Entrepreneurs

Vinisha Umashankar, 14, from SKP Vanitha International School in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, gave an impressive speech about climate change at the Glasgow COP26 summit

Bittu John from Kolenchery, Kerala, launched Greenstore that offers plastic-free packaging. They use paper and cloth bags instead

Delhi-based Mohit and Mahek Arora quit their stable corporate jobs to start Boss Cafe, a humble kiosk that offers unique preparations like Tandoori Chow Mein and Chilli Potatoes

Venu Jaragul is an Indian who moved to New Zealand to pursue mechanical engineering. In a foreign land with limited means and no friends, he set up Dosa Kitchen to make ends meet

India's most reliable ambulance network, HelpNow was founded by IITian Aditya Makkar after he failed to find an ambulance for his father. Today, his initiative has reduced ambulance wait time to 1/3rd.

Srinagar-based Sheikh Asif worked in several odd jobs before establishing his own IT venture in Manchester, UK. He has also helped 900 students from the valley with digital literacy for free.

Anuradha Khandelwal, founder of Anu Can Cook, So Can You has been making and selling spices and tea for eight years to sponsor the education of underprivileged children in Bareilly's cantonment area.

From gorgeous silk saris in the 1980s to exporting fabrics for home furnishing and sustainable fashion brands today, Bengaluru's Tharangini Studios, by Lakshmi Srivathsa and Padmini Govind, has practiced sustainable fashion long before it became a buzzword on Instagram.

Founded in 1981 by Rambabu Ramraj Sharma, Old Mumbai Ice Cream is iconic in Karnataka, Maharashtra and Telangana. But despite the name it is based in Ichalkaranji.

Tech Burner, founded by Delhi-based Shlok Srivastava, is a YouTube channel dedicated to consumer technology, with a reach of 50 million viewers a month. But he recounts how his life would've been vastly different if he had chosen the IIT path.