To Jordygt500, know that your patience and interest are genuinely appreciated. Here’s hoping this peek behind the scenes feeds your curiosity. 

River had 50 stores across the country by January 2026. And by December, we’ll easily be stepping into three digits. 

To really understand how we put a pin on the map, I had a conversation with Ranjana Meena from the Dealer Development team. “There are 200 EV brands in the market. Everyone knows how to sell. A sale gets a scooter on the road, but service keeps the relationship going.” Ranjana goes on to explain how River decided to take a different approach. “We give the service bay the same attention as the showroom floor. With the EV market being so crowded, there had to be a clear differentiator. So we kept our expansion plan simple: grow together with dealers who care just as much about the journey after the sale.”

This philosophy makes a service workshop an absolute non-negotiable. When River opens a store, we look for partners willing to build from the workshop first to the storefront last. This approach simply means that the workshop also gets a spotlight. That River Service is just as important.

This simple plan has been crucial in identifying how and with whom River partners, and what convinces us to trust them.

Who gets to hold the keys
For a company known for its agility, our approach to retail expansion is intentionally slow and steady. River’s expansion is more or less proportional to a dealer’s personal growth plan. When dealers are ambitious and committed to the cause just as much as River is, both businesses win. 

There’s a constant push-and-pull effect of how to do better. We challenge our dealers to set higher operational standards, and they teach us how to adapt on the ground. Like how to set up a store in just 22 days! Or how a single conversation can convince an industry titan to open 5 stores in 10 months!

When I asked how River determines whom to work with, Ranjana mentioned having an eligibility list and a compatibility metric. “We look for partners who treat River like their own, and know how to grow the brand’s visibility in their specific region. They should have a good understanding of marketing River and the product. These should be people working on-ground and really willing to grow alongside the company. Because we’re not just looking to open one store with them; we aim to expand to at least five stores per dealer.”

Ambitious indeed!

Part of that eligibility comes down to a strict manpower prerequisite: 8 people dedicated to the store experience, and 7 technicians dedicated exclusively to the workshop. The company has done the math and tested the floor mechanics enough to know that starting with 15 people is what keeps a store running smoothly from Day 1.

Beyond the headcount, River also takes into consideration how those 15 people are treated on a daily basis. People-first or profit-first? Do dealers consistently provide basic amenities? Do they nip unruly behaviour in the bud? Can staff voice their opinions? Will staff have regular training and upskilling? A showroom floor is only as good as the daily dignity shown to the people standing on it.

At the end of the day, a dealer partner can either make or break a brand’s reputation in a new market. We choose to build our network on shared standards rather than sheer store count. It’s a longer process, but this discipline is paying off. We didn’t secure a 3% market share in the EV two-wheeler segment with just 1 product and 76 stores by chance—we earned it because every River dealer cares as much about the customer experience as we do.

It’s a longer process that takes patience, persuasion, some more patience, and determination.

Jordygt500, you’d know a thing or two about patience. We’re happy to share that River is definitely coming to Mumbai this year. And we’re hoping to see you soon.

This is one of the most frequently asked questions our sales and retail teams answer on a daily basis. When they respond with a proud no, the reactions are a mix of surprise, puzzlement, curiosity, and even shock at times. Once they hear the reasoning, the initial confusion turns into heads nodding in agreement.

Let me explain the reason with a backstory of River’s early days.

When Vipin put together the Industrial Design team in 2021, he chose people with a genuine drive over corporate experience. He looked for those who longed to build a truly different kind of vehicle, but lacked the platform and resources to do it. These were creators who had already proved their mettle in competitions like BAJA SAEINDIA and Formula Bharat. That same spirit is what encouraged them to take the plunge with River.

Don’t always abide by industry norms—was the unofficial team motto. “This, coupled with wanting to build a vehicle we were proud to sell while keeping costs in mind, led us to think out-of-the-box,” says Ranjan Nair. He’s part of the first hires made by Vipin. Ranjan began as an Engineering Trainee and is now a Lead Engineer with the Vehicle Architecture team. Quite a leap in just 5 years.

“We had better clarity on what we didn’t want when developing the Indie. Because we had a shared ideology, it was easier to rule out ideas.” Vaibhav chips in. He too has been with River since the start, and is now one of the key decision-makers for product design development. 

So what was unanimously ruled out?

No GPS navigation.

No LCD screen.

No touchscreen.

No bloated features. 

Why? Because Indie didn’t need these features. 

