Some college students of Jamshedpur on Wednesday got lessons in entrepreneurship and the challenges of being one. The best bit was that the tips came from real-life entrepreneurs.
IIT-Kharagpur's Entrepreneurship Cell organised its flagship programme - Entrepreneur Awareness Drive (EAD) - at Netaji Subhas Institute of Business Management (NSIBM) in Pokhari.
Around 1,000 students from city colleges like RVS College of Engineering and Technology, Karim City College, Jamshedpur Women's College, Jain College, Jamshedpur Co-Operative College and NIT Jamshedpur attended the session, which consisted of a series of lectures by distinguished entrepreneurs and a panel discussion.
This cell of IIT-Kharagpur is a non-profit students' organisation, dedicated to the cause of promoting entrepreneurship among students. The aim of EAD is to reach out to youths in colleges and motivate them to create their own enterprise by overcoming various challenges.
Jamshedpur was one of the 24 cities across the country to host the session.
"There are so many resources and we need somebody to tap them. The job market is shrinking, therefore it is wise to do something for yourself and the country. Exposure forums like these give an idea to identify opportunities," said Prabal K. Sen, chairperson, Entrepreneurship Development Centre, XLRI.
The guests' panel also had Arijit Bhattacharya, founder and CEO, Virtual Infocom, Calcutta; Atanu Ghosh, founder and CEO, Bluebeaks Solution, Calcutta; Samudra Gupta, co-founder, COO, Skiproaming, UK; and Suman Chakrabarty, founder and CEO, Achievers Equities Ltd.
Bhattacharya highlighted the difference between a businessman and an entrepreneur. "Being an entrepreneur means you are working for the sake of your passion. While a businessman only thinks about profit and loss, an entrepreneur thinks beyond that and believes in his idea. Innovation is another key factor in deciding whether you are a businessman or an entrepreneur," he said.
The students felt enlightened.
"Generally, middle class families don't motivate their young ones to be entrepreneurs and take risks. But a simple session like this can encourage you to think differently," said Harshita Singhal, a commerce student from Karim City College.
