As a teenager, he was first introduced to the public life by his well wishers. Since than, he has never stopped. At the age of 25, a youngster from Surat is not like any other next door young man. Nirav Mandlewala is very clear for his goals and he knows how to achieve his goals. He is a Social Entrepreneur with vision of making change in the society with unique idea and creating thinking. On the occasion of International Youth Day, we found a reason to ask about his vision, his goals and what he thinks about today’s young generation. Read the tête-à-tête with Mira Anajwala.
Soconse: Nirav, you are involved in lots of things. Can you tell us what are you upto?
Nirav: I have done MBA with Marketing Specialization and a Diploma in Entrepreneurship & Business Management after completing my graduation in Commerce from Surat. Currently I am pursuing my Masters Program in Government, from MIT School of Government to gain the knowledge of Good Governance for better policy making and its effective implementation for our country. As I come from the family running its own business, I am actively involved in our family businesses of Textiles and Insurance. Besides that I am also actively participating in different activities as a responsible citizen for the betterment of society which are,
- Current Chairman of GenNext Committee of The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI). This committee works for the upliftment of Youth and Young Entrepreneur of South Gujarat.
- Taking care of back office operational work along with handling institutional correspondence so as to spread awareness of Cadaver Organ Donation for our NGO Donate Life.
- As a Young Member of Vatsalya Gram Samiti, an Initiative of Param Pujya Sadhvi Rithambharaji, I work with an emphasis to serve orphan, widow and old age people .
- Also serving as a Secretary of Youth for Gujarat Charitable Trust
- As a political activist, I was an IT Cell Convener of BJP Surat City
- Associated as Udhyog Cell Convener of BJP Youth Wing of Surat City
- I have been constantly working with the Surat City Police since many years to solve the issue of Traffic by conducting various awareness programs and supporting Surat Police in their other social initiatives
- Also served as a co-incharge of “i-follow” – a Campaign by Surat City Police for creating awareness for following Traffic Rules.
- Contributed as one of the Founder Members of core team of “SETU- A mobile application to fight against crime”. SETU was the 1st mobile application developed by Surat City Police and Surat Rural Police to fight against crime in India.
Other than that I have been involved with many activities for various social causes but my main focus has always been on creating awareness for cadaver organ donation. Alongside, I represented Gujarat as a Youth Speaker in 6th Bhartiya Chhatra Sansad held at Pune in presence of RSS Head Shri Mohan Bhagwatji, Kavindra Guptaji, Speaker, Jammu-Kashmir Vidhan Sabha, PadmaBhushan Awardee Vijay Bhatkarji Head IIT Delhi, Sanjay Deshmukhji VC Mumbai University and 10,000 youth from different States of India. And I have also worked as a political researcher in Maharashtra for identifying & understanding the political strength of Western Maharashtra.
Soconse: Wow! You are doing many things at the young age! Tell me, how do you manage your different associations with these many institutions?
Nirav: It is possible with effective time management and prioritizing the work and never keeping a backlog of the work. In fact such associations are needed to keep you active.
Soconse: How was your experience of working with government officials of different states?
Nirav: It’s a great experience. I got an opportunity to work very closely with the officials of Gujarat while staying here in Surat. I have experienced that they are always ready to take initiatives that can benefit the public at large and are eager to serve people with smart governance techniques. Recently, as part of my Master Program in Government, I got to work with the State BJP of Maharashtra, wherein I was given a responsibility of BJP State Coordinator for celebrating 2nd International Yoga Day during which I got an opportunity to work with various government officials of Maharashtra. In Maharashtra also I found that they are as enthusiastic as the officials of Gujarat and the common reason I found for this is the visionary leadership of both the States. The Political Leaders have motivated them to work for their respective states without any political INTERFERENCE while keeping clarity of goal .i.e. to serve the people at large.
Soconse: What is your take on today’s youngsters of this country?
Nirav: India is turning younger day by day and the western world is also diverting towards the eastern side. The youth of this country is the future. No country can underestimate the potential and perseverance of the young generation of India. Today, we see many Indian faces at the key positions of the World’s Leading Countries and it would not be exaggerating to say that the CEO of India’s top startup companies in next 5-7 years will be of less than 28 years of age. My advice to today’s youth is that the youngsters should give a shape to their Ideas and start thinking proactively & productively right from the age of 18 years to be competitive enough to give a tough fight to the world.
Soconse: How do you see yourself 5 years down the line?
Nirav: I am happy to have been working as a change-maker with different capacities and responsibilities showered on me through various Organizations. 5 years down the line also I see myself working actively as a change maker, but with some additional responsibilities that give me a chance to perform my duties in the best manner towards the betterment of nation at large.
Soconse: Your tips for youth of India?
Nirav: Today, if India needs something from youth of the country, it would be the active participation from Indian youth in every field of life. So whatever you do, just think as to how it would be contributing to the economic development of country and how it will add value to the lives of the last strata of the society? Think Creatively, Be consist in your work. Always remember that the whole world is recognizing the Indian Culture.
I would sum up with a Quote: “Young People are not useless but they are Used – Less”
