Srikanth Bolla: An entrepreneur, a leader, and a visionary

(April 17, 2024) Born into a family of rice farmers, entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla’s arrival in the world wasn’t met with the joyous anticipation one might expect. Visually impaired from birth, some relatives suggested that his parents should abandon him, deeming him as someone who wouldn’t be able to help them in their later years. Classmates scorned him as he was visually challenged. He decided to turn his disadvantage into an opportunity and there is no looking back for him.

After having fought thousands of odds, today Srikanth serves as an inspiration for countless students and adults. Despite facing numerous challenges, the Global Indian has emerged as a young and prosperous entrepreneur, running Bollant Industries, which has an impressive turnover of ₹150 crore – which incidentally was also funded by former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. “I lack eyesight, but not vision. An entrepreneur’s life’s a roller-coaster and one needs self-belief,” said the MIT alum, whose only aim in life right now is to elevate his company’s turnover to ₹1,000 crore within the next three years. Beyond that, he envisions taking the company public through an IPO and securing a listing on the stock exchange.

And now, one of India’s biggest production houses, T-Series Films, is ready to release a biopic on his life. Titled Srikanth, the movie stars Rajkummar Rao and Jyothika. “I would like for more and more people to know about my journey,” said the entrepreneur during the trailer launch of the movie, adding, “I can’t wait for the movie to release.”

Facing rejections

Picture this: every day, navigating through a maze of muddy puddles, dodging vehicles that seem intent on hitting you, all along a journey spanning four to five kilometers. Now, envision undertaking this daunting task regardless of the season – whether scorching summer, chilly winter, or torrential monsoon – all while coping with visual impairment. Srikanth has done it all.

“I had a clear vision since I was a young kid. When the world looks at me and says, ‘Srikanth, you can do nothing,’ I look back at the world and say I can do anything.”,” shared the entrepreneur. “Initially, when I was in my village, I didn’t have any friends. No one wanted to play with me since I was visually impaired. But, that loneliness made me concentrate on my studies.” When Srikanth was seven years old, he enrolled in a school for the visually impaired in Hyderabad. There, he began to flourish academically, receiving the education he rightfully deserved.

Starting with Braille, Srikanth gradually mastered English and computer skills. His journey of learning was remarkable, marked by victories in debating, creative writing, chess, and blind cricket, earning him recognition as the school’s top student. Srikanth excelled academically, achieving 90 percent marks with distinction in his matriculation from Devnar School in Hyderabad.

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Challenging the world

He was the happiest that day, but little did he know that the real battle was only just beginning. Despite his academic achievements, Srikanth faced a daunting challenge: his school’s policy restricted blind students from studying science and mathematics due to concerns about handling diagrams and graphs. Encouraged to pursue arts, languages, literature, and social sciences instead, Srikanth refused to accept this limitation. With determination, he sought justice through the legal system, supported by a teacher. Ultimately, he emerged victorious as the court ruled in favor of blind students’ rights to study science and maths in senior years across all state board schools in Andhra Pradesh.

It was during this time that he got an opportunity to work for Lead India Project, a movement to empower the youth through value-based education, with former President Late Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. The entrepreneur believed, “No one should let their disability interfere with their dreams. One doesn’t need eyes to have visions of their career.” Undeterred by the obstacles, Srikanth continued to excel academically, achieving a remarkable 98 percent in his XII board exams, leading his class with distinction.

However, despite having the percentage and required qualifications, the entrepreneur was denied admission to the Indian Institute of Technology, where he wanted to study engineering, because of his blindness. “If IIT did not want me, I did not want IIT either,” the entrepreneur shared during an interview, adding, “I knew the world had put many obstacles in my path, I just needed to learn to cross them without falling.”

 

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And so, he started applying to various foreign Universities or an undergraduate programme. Interestingly, he was able to secure admission to four of the top schools, MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon in the United States, and in 2009 he eventually chose to get admitted to MIT, which proudly recognised him as their first-ever international blind student.

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A visionary

Upon completing his education, Srikanth returned to Hyderabad and founded Bollant Industries in 2012. The company specializes in manufacturing areca-based products while also prioritizing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Bollant addresses a range of concerns including employment, economics, and environmental sustainability. “I left behind a good future in the USA as I wanted to make products using renewable energy, made by the people considered useless, like me. I want to be a leader working to build a future with equal opportunities for everyone, which means providing work for the abled people also, as Bollant is not a commercial enterprise or a charity home, but a social enterprise working for everyone.”

The company produces eco-friendly recycled Kraft paper from municipal waste, crafts packaging items from recycled paper, creates disposable products from natural leaves and recycled paper, and transforms waste plastic into usable goods. The company’s impactful endeavours attracted the attention of investors, eventually securing funding from renowned businessman Ratan Tata.

“I feel god can give us only starting circumstances, but we make our own destiny. The future is in our hands, we can craft it however we wish. if you want your kids to be in a future where there is equality, you can also craft that future. I have been bothered with the question about what kind of future I want for myself for a long time. I had two choices, I could join a well-established firm, or create my own company – and I chose the latter,” said the entrepreneur, adding, “No power in the world can stop an ambitious person from finding success. Disability is when you have sight, but do not have vision.”

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