Lakshmi Venkataraman Venkatesan: The visionary behind BYST's success

Lunch can wait… please don’t hurry… are you hungry?’’ The great JRD Tata asked Lakshmi Venkataraman Venkatesan. He was 86 at the time. Lakshmi, a young woman brimming with ideas, was passionately narrating the story of a young, underprivileged entrepreneur. JRD was all ears. “Take your time… his story is more important.”

That one meeting changed everything. JRD came on board, and Lakshmi’s dream—Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust—took off in 1992.

Today, BYST continues to provide a solid platform for young people in the country to convert potentially promising business ideas into profitable enterprises. BYST’s ‘Grampreneurs’ are offered not just financial support, but mentoring, training and global networking opportunities. As JRD once said, “If we touch one life, it has the potential to transform the lives of a billion people.”..read more

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