Crowdfunding, a way to earn fast buck on the net, catches up among IT savvy Gujarati middle class youth

By Satyakam Mehta
Crowdfunding, an internet-based practice of collecting money for small projects or ventures by raising small amounts from large number of individuals, is picking up as a craze in Gujarat’s penny-wise IT savvy youngsters. While many consider it as a way to earn a fast buck, one just needs to upload a project idea on a crowdfunding website, explain its concept, specify the funding you require, and just wait for individuals to transfer money to your bank account.
Take the case of Karan Pujara, son of a modest paan shop owner in Bhuj, district capital of Kutch, Gujarat, who at the tender age of 15 decided to do it after taking up a diploma course from a reputed institute. Soon, he realized he didn’t have the resources to buy expensive books. Bent upon wanting to buy books, which he preferred over going using library, he developed an online portal, studentdesk.in to buy, sell, rent and exchange books and magazines.
He got his portal project launched on a Gujarat-based crowdfunding platform, start51.com, and managed to get a funding of Rs 64,000, which he considers “generous”, though his target of Rs 1 lakh seemed pretty far away. Pujara tells me, his portal aims to “help” readers by facilitating them with easy and free exchange of books, magazines and study material.
Students, he believes, can find used books from college or from their area using location-based tracking of books. He adds, "We want to build a community of readers by reaching to all libraries and school and colleges so that readers will have a wide range of reading material. We are also planning a mobile application of studentdesk.in for different platforms."
He is one of the many in Gujarat, who have “managed” to get financial help from this crowdfunding platform. In fact, those who control the site claim, there are eight out-of-the-box Gujarat-based projects which have got funded through Start 51. One of them is Ateet Bajaj, who was into chemicals and textiles business and is now the mover of the crowdfunding platform.
Bajaj told me, "When I wished to start my own business, I had the support of my family. But it occurred to me that many youngsters often don’t have the resources to convert their dreams into reality for want of funds. That’s how I launched the crowdfunding portal.”
He points out, "Several innovative ideas need just about Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh.” Bajaj says he started with the support of the Gujarat Technical University, but Start51 has not earned anything from the project. “The worldwide formula is that crowdfunding platforms get five per cent of the funding received by contributors, but we have not taken anything from the start-ups. We are backing them at the moment.”
Another project getting funding is of 22-year-old M.Tech. student Kinjal Chaudhari, who has developed an android application called Sign Speaks that helps interact even if you don’t have the knowledge of sign language.
According to Bajaj, “It is an interpreting app; a combination of verbal language as audio, Indian sign language as video and text. This mobile app has combination of verbal and Indian sign language such that by choosing what to say, one can express oneself without knowing another language. This makes communication possible for hearing and speaking impaired people in their own sign language.
Then there is Jayrajsinh Chavda, all of 24. His music documentary, “The Connoisseur's Journal” showcases evolution of music and culture in Ahmedabad. It tells us the story of regional artistes from theatre, arts and music background of Ahmedabad.
The documentary contains an elaborate collection of video footage from different music genres like rock, metal, pop, jazz, blues, Hindustani classical, traditional and Sufi, which have been performed in Ahmedabad since 2010. It also has rare footage from veteran musicians dating back to 1980s. The documentary, which is expected to be released in November, has got moderate funding though his requirement is some Rs 2 lakh.

Comments

What Sister Nivedita understood about India that we have forgotten

By Harasankar Adhikari In the idea of a “Vikshit Bharat,” many real problems—hunger, poverty, ill health, unemployment, and joblessness—are increasingly overshadowed by the religious contest between Hindu and Muslim fundamentalisms. This contest is often sponsored and patronised by political parties across the spectrum, whether openly Hindutva-oriented, Islamist, partisan, or self-proclaimed secular.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

India’s universities lag global standards, pushing students overseas: NITI Aayog study

By Rajiv Shah A new Government of India study, Internationalisation of Higher Education in India: Prospects, Potential, and Policy Recommendations , prepared by NITI Aayog , regrets that India’s lag in this sector is the direct result of “several systemic challenges such as inadequate infrastructure to provide quality education and deliver world-class research, weak industry–academia collaboration, and outdated curricula.”

The rise of the civilizational state: Prof. Pratap Bhanu Mehta warns of new authoritarianism

By A Representative Noted political theorist and public intellectual Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta delivered a poignant reflection on the changing nature of the Indian state today, warning that the rise of a "civilizational state" poses a significant threat to the foundations of modern democracy and individual freedom. Delivering the Achyut Yagnik Memorial Lecture titled "The Idea of Civilization: Poison or Cure?" at the Ahmedabad Management Association, Mehta argued that India is currently witnessing a self-conscious political project that seeks to redefine the state not as a product of a modern constitution, but as an instrument of an ancient, authentic civilization.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

Why experts say replacing MGNREGA could undo two decades of rural empowerment

By A Representative A group of scientists, academics, civil society organisations and field practitioners from India and abroad has issued an open letter urging the Union government to reconsider the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and to withdraw the newly enacted Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The letter, dated December 27, 2025, comes days after the VB–G RAM G Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16 and subsequently approved by both Houses of Parliament, formally replacing the two-decade-old employment guarantee law.

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Reshaping welfare policy? G-RAM-G marks the end of rights-based rural employment

By Ram Puniyani With the Ram Janmabhoomi Rath Yatra, the BJP’s political strength began to grow. From then on, it started projecting itself as a “party with a difference.” Gradually, the party’s electoral success graph kept rising. However, many thinkers and writers did not find this particularly worrying at the time, as they saw little difference between the BJP and the ruling Congress. The BJP’s real face began to emerge when it became the principal party of the NDA led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. It first came to power for two brief tenures—13 days and then 13 months—and subsequently governed for nearly six years with Vajpayee as Prime Minister. During this period, many of these writers began to understand that the BJP was indeed a “different kind” of party, as even then the process of undermining democratic values and norms had begun. During the first term of the UPA government, several schemes were implemented that were based on the concept of “rights.” These included the right...

Search This Blog