"Ratan Tata Inspired Me To Become A Social Entrepreneur", Says Utkarsh Kishore

If you ask Bihar boy Utkarsh Kishore about his idol in life, he would say it is Ratan Tata, an Indian industrialist, philanthropist, former Chairman of Tata Group and currently leading its charitable trusts, who has his heart in the right place. And walking in the footsteps of his idol, Utkarsh has today become a social entrepreneur with a difference, which is reflected in his zeal to go beyond regular charitably work and, instead, donate his skills and ideas along with his own earnings.

Owner of two companies, Cosmo Drive Pvt. Ltd. and Arvi Tech, Utkarsh is no stranger to entrepreneurship excellence but he is also the brain behind TeamUK, a unique social venture that invests time and efforts into a number of public awareness programmes.

In fact, his charitable business is much more than what the other NGOs normally do. He doesn’t believe in donating the usual things, which even a poor family, can arrange from somewhere or the other. He focuses on creating awareness regarding specific problems associated with the lives of the underprivileged and deprived sections of the society. For instance, during the recent lockdown phases, Utkarsh’s TeamUK organized awareness programmes sanitization & social distancing before distributing facemasks and hand sanitizers. This wonderful combination of awareness with charity ensures that those who receive the help are aware of its correct usage. After such programmes, Utkarsh’s TeamUK efforts make it possible for people to keep using such commodities in the future too, especially since these are quite easily available these days.

This brilliant young man from Bihar is well-aware of the socio-economic issues that have been plaguing the lives of the poor Bihari people. Being the Founder of TeamUK, Utkarsh & his team of enthusiastic young professionals is engaged in philanthropy that motivates people to live better and give their best shot in whatever their aim in life. This has been Utkarsh’s motto in life, ever since his time at the Delhi University. Even then, he was a restless soul, looking for ways to make other people’s lives easier, with his compassion and skills. 

His vision is based on uplifting the people living in the rural confines of India, through his new-age approach to philanthropy. He says, “Since I come from one of the most backward states in the country, I understand the importance of offering a livelihood with dignity as to people who need to stand on their own two feet instead of making them dependent on the usual doles handed out by NGOs elsewhere.”

It was this thought that pushed Utkarsh to hire daily wagers who had lost their jobs due to the onset of COVID-19 pandemic at his companies. He decided to contribute not just his earnings but also his skills to public welfare. His venture, TeamUK, has provided jobs, basic amenities and a lot more, to about 8000 families throughout Bihar. 

He is invited to a number of social welfare events across the country, some of those organised by the governments too. Recently, he was part of the Bihar state team, led by Sh. Madan Sahni, Minister of Social Welfare, for the 2-day National Conference, Poshan 2.0, chaired by Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Smriti Irani. The conference was about the relevance of fulfilling the nutritional needs of mother-child and it gave a lot of food for thought to the participants on the future course, says Utkarsh.

This young socio-entrepreneur’s efforts, along with his team, are meant to improve the lives of economically backward communities of Bihar. That is really inspiring and something other young start-up owners could definitely learn from!