Millions of people dream about IIT and IIM as they grow up. What if you accidentally enter both of them? It is a well-known fact that graduates of prestigious universities like the IIT and IIMs get the best and the highest-paying jobs.
But this IIT and IIM alumnus took a special path. Vinayak Lohani, 39, made a deliberate choice to help some of the underprivileged children in eastern India by providing them with housing and education.
Vinayak, who was born in Bhopal, moved to Bengal as a student, first obtaining a Mining Engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur, then an MBA from IIM Kolkata. Vinayak decided to opt out of campus placements while he was pursuing his MBA.
By that time, Vinayak had begun writing journalistic pieces on charitable work and social activities. Vinayak has Swami Vivekananda as an example.
“I have always been inspired by the agents of change in society and the sense of sacrifice, service and devotion, especially Swami Vivekananda’s. I took diksha from the Ramakrishna Mission…spent time with monks. Mother Teresa’s influence was strong, as was the legacy of our freedom movement. I found no momentum to return to my hometown. All my thoughts became very Calcutta-centric,” Vinayak told Your Story.
Lohani is the founder of the nonprofit organisation Parivaar in West Bengal, India. Parivaar is dedicated to providing safe housing, a top-notch education, and access to healthcare for impoverished children. He used his earnings from giving lectures and giving tuition to MBA candidates to rent a building close to Thakurpukur because his efforts to collect money were failing. Vinayak began his journey with three children, often not knowing where the next meal would come from.
Vinayak had 55 youngsters under his small roof in another six months with the help of IIM alumni who responded to his email request. He bought a two-acre plot of land in Thakurpukur towards the end of 2004 and started constructing his dream home there brick by brick. Parivaar is currently spread across 20 acres.
In addition to his work with Parivaar, Lohani continues to take part in a variety of other charitable initiatives and projects designed to improve the lives of impoverished people.