Most vehicles today cater to a user’s wants but the Indie focuses on the user’s real-life needs. That meant making the whole user experience seamless, and not just the ride itself. Vaibhav points to the decision to skip a touchscreen as a prime example: “Our users have multiple tasks to do throughout the day. So we had to chalk out how not to complicate their lives by adding another step to their routine.”

Instead of forcing riders to memorise passcodes or wait for boot-up screens, the team leaned into pure muscle memory: a physical key. A key just works. You plug it, turn it, and ride—no dead displays, no software glitches, definitely no extra mental pressure. 

The same pragmatic logic applied to navigation. The team recognised that the Indie would mostly run on familiar city roads. Petrol scooters cover far greater distances without built-in navigation screens, and riders manage just fine. So why add the cost and distraction of a screen? For daily city runs, built-in GPS navigation was clearly a nice-to-have, not a need-to-have feature.

The team’s focus around daily familiarity didn't stop at digital features. It shaped how the vehicle was engineered too. “We didn’t limit ourselves to existing EVs, and benchmarked IC engine two-wheelers as well,” Ranjan explains. “We wanted to understand what was familiar to our customers and deliver that exact feeling the moment they twist the throttle or hit the brakes. That’s also how we went on to develop adaptive regenerative braking.”

On a petrol scooter, engine braking lets you hold steady speeds or slow down smoothly without constantly grabbing the brakes. Electric scooters lack this ability. Their instant power can cause the vehicle to climb to high speeds with even a slight throttle, forcing constant corrections. Moreover, most electric scooters require letting go of the throttle completely just to trigger regenerative braking.

River fixed this by studying how petrol engines maintain control. The team designed a system that activates regenerative braking while your hand stays on the throttle. Ease off the throttle slows the vehicle down smoothly. Roll back a little provides gentle braking, while rolling back even more delivers stronger stopping power. The entire twist grip becomes usable, giving riders a natural, effortless feel while recharging the battery in the background.

When adaptive regenerative braking was introduced in the Indie Gen 1, River became the first company in the electric vehicle industry to offer this in a two-wheeler. 

By now, it’s easy to see a pattern of how River doesn’t do conventional things or clichés. We follow no bandwagon. Every choice we make comes back to what actually serves the user in daily life. We skip what we feel is unnecessary not to make a statement, but to build something simple, dependable, and genuinely useful. 

When Aravind and Vipin took the leap to build River, the earliest concepts focused on the physical product—the ‘feel’, the structural frame and the engineering parameters. As the team spent more time understanding the real world our vehicles would occupy, we were better equipped to incorporate design solutions from the customer’s perspective. But what really got the team to embrace this design-centric approach happened before River was even conceptualised—the scooter sketch. 

Like any good designer with a strong desire to solve a problem, Vipin spent much of his leisure time sketching a different two-wheeler. Several factors influenced how this vehicle took shape; his instincts about a vehicle's full capability and his father’s rubber plantation operations. He also observed the public’s frustration with vehicles that only handled commuting, as well as the quick fatigue faced by tall riders. Iteration by iteration, month by month, Vipin sketched a functional tool that fit right into a rider's daily life. 

That holy-grail-of-a-sketch is what convinced both our co-founders to make River a product-first company.

This decision has inspired our teams to treat design as a solution to a problem, not just cosmetics. It is now an active, cross-company discipline. We emphasise functional design over automotive jargon. This means that the vehicle is built from the ground up to serve a purpose, making its underlying intelligence entirely visible to the person using it.

By the time the Indie was ready for launch, Vipin wanted it to be viewed as someone’s favorite pair of shoes:

“Think of your favourite shoes. Comfortable, reliable, always ready to go. That’s how we design our products: a natural extension of you, just like your shoes. It adapts to your needs, taking you wherever life takes you.”

After all, don't successful design principles always start with a focus on people?

Knowing what not to build

To build a vehicle that feels so intuitive, one has to understand the boundaries between art, design, and decoration. A cosmetic approach isn't true design; it is just decoration. Vipin doubles down on this opinion: “Our designs should have two aspects: solve something functional, and connect emotionally with the customer we are providing solutions to.”

The R&D team applies design thinking as the foundational ‘brain’ for all activities. It’s a simple but rigorous process: identifying a problem or opportunity, breaking it down, finding a solution, testing it with customers, and then moving to production. This process actively shapes both our engineering and manufacturing phases.

