From charitable work to taking stock of the year, here is what these 20-odd-year-old entrepreneurs are doing this Diwali

Friendly banter with family and friends over teen patti, the customary bursting of crackers, lighting of lamps, and ushering in the new year are the things we associate with Diwali. With e-commerce sales and enticing Diwali packages, the online world also gives you enough reasons to be excited about the festive season. However, this Diwali, some entrepreneurs are looking at the festival of lights in a very different way.

Ajay Thakur

21-year-old Ajay Thakur is looking at this festival of lights as an opportunity to grow his business. The co-founder of blogging website Bameslog, which has over 76,000 monthly active users, Ajay is using this long weekend to make a crack in his business.

“This Diwali, I will be spending time with my mentor Vishal Bharadwaj and working towards getting a seed and angel round of funding,” he says.

Supriya Paul

For the co-founder of Josh Talks, this weekend is possibly the best time to unwind and relax. She says this Diwali she won’t be doing much more than relaxing.

“We ushered in Diwali with our annual event ‘Josh Talks Leap’, which had over 5,000 people and had over 24 different speakers. It was our Diwali celebration. Also, next week, I am going to be a part of the Road Trip Experience, and will be off to Lanka this season.”

Vinay Anand

A serial entrepreneur at 22, Vinay Anand’s startup Pipes was recently acquired and he is now working on his next venture Aer Media, a tech company that uses machine learning and AI to help build and create brand campaigns. Vinay ushers in Diwali by treating street children with food and educating them on the harmful effects of using crackers.

“Every year during Diwali, my family and friends get together, pool in some money and get street children goodies, food, and a toy. We also educate them on not bursting crackers. They look at it as a status symbol, so it is very important for people like us to tell them the harmful effects of crackers and what else they can do during Diwali to have fun.”

Yogita Muttha

The Violet is a unique offering aimed at cheering women up during their period. Their online box subscription has samples of premium cosmetics, gourmet chocolates, fine teas and coffee along with period essentials like pads and tampons.

Its co-founder Yogita celebrates Diwali in a unique way as well. She says:

“Every month, for every subscription we make, we donate one box to one girl child. But during Diwali, every subscription brings in donations to 10 girls. We also go to these young girls and educate them on hygiene, and get them inspired by talks from distinguished and established women.”

On the personal front, Yogita intends to take a pause, introspect on how the year went for her, and will look at new ways to usher in the new season.

Devavrat Jatia

The founder of Brainnr, an edutech startup, Devavrat Jatia looks at Diwali as a time to give back to society. Every time he is in Mumbai, he ensures he spends Diwali with children at the Tata Memorial Hospital.

For four years I couldn’t do that, because I wasn’t in the country. This Diwali, I hope to spend some time with the children at Tata Memorial Hospital, get them some goodies and basically have fun with them.

So what are you doing this Diwali?