There are some places we never really leave. Our first school is one of them.
Years after leaving Government Boys Higher Secondary School, Nenmara (GBHSS Nenmara), I had the privilege of returning to the same campus—not simply as an alumnus, but as an entrepreneur and innovator.
I was a student of the first Plus Two batch of the school. This time, I stood before the students with a different responsibility: to share a message about innovation, entrepreneurship, startups and the role of young people in building the future of our motherland.
And there was something particularly meaningful about the occasion. The school is now using Roboticbell, an innovation developed by our team at V-ROBOTICS Innovations.
Returning to Where the Journey Began
For an entrepreneur, success is often measured through products, customers, revenue, growth and business milestones. But there is another kind of success that is difficult to measure:
Being able to give something back to the place that helped shape you.
When I walked into GBHSS Nenmara again, memories of my student days came back. The campus was familiar, but the students standing before me represented something much bigger—the next generation.
That made me think: What should we tell the next generation if we want to see a stronger India?
My answer was simple:
We must teach young people not only how to seek opportunities, but how to create them.
From a School Bell to an Innovation
One of the technologies that brought me back to the school is Roboticbell.
What began as an attempt to rethink the traditional school bell has evolved into a smart, programmable school communication and broadcasting platform.
Roboticbell can support scheduled bell ringing, announcements, voice content, motivational messages, educational microlearning and other forms of communication through a school's public-address infrastructure.
But the most important part of the Roboticbell story is not the technology itself. It is the question that started the journey:
“Can we solve an ordinary problem in a better and smarter way?”
That is where innovation begins.
A question can become an idea. An idea can become a prototype. A prototype can become a product. A product can become a startup. And a successful startup can create employment and economic value for society.
Last year, as part of the alumni rejoining initiative, it was my privilege to contribute Roboticbell to my former school. For me, it was not simply a product deployment or a business transaction. It was a small expression of gratitude to the institution that helped shape my journey.
Innovation Is Not Just About Technology
Innovation is often associated with advanced machines, robotics, artificial intelligence or sophisticated software. But innovation is much broader.
Innovation means finding a better solution to a real problem.
A farmer's challenge can lead to an agricultural innovation. A student's challenge can lead to an education startup. A transportation problem can lead to a mobility solution. A water-management challenge can lead to smart technology.
The important question is not simply, “What technology do I know?”
It is:
“What problem can I solve?”
That shift in mindset can transform students from passive consumers of technology into creators of technology.
Why Entrepreneurship Matters to India
India's young population is one of the country's greatest strengths. If young people only search for existing jobs, the challenge of employment becomes enormous. But when young people learn to create enterprises, the impact can multiply.
One entrepreneur can create a company. A company can create jobs. Jobs can support families. Growing enterprises can create technologies, services, markets and economic value.
This is why entrepreneurship should not be viewed only as a business activity. Entrepreneurship can be a powerful instrument of nation-building.
The Larger Vision of Bharathiya Innovators Foundation
This philosophy is closely aligned with the vision of the Bharathiya Innovators Foundation (BIF), an initiative associated with V-ROBOTICS that seeks to nurture innovations and innovators and help transform promising innovations into sustainable enterprises and livelihoods.
BIF's vision includes the ambitious goal of creating 10,000+ employment opportunities through new innovations. The larger objective is to encourage home-grown innovation, entrepreneurship and technology creation as contributors to India's journey towards a developed nation.
Learn more about Bharathiya Innovators Foundation →
From Job Seeker to Job Creator
One of the messages I wanted to leave with the students was simple:
Do not limit your dreams to getting a job. Learn to create opportunities for yourself and for others.
Jobs are important. Doctors, engineers, teachers, scientists, civil servants and professionals are essential to society. But India also needs innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and technology creators who build new institutions and new solutions.
A student sitting in a classroom today could potentially create tomorrow's next Indian technology company. The first requirement is not always money. It is the courage to imagine something that does not yet exist.
AI and Robotics: A New Opportunity for Students
Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation are changing the way we live and work. Students today have access to tools that previous generations could only imagine.
AI can help students learn. Robotics can help them experiment. Cloud platforms can help them build products. The internet can help a small startup reach customers across the world.
But technology should not become merely a tool for consumption.
We must move from consuming technology to creating technology.
Instead of only asking, “What can AI do for me?”, students should increasingly ask, “What can I build with AI?”
Instead of only watching robots, they should ask, “What problem can I solve using robotics?”
That change—from consumer to creator—is one of the most important shifts we need in education.
When a School Bell Becomes a Voice for Learning
Every school already has a powerful communication infrastructure: its public-address system. Traditionally, it is used mainly for bells and occasional announcements.
But imagine if those same moments could become opportunities for learning and inspiration:
- A short motivational message
- A science fact
- A vocabulary lesson
- A health reminder
- A current-affairs update
- A thought for the day
- An educational audio message
- An emergency announcement
This is the broader direction in which Roboticbell is evolving: helping transform existing school communication infrastructure into an intelligent channel for learning, communication and inspiration.
The Role of Alumni in Building the Next Generation
An alumni community can contribute much more than financial support. Alumni can contribute knowledge, experience, technology, mentorship and inspiration.
A scientist can inspire students to pursue research. An entrepreneur can explain how startups are built. An engineer can demonstrate technology. A professional can share real-world experiences.
Sometimes, the most valuable contribution is not a donation. It is a conversation that makes a student believe:
“I can do it too.”
The Next Innovator May Be Sitting in This Assembly
As I stood before the students of my former school, I could not help thinking that the next scientist, entrepreneur, engineer, agricultural innovator or social entrepreneur could already be sitting among them.
We should never underestimate the potential sitting inside a classroom.
Every student is a possibility.
Our responsibility as educators, parents, entrepreneurs and alumni is to create an environment where that possibility can become reality.
From One School to a Larger Mission
Returning to GBHSS Nenmara reminded me of one important lesson: every entrepreneurial journey has a beginning.
My journey as an innovator has roots in the education and experiences that shaped me. The teachers who taught us to learn, question and think played an important role in building that foundation.
One of the best ways to honour our teachers is to use what they taught us to build something meaningful.
And one of the most meaningful ways to contribute to our motherland is to create the innovations, enterprises, technologies and employment opportunities that make development possible.
A Message to the Students
My message to the students is simple:
Dream. — Dream beyond what you see today.
Learn. — Learn something new every day.
Question. — Ask why and why not.
Experiment. — Do not be afraid of failure.
Build. — Create solutions to real problems.
Give Back. — When you succeed, create opportunities for others.
Your success should not end with you. It should become an opportunity for someone else.
A Journey That Began in a Classroom
Returning to GBHSS Nenmara was more than an alumni visit. It was a reminder that every successful journey has a starting point.
For me, part of that beginning was here.
Today, I can speak about innovation and entrepreneurship because teachers once stood before students and encouraged us to learn, question and think.
Perhaps years from now, some of the students who listened to this message will return to the same school—not merely as successful professionals, but as innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and creators.
It is about creating possibilities.
Entrepreneurship is not only about building companies.
It is about building livelihoods.
Nation-building is not only the responsibility of governments.
It is also the responsibility of citizens who choose to create value.
The next chapter belongs to the students.
Let us give them the courage, knowledge and opportunity to write it.