In the engineering phase, the design thinking process translates into ‘design engineering’—a common term treated differently at River. Rather than just focusing on industrial aesthetics, the engineering team actively breaks down the core functional problems. Vipin explains how: “With the Indie, we decided through a ‘game of elimination’ to focus on everyday utility rather than vanity metrics. That’s how the goal of building the fastest motor was eliminated. Instead, the team focused heavily on load-carrying capacity. By applying design thinking to these engineering constraints, they created a highly durable chassis that's rarely seen in the conventional everyday scooter.”

As the process moves toward manufacturing, the design thinking approach continues to guide vehicle development. The team transitions from initial sketches to physical prototypes by generating comprehensive engineering data and testing the vehicle through real-time simulations. At this stage, the design process is extended to vendors and manufacturing partners, where both teams work directly to create parts and moulds for full-scale vehicle development. For instance, the Indie’s busbars alone—a joint effort with a vendor—took almost 12 months of R&D to perfect. Finding a ‘workaround’ was never an option for either team. The busbars simply had to be indestructible against the reality of Indian roads, and function reliably for years. But take a closer look here; design thinking did more than just perfect the busbars. It also enabled us to partner with vendors who share our principles. 

River uses design thinking as a filter across disciplines. This ensures our engineering and manufacturing efforts result in an honest and unpretentious product. It makes it easier to identify, and collaborate with business partners who believe in achieving customer satisfaction through good design solutions. 

So why is good design such a big deal for us? Because we use it as a yardstick for success; when there’s no longer a gap between what a product does and why it exists. Seeing how the Indie fits into our customers’ daily routine so smoothly, how they stop thinking about the machine and simply enjoy its capabilities, we know that design has done its job.

Vishnu Mohandas works as an art mediator for this season of the Kochi Muziris Biennale. Narrating the story, the cultural and historic significance, and the artist behind each work of art, comes naturally to him. He loves the constant rotation of new artists as it introduces him to many new concepts and forms of art. It almost feels like he can’t get enough of it. It’s easy to believe this because Vishnu is a multi-hyphenate professional. He’s done a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and continues to find ways to monetise his interests—not skills—which is a rather unconventional way of being financially independent.

“Moving from Kochi to Pune for higher education pushed me out of my comfort zone. It helped nurture some of my interests—travel, meeting people, gathering stories, and documenting these experiences.” Through the years, Vishnu began exploring how to monetise these interests. His journey isn’t linear; which makes him easy to be mistaken for someone who doesn’t “stick” at a job. Or someone who isn’t “focused”. But truthfully, he just wants to taste everything that life offers him professionally. 

Vishnu never really expected his career to pan out this way—switching between industries and sectors—but he’s carried forward the skills he’s picked up from each of his stints onto the next. As a sales associate, he learned how to sell. From his creative marketing roles, he learned how to sell using purpose and storytelling. In theatre, he channelled selling a story through words, expression and movement. As a filmmaker, he’s mastering how to capture all these elements while tinkering around with light, shadows, and composition. He’s found a rhythm in letting his interests and skills work for him. The same rhythm one feels as he conducts immersive walkthroughs of warehouse-turned-art galleries at the Biennale. “How do I stay rooted through all of this? The credit goes to my family and school friends. I actually count myself lucky to still be able to stick with friends who wore the same school uniform as I did. They don’t judge even when I hit a wall and have to start all over again.” Changing routes isn’t easy. Every time Vishnu took up a new stint, he faced a similar set of challenges; starting from scratch again; being in an unfamiliar territory, learning a new skill, keeping up with work and industry trends, pitching yourself multiple times for new opportunities, managing different schedules while switching between different gigs, staying calm through invoice-chasing email threads—the list is long.

Some 1,430 km away from Vishnu, Nikitha Warrier shares the same professional “fate” that comes with being a freelance writer, author, and dance choreographer. “My biggest learning through my freelance journey is that I can be flexible with changing the nature of the role I take up. For instance, when I realised that I could monetise my dancing for wedding choreographies, it was the admin and operations part of the role I ultimately found joy in.” It’s only been a couple of months since Nikitha has stepped into choreographing dances for weddings, events and workshops. The idea came to her when she was practising for her brother’s wedding, and had a few inquiries from acquaintances. “My aim was never to compete with well-established and bigger names in this field because I found a gap in the market for the kind of dance services I could offer.” And so Dancing Warriers was formed, headed by Nikitha and supported by her equally talented cousins. “What got me really excited about this new journey was all the preliminary calls, ideation, and creating a playlist before the choreography began. I’m a yapper so talking with people and learning about themselves, how they met, their love language, the kind of music they love, helps me create a playlist that reflects who they are as a couple. Once I’m done with this process, I hand over the choreography to my cousins to manage.”

