Your journey
I had always wanted to do something that would have an impact not just on one life but many. It had to be meaningful. My vision was to start an institution that would contribute, be it education, employment or community service. With the strong belief that education is the stepping stone to success, I established Jain College. As with any organization, there have been ups and downs, but the important thing is to be humble when you have success and face challenges head-on. We’ve lived by this.
Jain (Deemed-to-be University) has played an important role in shaping lives in so many ways and contributing to the community. There is a sense of contentment when your reach a milestone, when you can see that your hard work has paid off. Although there’s so much to be done, I’m more than happy with what we’ve achieved.
Important milestones
At Jain, we had a fascinating history of advocating path-breaking initiatives in our educational practices. The University’s excellence in academic practices helped us to be a part of the member of the prestigious Association of Universities of Asia and the Pacific, and the United Nations Academic Impact.
When we were awarded Graded Autonomy status by the University Grants Commission based on our accreditation given by National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), i.e. ‘A’ Grade with a CGPA of 3.31 for maintaining high-standards, I felt we are on the right track as it echoed the quality of our education. Earlier, we had also been awarded ISO 9001:2008 certification by TUV Rheinland for quality management.
Apart from it, the collaboration with Underwriters Laboratory was an important accomplishment. We were honoured to be the first organization in India to partner with UL to develop a world-class fire testing facility ‘UL Jain Fire Laboratory’ which accelerates innovation in developing new fire suppression products and serve the industry.
Establishment of Jain University Incubation Center, a joint initiative with DST, Government of India and ALSTOM France also added another feather in our entrepreneurial wing as it promoted technology-based enterprises by using new tools.
Best feature of Jain University
We are open to learning. We do whatever it takes to see that learning is encouraged, be it staff or students. We nurture talent and encourage out-of-the-box thinking. It is important how you look at a topic or an issue, whether you’re preparing for an exam, participating ina competition or a debate. At Jain, we prepare our students to face reality.
About Chenraj Roychand Center for Entrepreneurship
Next to education, my passion is nurturing entrepreneurship. Through Chenraj Roychand Center for Entrepreneurship, we have incubated 40 companies that are in various business sectors. My grand plan is to nurture 8,800 entrepreneurs in my lifetime and I expect all of them to create 2% of India’s GDP, which, given India’s expected growth, could be at least $ 60 billion, out of $ 3 trillion.
My formula is simple. “Chenraj Roychand Center for Entrepreneurship (CRCE) will have entrepreneurs in training. We plan to grow 100 entrepreneurs a year. The day we complete 500 entrepreneurs in the next few years, we will replicate this model pan India.” CRCE will hold a 50 percent stake in the companies it incubates and profits will be ploughed back.
Your first lesson in business
As a young businessman, I was searching for a larger meaning of life and reading the books and philosophies of Swami Vivekananda transformed my entire perspective about living and giving.
Your philosophy in times of challenge
Everything is difficult but you should never give up. You will fall a million times and get up once. Keep doing it. It takes 20-30 years of effort. Things do not happen over-night. Entrepreneurship is an effort, risk, and uncertainty. So, live in uncertainty and that is what I did.
Your favourite books
I make it a point to read quite a bit. I personally like Swami Vivekananda’s ‘Karma Yoga’, ‘Raja Yoga’ and ‘Jnana Yoga’ books as they show the new path to the young world which will have effect on the masses for ages and ages. I also read a lot of technical stuff. Now-a-days, I prefer books on Blockchain, as I’m eager to understand its technical side.
Three best moments of your life
My life centers on the attainment of a purpose. And with the kind of responsibility I have taken upon myself, every accomplishment, no matter how great, continually points towards even greater realizations. So, for me, every moment of silent contemplation is one of tacit restlessness.
If I have to pick three best moments of my life, one definitely will be attaining the Deemed-to-be University status for Jain College as it gave us the opportunity to expand our horizon through innovation and entrepreneurship.
Secondly, starting a specialized sports school for aspiring sports enthusiasts to receive coaching from the best in the field along with outstanding infrastructure integrated with the educational program is a dream come true. We would like to contribute 20 Olympians to the Indian Sports.
Lastly, establishing Jain Vidyaniketan, an opportunity school that offers free education and facilities to underserved children from 180 villages gave a sense of fulfilment.
Your inspiration
Swami Vivekananda’s books inspired me and I believe in his philosophy, “Knowledge makes the character”. The motivation was my country. People weren’t getting education properly and my community wasn’t educated. My country was rich and I wondered why it became poor. This thought changed me. Our literacy rates were less. So I decided to educate people.
And I follow the foot-steps of Dr Dhirubhai Ambani as the entrepreneur in me, in many ways, is modelled after him.
Advice for youth
Today’s youth are capable, intelligent, strong, creative, very informative and highly energetic but have no patience. They want results fast. The law of nature does not give fast results. You have to sow the seed and wait. It is a process.
Future plans
I hope to see Jain to be regarded as the best in India – best in the manner in which we operate; best in the human resource we build and best in our value system and ethics moving towards building a magnificent legacy carrying the same sense of trust that we hold today.
