out of the campus and the changing attitude of students towards entrepreneurship. Such a culture is more developed in IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi and it is growing at a rapid pace in our own institute. But all being said, it is still not adequate. Our efforts, being a small community promoting entrepreneurship, are appreciated by all, but much more needs to be achieved.
So where do we start from ? Lecture, quizes and competitions alone won’t serve the purpose. Sometimes we have to form a comprehensive plan and look at where everything stems from. Though it is said Indians are quite entrepreneurial by nature, there is still a rigid inertia we encounter so often in form of negligence and indifferent attitude. It is hard to break the typical Indian mentality that advocates safe job options and which is so profound in our schools. But given the right infrastructure and support, we believe, students will be attracted to start their own ventures for the sheer sake of prizes this path has to offer. Starting right during the campus days is quite advantageous. For one, you can avail free facilities like internet and space and valuable support from faculty, friends, seniors etc. If you are lucky to have a functional incubator in your university, you are even better off since you can get support from mentors and access to better infrastructures. Student organizations like ours can play a vital role in your success. Most important of it all is the experience you get that can be helpful for you in your later ventures. On the downside, is of-course the interference with studies and what some parent may describe “unnecessary troubles”. These challenges, however, can be dealt with sufficient enthusiasm and determination your venture requires. To conclude, starting a company of your own while staying in the campus is something one should definitely ponder over.
Presentations during Samadhan 2008
We require entrepreneurs. Lots of them. They can generate meaningful employment, find innovative solutions to financially and conventionally unattractive problems and make a real difference in lives of people at large. In pure economic terms, they can utilize economic resources better with high efficiency. So while some of the engineers who should have been working now in factories supervising complicated and massive processes are struggling in their small offices with their start-ups, they are actually being much more productive in overall economic terms. And it’s not just about being productive and more efficient, they are brining with them a more inspiring culture and work ethics that promises to trigger the transformation of India. Being amidst all that, it sometimes feel exhilarating to know the kind of work we are doing. We are a small team, but nonetheless dedicated to the core. Knowing that our actions can actually reap so big results is something that administers a sense of huge responsibility on us. Even if a few start-ups really take off to become big companies, they can provide employment to thousands and contribute heavily to the country’s economy. We know we are doing something big and something really important and that is enough to justify all our efforts and determination.
So when anyone ask me why am I pushing the poor souls into “realms of entrepreneurship”, I reply with occult humility – ” You’ll know that in 20 years when you’ll be working under them”.
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