The Resisto-Meter...

A majority, over 70%, of the resistance to the Threshold India Initiative is coming from those that it intends to serve: the Muslim community.

Whereas my non Muslim friends get excited about the concept in no time, and have been committing themselves with good counsel and intelligent resources.

Why?

Mullah says 517 years of “self inflicted paralysis” will take time to heal. Inertia has its own God dammed appeal.

The good part is that the kids are enthusiastic about the idea, and know what it can achieve for them. As long as there is one 20 year old who thinks she /he can change the World with an idea, create jobs, provide services or products, we will keep moving forward.

We intend to get to the promised land of entrepreneurship , by all means necessary.

God willing!

WE have the power to...

We realized we may have preempted Mr Obama's speech by about six months - at least a part of it :-)....

That in itself is a reason to celebrate !

India Se...

India Se, a Singapore based Life Style magazine featured Threshold India in its June 2009 issue.

We must be doing something right....

Entreprenuership Development....

I was to deliver a lecture on entrepreneurship development at the AMP Job fair being held at my alma mater, Saboo Siddik College of Engineering April 11-12, 2009. Logistics of delivering an online lecture did not work out, so here I am, showing my entrepreneurial spirits by posting the slides for those that might have felt disappointed. Cheers.....

Thank You!

Maharashtra College

Ramesh Kumar, Butiya Manoj Ramesh, Siddiki Rubina, Mansori Heena, sheikh Farina, Ansari Nida, Ansari Taiyaba, Mahroz M. Mohsin, Gulshan M. Qauyyom, Zakiya Bano M. Zakariya, Khan Naziya Parveen M. Sharif, Sana Anwar Khan, Noor Afsha, Ansari Razia, Sarvat Qureshi, Ansari Lubna, Shaikh Nazreen, Momin Firdaus, Ansari Nazish Naaz, Shaikh Tabassum Mhod Hanif, sheikh Arshiya G. Mohammad, Shaikh F shafi, ansari Yasmeen samiullah, Butiya Manjoj Ramesh, A Aqub, sheikh M Tahir, Ansari Heena Kausar Mushtaq, sayed azhar ali Qamar Ali, Mohammad Ahmad Siddieque, Imran Tamboli, Zafar Sayed, , Fakhri Khusnod, Zakariya A. Ukai, Abdul Hameed, Mohd Nafees, shamsuddin, Masood Alam siddiki, Ansari Nazreen, Shaikh Tassudduk, Khan Asma, Sheikh Saeeda,Khan Zainab, Kazi Rumana, Ansari Shama, Ansari samina, Ansari Saniya, Ansari shaista, Sahaikh Zakerun, Fehmida Moinuddin, Sayed Tabassum, Qureshi Saima, Khan Mehvish, Khan shaheen, Khan Mehjabeen, Ansari Sidra, Ansari Umaira, Ansari Naziya, Ansari sadiya, Ansari Afreen, Saifi Ali Varsh, Khan Ashraf.

SNDT - Ghatkopar

Rukhsar Khan, Vaishali Cureaw, Hetal Zadbuke, Amulya Raskar, Prachi Pawar, Praneli Vd Patahk, Simi John, Madumita Biswas, Mohini Lokhande, Monica Kene, Chetna Marvane, sneha Sharma, Kalpana Muddilyar, Sumathi Mooopnar, Preeti Sakpal, Monika Sharma, Sameen Mushtaq,, Jyoti sikarwar, Kusum Gupta, Hafsa Farooqui.

And...

Rashmi Bansal, Piyul Mukherjee, Pia Verbic, Prof M.Z Shahid, Prof Siraj Chowgle, Prof Majid Ansari, Prof Ilyas Shauqui, Principal Shakeel Urzak, Prof Waheed.

Faizan Sayed, Shagufta Farouqui, Z. Sayed, P.N. Sayed, Altaf Paloba, Nasir Surti, Late Siddik Divecha....

Threshold India 2009 - Slide Show

A crew from UTV was at hand to record history ( at least historical moment from our perspective!). They put together a Republic Day special edition of Cracking Careers and telecast it 6 times between January 24th and 25th, 2009. For those of you that might have missed it, here it is again...