Nikitha has transitioned from being a software engineer to a freelance content writer—a transition that’s taken about five years. “I was that typical class-topper, school headgirl type. So when I was asked to take up Science in college, it was the safest and most obvious bet. It didn’t take long though to realise this wasn’t meant to be. I was creative inherently but had no idea about the kind of roles I should be looking out for. I wanted to write but didn’t know where to start.”

It has taken Nikitha about five years to find her sweet spot as a freelance writer. “Despite being a fulltime writer for only 1–2 years, it was becoming clearer that freelancing was giving me better growth—I was working on a wider range of subjects, different formats, some really impactful projects, and of course meeting a diverse set of people. But I was very cautious about going independent completely.” She goes on to explain how she set financial goals every six months and if they weren’t met, she would switch back to being an employee. Even though it has been years since then, she still follows this method as a way to keep herself grounded and meet her financial goals. “There have been months when I’ve earned double, and there have been low months. One way of circumventing these low months was seriously considering if I should launch Dancing Warriers. Other times, I apply for opportunities way out of my league to understand how I need to improve in pitching myself, and also wade through the job market as a safety net.”

When asked about a piece of advice she’d like to share for those considering the freelancer route she said, “Everyone has a different journey; some would want to jump all in, some would want to test waters—both methods work when mindfully done.” A version of ‘what-works-for-one-may-not-work-for-another’ school of thought is how Nikitha monetises her skills, as Vishnu does with his interests—two different approaches with a similar outcome.

Yet both Nikitha and Vishnu share the same opinion that one should always stay realistic when going independent. Working from the mountains or featuring in big productions isn’t the poster-face of this lifestyle. It’s knowing when to give up, when to push forward, when to diversify, and more importantly, always doing one’s homework before trying something new. It’s not so easy to know early on which hat suits you best, or how many, but trial and error definitely helps. And that’s how people begin to wear many hats.

If we look beyond our immediate circle, we’re likely to notice jugaad everywhere—across Indian homes and streets. Things rarely have just one life. A jar becomes storage. An old shirt becomes a cleaning cloth. A wooden plank becomes extra space on a scooter. Nothing is too small to be useful again.

Being resourceful in India is driven by a number of reasons; scarcity of resources, a frugal lifestyle, an innovative spirit, the desire to fulfil a purpose… For our Co-founder, Vipin, his father’s resourceful nature heavily influenced how he envisioned Indie’s utilitarian nature. “My father was a teacher and a part-time farmer, and like many others, he managed his day on a two-wheeler. When he had to carry bulky rubber sheets, placing them on the floorboard left no room for his feet. So he fixed a simple wooden plank underneath the sheets to extend the floor board,” Vipin says with a proud smile—a gesture that continues to hold respect and awe; “he didn’t change the scooter, he simply made room in the most unexpected yet simple way. It’s a small addition that allowed the scooter to carry more without losing its balance.”

“This innovative solution stayed with me through the years, and later came into effect while I was sketching the Indie. That’s how the front foot-pegs were born—a simple design solution that solves real problems riders face everyday.” 

And that’s exactly what our riders say about the front foot-pegs. “The stretched-out riding position is a boon, especially for tall riders. At an average height, I find it just adequate and comfortable. However, taller friends of mine swear the riding triangle suits them superbly. The front foot-pegs make all the difference. I can't believe no other manufacturer had thought of the idea previously.” (Team BHPian: Raskolnikov.R, Bengaluru)

Conventional scooters often followed a one-size-fits-all approach, but we wanted the Indie to factor every possible way a scooter could be used. Once Vipin sketched out the first blueprint, our R&D team, being riders themselves, spent hours on the road observing and talking to daily two-wheeler riders. The Indie had to be a versatile companion for one’s day-to-day journeys. If you test ride the Indie, you’ll notice every detail was designed to ease the daily grind—the spacious seating, the immense storage, the ruggedness for all kinds of roads. All this from a simple thought—how can the humble Indian two-wheeler reach its full potential! Not by replacing what it was, but by extending what it can be–more roles, more everyday usefulness. So what began as a way to carry rubber sheets on a scooter, has quietly turned into a utility-comfort feature with the front foot-pegs.

In many ways, that’s how most good ideas in India begin. Not on a drawing board but in the middle of a regular day. Someone trying to carry a little more. Someone adjusting, fixing, adding one small thing to make life easier. And to extend the lifetime of what’s already owned. When you care for what you have, you start seeing what else it can be. That’s how ordinary objects stick around longer than expected. 

