When someone constantly breaks the molds of traditional thinking to innovate solutions for inclusive growth. When someone looks at rural areas and sees opportunities instead of challenges. When someone refers to cost-effectiveness and value creation in the same breath. What do you call that person? You call him Ajay Chaturvedi, Founder of HarVa (harnessing value of rural India), a rural startup focused on skill development, BPO (XPO), renewable energy, community-based farming and microfinance.An engineer from BITS Pilani as well as a graduate in management of technology from the School of Engineering and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania & Diploma in Global Leadership & Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Ajay had a typical corporate career in strategy and sales positions at Citibank.Along the way, though, he felt like he was missing something, and set out on a journey of self-discovery to the Himalayas. The journey was revelatory in many ways, giving Ajay insights into where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do. He discovered in himself a strong entrepreneurial streak. He also realised that the real growth in rural areas across the world and in India is yet to come and is possible only when we get into the real fabric of the country, and not just overlay thoughts and patterns from the developed nations.Ajay followed this realisation through by setting up farms in his home town of Dehradun and in Sohna, which gave him inroads into the challenges and opportunities that lie in rural India and the potential of community-driven en... See more
When someone constantly breaks the molds of traditional thinking to innovate solutions for inclusive growth. When someone looks at rural areas and sees opportunities instead of challenges. When someone refers to cost-effectiveness and value creation in the same breath. What do you call that person? You call him Ajay Chaturvedi, Founder of HarVa (harnessing value of rural India), a rural startup focused on skill development, BPO (XPO), renewable energy, community-based farming and microfinance.An engineer from BITS Pilani as well as a graduate in management of technology from the School of Engineering and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania & Diploma in Global Leadership & Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Ajay had a typical corporate career in strategy and sales positions at Citibank.Along the way, though, he felt like he was missing something, and set out on a journey of self-discovery to the Himalayas. The journey was revelatory in many ways, giving Ajay insights into where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do. He discovered in himself a strong entrepreneurial streak. He also realised that the real growth in rural areas across the world and in India is yet to come and is possible only when we get into the real fabric of the country, and not just overlay thoughts and patterns from the developed nations.Ajay followed this realisation through by setting up farms in his home town of Dehradun and in Sohna, which gave him inroads into the challenges and opportunities that lie in rural India and the potential of community-driven enterprises. Soon an idea took shape and HarVa was born. HarVa XPO entered the Limca Book of Records for being the first all-women rural BPO in the world in 2011. Over the years, it has won numerous accolades including the Manthan Chairman Excellence Award 2011, SKOCH Financial Inclusion 2011 and TiE Entrepreneurial Excellence 2011 among the latest recognitions. Earlier in 2011, HarVa was also identified as the third most innovative company in India (next only to Tata Motors) by the Fast Company magazine of New York, and received the Entrepreneurship, Sustainability & Empowered Woman Award by the Rockefeller Foundation/United Nations 2012. It is also a case study at London Business School, The Wharton School and Princeton University.Ajay's idea of writing on a subject of finding a purpose or happiness in life, with the Swastika as a focal point started during his initial days in the US. He was warned over a Swastika on his T-shirt. A symbol so sacred in the country he came from, his Janmabhoomi, attracted such disgust in the country of his work, his karmabhoomi. It was bewildering. Little did he realize then, that he’d write a book on it, someday! He was disillusioned by the unilateral focus on profitability in the corporate world; social responsibility was just an afterthought. A sequence of events starting from the dot-com bust in early 2000s to the Great Recession of 2008, along with setbacks in personal life, led him to the Himalayas.Himalayas and Maharaj ji taught him a lot. The more one looks around; the more one realizes that the majority of the conflicts around the world, be they individual or collective, embody the tussle between knowledge and wisdom. We would experience eternal bliss if only we could find ourselves; if our internal awareness overcame the constant pressure to forcefully adjust to our manufactured environments. Thus the book, 'Lost Wisdom of The Swastika'! #LWoTS
