The journey of being the founder of Bachpan Playschools to co-founding Rishihood University and writing a book about business has been wonderful but challenging. While I experience great success now, my life began in a rather struggling way.
When I was 9 months old, I contracted Polio. It was only at the age of 13 that I began my life’s journey albeit with the support of crutches and callipers. Throughout these years, I never lost hope and saw everything as a new challenge and a unique way out which helped me focus on the more important things.
This brings me to the story of Bachpan Playschools and how it all began. When we were looking to send off our daughter to a playschool, I noticed that the existing schools weren’t performing the way I had hoped.
Fixing this gap became my drive for innovation and inspiration to establish Bachpan Playschools. Our Playschools fulfilled the purpose of having a particular curriculum, design, books and well-thought-out strategy along with professional training for teachers to help kids get properly educated and grow better for the future. Today, over 1,10,000 students are being taught through our network of 1100 schools in India.
Bachpan was my first step into the education sector – a place where students loved to study with us and parents didn’t want their children to stop learning from us. This heartfelt compliment gave rise to a sense of responsibility to provide formal education to students and complete this educational curve.
Given the qualities we instilled at Bachpan were different from others, my aspiration to step into formal education became stronger. In 2011, the whole network expanded and the path for formal education began with CBSE affiliated schools. Once the formal schools started functioning smoothly, I wondered as to what would complete this educational curve?
The solution was simple and on 1 January, 2016 the idea of starting Rishihood University dawned upon me. Within a few years, the university was formed and on 10 May 2020 admissions began. This was the fastest assembly I’ve had the opportunity to witness.
After learning as well as gaining experience in the education sector, I felt encouraged to put all my knowledge into a book. And thus, began the passage of becoming a writer. While I did write during my childhood and have some stories/poetry published in newspapers, it never occurred as a professional step until recently. The lockdown gave the author in me an opportunity to finally pen down my learnings and milestones.
Slowly my writings filled up more & more chapters and as I shared my life story with Rupa Publications, they showed interest in helping me publish my book. After working together for 3 years, where they constantly encouraged me, the book finally hit the stands for the readers.
“Decoding Business Minds” talks about Atmanirbhar Bharat. I believe all Indians have had this unique quality of being entrepreneurs since 100 years ago when the Britishers ruled over us and turned this quality into a job. Deep within our roots and hearts, we’re all coded to business and that’s what this book is all about.
My writing journey continues even today. I am working on a new book that features people who have been in a wheelchair and have lived, helped and brought a change in the world. This is something very important today – bringing a change – and I believe today’s youth is equipped to do so too.
They are fearless and are ready to step out of the house with just a mobile phone and get their creative juices flowing to build something new. With their drive and aspiration for things, they can achieve success. In today’s India, which is seeing a strong startup culture and good leadership, the youth will have a lot of opportunities to learn from.
Lastly, I would like to emphasize that, “The youth should establish a business and earn profit but in the midst of it all they must think about including the nation in it, then the society and their own family.”
Mr. Ajay Gupta
Co-founder, Rishihood University
Founder, Bachpan Playschools
