Srikanth Bolla

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Srikanth Bolla
Born7 July 1991; 32 years ago (1991-07-07)
Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
OccupationEntrepreneur
Known forFounder of Bollant Industries Pvt. Ltd.
Spouse
Veera Swathi
​
(m. 2022)​

Srikanth Bolla is an Indian industrialist and the founder Chairman of Bollant Industries. He is the first international blind student in Management Science at the Sloan School of Management of Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[1]

Personal life

Srikanth Bolla was born on 7 July 1991 into a Telugu speaking family in Seetharamapuram, Machilipatnam in Andhra Pradesh. The first child, he was visually impaired from birth, and his family was mainly dependent on farming.[2] His childhood was full of struggle, there was no electricity, education was a luxury, and his family income was less than what was needed to survive.

He setup Bollant Industries with his business partner, Ravi Mantha in 2012. He got married in 2022 to Veera Swathi and has been recently blessed with a daughter, whom the couple named Naina. [3]

Education

After his matriculation (10th Grade), he wanted to study science, but was not permitted to do so. So, Bolla filed a case, and after a six-month wait, he was allowed to pursue science at his own risk. Bolla topped his class with a 98% on his XII board exams.[4] Bolla was denied admission to coaching institutes for Indian Institute of Technology, where he wanted to study engineering, because of his blindness.[5] He earned a bachelors degree in Engineering Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management, where he was the first international blind student. Bolla has fond memories of his time at MIT; from moving to a first-world country like USA, to taking his first flight, to getting used to things like shower systems and Western bathrooms. [3] [6][7] He was given corporate opportunities in America, but he was looking for some innovative ideas in India.

He has been a youth leader since 2005 and went on to become a member of Lead India 2020: The Second National Youth Movement.[8]  Started by former President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Lead India 2020[9] is helping India reach the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020 by eradicating poverty, illiteracy and unemployment.[9]

Career

Bolla co-founded Samanvai Center for Children with Multiple Disabilities in 2011 in which he started a Braille printing press,[10] providing educational, vocational, financial, and rehabilitation services to students with multiple disabilities for an economically independent and self-sustainable life.[11]

In 2012, Bolla started Bollant Industries, which manufactures areca-based products and provides employment to several hundred people with disabilities, with funding from Ratan Tata.[2] Addressing a combination of issues – employment, economics and environment – Bollant produces eco-friendly recycled Kraft paper from municipal waste or soiled paper, packaging products from recycled paper, disposable products from natural leaf and recycled paper and recycles waste plastic into usable products.[12] Bollant has shown exceptional growth, averaging 20% a month since inception and a turnover of ₹ 150 cr in 2018.[13]

Srikanth is the director of Surge Impact Foundation, founded in September 2016.[14] The organisation aims to enable individuals and institutions in India to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.[15]

In April 2017, Bolla was named by Forbes magazine in its list of 30 under 30 across all of Asia, one of only three Indians on that list.[16]

In popular culture

In 2022, a biopic film Srikanth, featuring Rajkummar Rao in the lead role of Srikanth Bolla was announced. [17] The trailer was released on 9th April, 2024. [18] During trailer launch, Srikanth who was also present remembered how the T-Series cassettes helped him complete his education from class 5 to class 10. [19] The film is set to release on May 10, 2024 on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya.

References

  1. ^ "Srikanth Bolla '13 proves that anyone can learn how to swim". MIT News.
  2. ^ a b Kumar, V Rishi (15 February 2016). "Bollant Industries now gets Ratan Tata's backing". The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Srikanth Bolla: First overseas blind student at MIT, entrepreneur who employs the disabled, and subject of a new bollywood film".
  4. ^ "The blind CEO who built a 50 crore company". Rediff.com. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Blind student Srikant Bolla, rejected by IIT, gets admission to MIT Sloan School & is now an entrepreneur!". India.com. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Inspired to help others". MIT News. 15 November 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  7. ^ "Living His Dream". MIT Spectrum. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  8. ^ "After Being Rejected By IIT, This Blind Man Went On To Become The CEO Of A Company Worth Crores". www.mensxp.com. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Lead India". leadindia2020.org. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  10. ^ Kumar, V. Rishi (16 March 2018). "A catalyst for change". @businessline. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  11. ^ "World was blind to see tech entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla's vision, but he had other ideas". dna. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Refused by IIT, This Blind Man Went on to Become an MIT Grad and CEO of a Rs 50 Crore Company". The Better India. 8 April 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  13. ^ "He winked at the world when it failed to see his vision - Times of India". The Times of India. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Surge Impact I About us". Surge Impact. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Surge Impact - Accelerating social impact in India". Surge Impact. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Srikanth Bolla". Forbes. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Production begins for Rajkummar Rao's next film 'Sri', a biopic on Srikanth Bolla". The Economic Times. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
  18. ^ "'Srikanth' trailer: Patralekhaa lauds hubby Rajkummar Rao's hard work and talks about his journey for the movie".
  19. ^ "Srikanth Trailer Launch: Srikanth Bolla gets emotional as he recalls how late Gulshan Kumar helped him in completing his education". The Economic Times.
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