R Chenraj Jain - Nurturing the nation builders

Funds for any venture are hard to come by. So any help in that direction is a real case of ‘angels ‘ coming to the rescue. Thanks to the experiment of incubating businesses by the Centre for Entrepreneurial Development, a cell created by Mahaveer Academy of Technology and Sciences (MATS), run by the Jain Group of Institutions, many students have already gone into business. Similarly, when the renowned hockey players, Ashish Ballal and Dhanraj Pillay were searching for funds to set up their Dhanraj-Ashish Hockey Academy, the Jain Group again came to their rescue.

Backing these experiments is R Chenraj Jain, Chairman of the Jain Group of Institutes and Chair Professor, Entrepreneurship, who feels his venture to mentor the students will vindicate the need for a close relationship between industry and academics.

Q: Diversification seems to be your keyword, with a presence in everything, right from hospitals to management education. So how are you able to manage so many things?

A: Unlike your impression we are not diversifying into varied sectors. Our core competence lies in need-based educational training and even in that we have not diversified into medical, dental or any other field. The Mahaveer Jain Hospital has its own separate trust and I am not involved in it.

That apart, I hope you have heard of K C Das who was selling rasgollas in Calcutta in his neighbourhood. But today, KC Das is all over the country selling quality rasgollas. So quality is important. There is an abundance of human resources in this country, we only have to empower them to perform. When you devise a mechanism to function, you should make sure that this model of system management is successful. Once you know how to organize yourself and your institution and you delegate responsibilities to your sub-ordinates and empower them, they will take care of the organisation. This is how you build an institution and also the same model applies to building a nation. Once the model is ready, it is then just plain replication of the model with continuous upgradation and improvement.

Q: You are a person who has risen from humble beginnings to now head such a huge education institution. How did you develop your management skills?

A: You might have observed that even among the Harvard educated graduates, only 3% of them have ever succeeded in life. Management is managing people or society by identifying their capabilities and learning while guiding others. Dhirubhai Ambani was a school dropout. All one needs is common sense, presence of mind, a vision and working towards it. I am a 7th grade school dropout, who has now become the chancellor of a deemed university called Mahaveer Academy of Technology & Sciences, which has 14 institutions under it. Management is about understanding people and allowing them to express themselves by giving them autonomy to reach their targets. You don’t require a doctorate to realize this basic philosophy of life.

Q: How do you balance your business activities and other community services? Do people doubt your motives?

A: As of now, I have handed over all my business to my relatives. I maybe a minor sleeping partner in some companies, but otherwise now, I fully devote all my time to nurturing young minds. I am not at all interested in creating any wealth and since the past 8 years I have dedicated myself to educating the youth and philanthropy. I am the managing chairman for this trust, which gets development funds to build educational institutions. All income collected from the students is fully utilized in human resources, infrastructure and some recurring expenditure.

Next to our Jain International Residential School is the Opportunity school, where 2200 children get the best facilities in the form of uniform, books and education, all completely free. Famous sportspersons like Ashish Ballal, Enrico Piperno, who come to teach at our International school, also coach these underprivileged children.

Q: What is your focus while building such educational institutions?

A: Teaching students to become self- reliant is the main focus. So we have a diverse need based education philosophy to make entrepreneurs out of young students who in turn achieve a higher Gross Domestic Product for the country. This is the only institution where the heads of the institute work 365 days a year. Education is not just an occupation, it’s a mission. The syllabus is divided into three parts with one third dedicated to theory, one third to practicals and one third is values. So it’s no surprise that we get 98% results in PUC, 100% in management and 95% in degree courses.

The focus is not just on academics, but also on all round growth with our students participating in major state and national level championships. Champion athletes like Shikha Tandon, Anup Shridhar and Rohan Bopanna are all our students. I will assure you that we will get six Olympic medals by 2012!

Q: What was the idea behind setting up the business incubator experiment?

A: I feel I am a born entrepreneur and since 1982, I have incubated more than 500 companies and inspired another 1600 firms. Even the food grain supplier to my schools has become a crorepati. Our own student, Saaket Jalani is running a hostel employing 87 people. I feel that like me, every student who goes out must be empowered positively so that he/she become dynamic leaders.

Through education we have helped our students to incubate 10 companies in our postgraduate institution, which are doing a turnover of Rs 10 crore each. Infact, one company will be doing a turnover of Rs 100 crore in the next one year. All with the help of our own students. Our student entrepreneurs have set up an export import company called Commity International Trading Pvt Ltd. Another one called Dhamas, is a shoe company and Blueman Services provides a 24-hour housekeeping service. Mindsource, a BPO, is doing data mining for MNC corporations.

Q: What is your vision for the future?

A: Ours is a multifarious, multifaceted activity organisation with 150 courses, 14,000 students and 15 institutions. Soon we will be opening our distance education program all over the country. We have immediate plans to open 100 schools 100 pre-schools across the country within the next five years and 300 institutions in the next ten years.

Q: Is it realistically possible to achieve such a grand vision? How do you believe that your students will stand by the your vision?

A: I am a practical man who wants others to come up so that they will help me build the nation. I focus on ‘experiential learning’ where the student learns by observing others. I strictly adhere to practising what I preach and since I work 24 hours a day, my teachers and students are inspired to work at least 12 hours a day.

Once you know how this model works, you just have to replicate this prototype. Right from manufacturing to services to technology driven companies, my 9000 students will soon give employment to 100 people each.. Each of these companies will do a turnover of Rs.15 crore by 2009. There will be so much wealth creation that it will be equal to 3% of the country’s GDP, wholly from the efforts of the Jain Group of Institutions by 2015. We are interested in moulding job providers not job seekers.

Our tea chers, students and the management are like a large Hindu undivided family, where we imbibe the values of our ancient culture and tradition. Our mission is based on Swami Vivekananda’s ideals to nurture and ignite young minds.

Issue BG29 Aug03