Most of the time, no one calls this innovation. It’s just common sense, or how we Indians love to call it, “jugaad”—just making things work. But look closer, and you’ll see that these “fixes” travel. One person’s workaround becomes another person’s eureka moment. A solution at home finds its way onto the road. A small adjustment made years ago quietly turns into better design for someone else. 

‘Jugaad’ is simply that instinct to try, to reuse, to extend, to not give up on what’s already there and see how much more it can offer. And sometimes, that’s all it takes to turn the simplest thing into something that lasts.

When we met Ishwarya at the River Factory, it became clear that for most people playing against the odds, they don’t see it as hustling. They’re just giving it their everything. Hustling becomes so ingrained in their lives that they become epitomes of the word. Meet with Ishwarya today, and you’ll be talking with the Zone Leader of the Vehicle Assembly division. She rose to the ranks quickly. And deservingly so. Spend a day with her and you’ll realise this: the level of competence others call extraordinary is simply her everyday standard. 

“Growing up in Chitradurga, Karnataka, I was raised by parents who taught me the value of working hard and being independent. My father, an auto driver, always encouraged me and my sister to focus on our studies. He wanted us to build our own lives, despite the pressures society placed on us, especially when it came to marriage.

When I joined River, I started as a technician, and within just six months, I was promoted to Zone Leader. Today, I lead a team of 40 people. My journey hasn’t been easy, but I’ve learned that when I set my mind to something, I don’t stop until I achieve it.” Ishwarya.

Working in the same assembly line is Ayub Ali, who shares the same grit as Ishwarya. “When I was 16, I hit a major setback. I failed five out of six subjects in my grade 10 exams. For most people, that would’ve been the end of the road. At that age, failure is a big deal. But for me, it was a wake-up call. I found a biography of APJ Abdul Kalam, and it completely shifted my mindset. I saw how he kept going, no matter what, and I remember thinking: ‘Failure isn’t the end—it’s just part of the journey.’ I retook my exams and passed everything. That moment was a turning point. I realised success isn’t about talent or luck—it’s about how you push through when everything feels stacked against you.”

Ayub now works as a technician at River Factory. “What I do here matters, I always say. It’s a place where I can learn, grow, and constantly challenge myself.” Outside of work, he’s passionate about rap. It’s how he processes everything; his thoughts, growth, and his journey. And when he needs a break from words, he goes fishing—a hobby passed down by his father. Besides the calming waters, it teaches him patience and how to stay grounded.” 

Ishwarya and Ayub may come from different places and carry different stories, but what connects them is simple, their grit. They don’t call it hustle. Here at River, their journeys remind us that progress isn’t always loud or dramatic. For some, it’s built quietly on factory floors, in long days, in second chances, and in the belief that effort always counts. And that, in its truest form, is what hustle really looks like.

Binesh’s journey to River was anything but conventional. His background is eclectic—a mix of fashion, art, travel, and plenty of life lessons learned on the go. “I started in fashion, but that’s a long story,” he laughs as if to say there’s too much to fit into a single conversation.

From his early days as a delinquent teenager kicked out of multiple schools to living on the streets of Paris in his 20s, his life has been a series of unexpected turns. He’s worked in pizzerias, cafes, and even with Alexander McQueen. Along the way, he lived in places like Barcelona and Los Angeles, soaking up new cultures and perspectives, always trying to understand people. “I thought I wanted to be an artist. But that idea faded, and I found myself in the fashion world instead. That was a different life.”

But something about that life didn’t feel complete. While working in Mumbai, in September 2022, Binesh decided it was time for a change. “I needed to do something I’ve never done before,” he says, reflecting on the moment he left Mumbai for Bangalore. “Somehow, Bangalore called out to me. And River happened.” When he joined the company, his title was Senior Merch Manager, a role that seemed to fit given his background, but Binesh’s ability to adapt and grow quickly meant he took on more than just one role. He eventually found his true fit in customer care—a space where he could truly connect with people.

One storey apart, the same openness to trying, learning, and evolving shows up in another story; Jasvir’s.

Jasvir Kaur’s approach to life and work is as vibrant and dynamic as the way she wears her hair—twists, braids, and all. Always smiling, always with a sparkle of energy, she brings a refreshing and bubbly spirit to everything she does. Her colourful jewellery, a signature part of her style, feels like a reflection of her personality: full of life and unapologetically bold. Jasvir’s role at River is just as diverse as her look. Initially joining as an industrial designer, she now works across digital displays, scooter accessories, and human-machine interaction, balancing multiple projects at once with ease. “I’m always juggling things, and I love it,” she says, her enthusiasm infectious.