Please realize that we may not see some of the groups, but all the 8 groups returned with a profit and had interesting stories to share. For details about other groups and more photographs, please visit Kashif-ul-Huda's Two Circles.

Get inspired and join us please..it's about time!

THRESHOLD India 2009

Florida based Kashif-ul-Huda, of Two Circles.net helped us in spreading the word out. Please visit his web site for a detailed account of the fun we all had in hosting this watershed event of our lives!

As someone said "the best way to predict a future is to invent it!"
God willing, We will...

THRESHOLD India 2009 - On UTVi

Threshold India 2009 show on UTVi this weekend

I am back in the good ol' US of A and am too caught up with life. Please watch TUVi for what transpired on the D day....More later!

Folks,

The session where all the wonderful young students of Maharashtra College, Mumbai as well as SNDT, Mumbai proved they definitely have the entrepreneurial spirit, and was covered by the media, is to be telecast on Saturday 24 th Jan as well as Sunday 25th Jan, on Channel UTVi. 

Please spread the word and look forward to many more of you join in here on the Orkut community!

Details are :

Program Name : CRACKING CAREERS

Channel : UTVi
(a business channel. For those taking Tata Sky, it comes on channel number 541)

Saturday, 24 January 2009 : Telecast timings are : 8 am; 3.30 pm and 6 pm

Sunday 25 January 2009 : Telecast timings are 8.30 am; 1.30 pm and 5 pm


Effectively, will be telecast 6 times over the weekend...Dont miss it!

No generation gap here....

Before I began my session with students I asked them about the challenges they are facing today. The girls were very forthcoming with information and listed these issues:

- Discrimination

- Lack of oportunities

- Communalism

- Poverty

- Polution

- Population

- Corruption

- Lack of civic Sense

- Reservation

- Violence

- Second class citizen status

- Terrorism

- Lack of infrastructure

- Unemployment

- Illiteracy

- Inequality between men and women

- Caste Barriers

If someone had asked us this question during my college days I am pretty sure we would have spelled out the same issues. That means two decades have passed but the issues have not. Two generations, two completely different world....yet same old issues.

Certainly India can do better then that.....

For days like these....

This Indian vacation is turning out to be the most productive and memorable one for me and for a few more. For me because with the help of friends I could put into place a process, that,  executed well could help in creating the next generation of  committed citizens and perhaps, business leaders. For a few more because their excitement tells me that they are having a ball on this journey that began this morning at Maharashtra College, Mumbai.

I had invited a bunch of student leaders from Maharashtra college to initiate a dialogue on entrepreneurship in the Muslim community.  A sweet little relative from SNDT, brought her entire class to the forum and it became an SNDT v/s Maharashtra College competition. I would have been happy with  a group of 30/40 students. Instead,  I ended up  with twice  that size.

My young guests were in for a surprise when they were divided into 8 groups (the original plan was to have only 5 ) and offered RS 1000 each. It was my heartfelt request that with the help of a few tips and insights, they had the freedom to do whatever they chose to do with the money. All I wanted in return was for them to engage in some creative brainstorming to generate ideas, utilize their talents in making the money grow.  It was impressed on them that it was not important  if they made 50 paisa or 200 rupees,  or even if they lost their allotted amount,  as long as they made a sincere and honest effort in going through the process.

Their enthusiasm and energy took over the classroom and spread like magic. Some of them had doubts - could  this offer be real, others accepted it  immediately as  a challenge,   eager to prove themselves. It was a great sight to see a gamut of emotions run through the faces. I loved every minute of it.

What was amazing about the session is that they expressed  their dreams and aspirations,  their fears and apprehensions. The raw plans, their own fearless predictions of all that they could do, to me, was a sign that these were the stars of the future of our nation, as we move ahead in life with 8% GDP growth all around us. 

My guests have since gone back to pursue this challenge, and intend to return triumphant next week. Our prayers are that they all succeed - not just in making some money. But in learning about themselves, about team work, their sense of self-worth, their so far un-capitalized talents, and about turning unrealized needs into awesome business opportunities. 

I look forward to next week. To see what this new generation is made up of and what plans /proposals they will bring forward.  

For me, the biggest challenge is to find a way to sustain this momentum, to keep it going and involve more potential leaders. 

 It was a  day straight from Abraham Maslow's book.  I intend to have many more days like today. 

God willing....