A progress that is now helping change more lives

Vivek – 17th Batch – 97383-48977

‘Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.’ – George Bernard Shaw.

Vivek is from Bidar. He has two sisters, and the family was living a much contended life, with his father being a lecturer at Bidar. Calamity struck the family in 2003, when Vivek was in class 9. He lost his father! Vivek was then in a situation where the family needed to go that extra mile to make ends meet. One of his sisters was married at that time, while the other was not.

Vivek’s mother, however, continued to support the education of her son as much as she could. Vivek completed his PUC, and got admission to B. Sc. But he had to also take loans from his friends for the additional funds needed. During the second year of his B Sc, the family gave Vivek money for tuition fees, but since he had to pay off his friends, Vivek had to discontinue his degree. At a time when he had to get out of his home in order to regain some lost money & pride, a friend of Vivek’s mentioned Unnati. His friend was studying at Unnati back then. Even after landing in Bangalore for the course at Unnati, Vivek tried to look for a job since he was in dire need for some quick money. But first-timers in a big city never have it easy, and Vivek was no exception. He now recalls how low he was in confidence and approach.

At Unnati, Vivek joined the BPO vocation. He admits that he was a very lazy person before joining Unnati, and being the youngest child to his parents, he was pampered and never had to really aim high for anything in life. Unnati, to Vivek, was a life-transforming experience!! Vivek recalls the following as the most salient lessons / subjects from Unnati · Personality development · Motivational classes (he says that feeling of being sheltered & guided actually meant so much to him) · Confident Communication He had to rise very early & had a 3-hour commute every day. He saw the transformation happening as he went through the course. He started enjoying the course & the environment that he followed everything that was taught at Unnati, with no exception.

Apart from all the above lessons, Vivek recalls the excellent advice / guidance he got from Mr. Ramesh Swamy at one counselling session – ‘you’re bright. Channelise your energies. There is a spark in you. Use it in the right direction, and one day you will blast it!’ This advice has been Vivek’s gospel till date, and has taken him to where he is today.

Once he completed the course at Unnati, Vivek joined a BPO for an annual salary of Rs84000. This was back in 2010-11. Vivek worked there for some time, but had to go back to Bidar. Once at Bidar, Vivek completed his graduation, and aimed to be a lecturer in 5 years. After his graduation, he was selected as a medical representative for one of the top pharma companies in India. He was placed at Bellary, and did well at his job. But he was still away from home.

When he was shuttling thus between Bellary & Bidar, he suddenly found his calling in Bidar. He joined a small school, and started teaching English to students until class 7. He realized that what he wanted to do all along was to give back to society in some form, while earning an income for himself. What better way to do that, than to be a sincere teacher! Though his main subject was English, he would spend time helping students and his model ‘working’ car that he built with the class-9 students actually earned him good reputation in the area. Vivek opened an institute to teach written and spoken English communication for students, and capitalized on his reputation in the area. This institute is his evening job, while teaching at the school is his day job.

Hard work and sincerity reaps steady benefits – Vivek’s institute started with 2 students, and has steadily grown in a year to now have 76 students. He charges the students based on the families’ financial background. Vivek now earns an annual income of around Rs. 2,40,000/-. His next goal is to get 200-300 students in the next 2 years.

Vivek mentions that Unnati has given him a new life! He is so touched that he considered naming his institution ‘Unnati’ as a mark of gratitude. He recently visited Unnati and shared his experiences with the students.

Vivek says he is so proud of what he is today, and owes it all to Unnati! Team Unnati is also proud of you, Vivek, and we wish you more success to achieve all the good things you wish to!