Her childhood as an army kid—moving from Jammu to Jhansi, and various other places—instilled in her a sense of adaptability and a love for new experiences. “I never stayed in one place long enough to get bored,” she recalls. After studying fashion and accessory design at NIFT Chennai, Jasvir quickly realised that the fashion world wasn’t offering the excitement or challenges she craved. “I loved the creative process, but the outcome didn’t excite me,” she says. So, she shifted gears and found herself immersed in the world of game and toy design, where the process of conceptualising and iterating was everything.

However, it was during the pandemic that Jasvir decided she needed a change. “I was tired of working from home. I wanted to go to a space where I could collaborate and learn,” she says. That’s when River reached out. Though she had no technical design experience, the company’s call for someone multidisciplinary piqued her interest.

“I thought, ‘Why not?’ and decided to dive in,” she says, with characteristic optimism.

In their own ways, both Binesh and Jasvir built paths that were never straight. They tried different things, learned from change, and shaped their roles around what felt right. What brings them together at River is that same instinct to grow, switch lanes when needed, and stay open to new challenges. Versatility is not just part of their personalities. It is what helped them find a place where they could do many things that brought them fulfilment, and still be themselves.

That same versatility lives in River’s design philosophy too. We believe that everyday things should be simple to understand and easy to use, yet ready for many different needs. That belief shapes Indie as well. It works for long commutes, work trips, weekend plans, or anything in between without making the rider change their routine. It fits into life instead of demanding adjustments. For Binesh, that idea feels personal. He has lived a life built on adapting and finding comfort in change, which is why selling Indie comes naturally to him. He sees his own story in the scooter, and that connection is what makes him love talking about it.

And so, River became the response to those who hustle differently. Our purpose remained simple so as to address these wants and needs with one solution—to meet the unresolved, ignored and untapped requirements of the humble two-wheeler. After months of research and countless iterations, we launched the Indie—the SUV of Scooters. When we say Indie is a scooter that’s made to work for you, we mean features for utmost safety, ultimate convenience and unmatched versatility. It is literally built for those who are constantly chasing their dreams, fulfilling their goals and finding purpose in what they do. 

A certain hustler who knew Indie was for them is Abhijeet Pokharnikar. Someone who lives life at full throttle. At 26, he’s already doing what many only dream of—creating tangible change. From balancing a career as an advocate at the Pune High Court, and pursuing a master’s degree in law, to running six schools, he embodies the hustle that drives India’s next generation.

Born in Pune (Maharashtra), Abhijeet grew up hearing stories not of kings and queens, but of social reformers like Phule and Ambedkar—figures who fought for equality and rights. These stories planted a seed in him, one that would grow into his life’s mission: to give every child the opportunity to have a bright future, regardless of where they come from.

His journey began six years ago, at just 20. Frustrated by the lack of meaningful work after a brief stint as a software engineer and a failed attempt at cracking UPSC, Abhijeet had a moment of clarity. Sitting with friends, he decided that he would do something to help the children begging on the streets of Pune. With no formal resources but a fierce will to make a difference, he started a school for them right by the side of the road. What began with 17 children has now blossomed into Dada Chi Shala—an NGO that serves over 1,700 kids across six schools and several makeshift centres at traffic signals in different areas of Pune.

Abhijeet’s days are a testament to the art of multitasking. After attending college in the mornings, he heads to court in the afternoon, and by evening, he’s teaching social studies to children at one of his schools. With the kind of course material he carries around, coupled with having to stick to strict timings, he knew he couldn’t rely on public transport. So he hops onto his Indie, and navigates narrow streets and big highways to get through his day. 

“I live my life on my two-wheeler,” he says with a laugh. “It’s how I get from one place to the next—court, class, school.” His purpose is about giving these children something many of them would never have: a chance. A chance to escape the cycles of poverty and build a future they never thought possible. “We’re not just teaching them academics,” Abhijeet explains. “We’ve opened small banks in our schools, so they learn the power of financial independence and investment early on.”

After riding around the city with Abhijeet, we see the change he’s creating with every pitstop; at court and in the classroom, as a student and as a teacher. The grind continues. The hustle never stops. And through it all, Abhijeet gets to fulfil his dream, everyday.