A Morning of Entrepreneurship at the PM SHRI Utsav, Cuttack_17 January 2026
The hall at Odisha Police High School, Tulasipur, Cuttack was already full. Nearly 1,000 students sat shoulder to shoulder, buzzing with curiosity, unsure of what the next few hours would bring.
There were no slides on profit and loss.
No jargon.
No long lectures.
Instead, the session began with a pause and a single question that cut through the noise:
“What is business?”
For a moment, silence. Then a hand rose. Then another. And another.
A girl stood up and spoke with quiet confidence. Business, she said, is about solving economic problems, creating new ideas, and helping people earn a livelihood. A boy followed, adding that business plays a direct role in strengthening a country’s economy.
These weren’t rehearsed answers. They were thoughtful, grounded, real.
And just like that, the room changed.
This was the beginning of the entrepreneurship session led by Mr. Anil Pradhan, CEO of Young Tinker Foundation, conducted during the District Level PM SHRI Utsav, with the support of the District Education Office, Cuttack, under the guidance of Mr. Nityananda Barik, District Education Officer, Cuttack.
When Ideas Found Their Voice
Students began sharing the problems they see every day. Traffic congestion, road safety, farmer losses, plastic waste, cattle safety. Issues they walk past daily, now written clearly on paper.
Then came the invitation that changed everything.
“Who would like to come on stage?”
One by one, students stepped forward — some hesitant, some excited — carrying nothing but an idea. On stage, Mr. Pradhan helped them build a brand from scratch, asking questions, refining thoughts, and showing how a simple observation can grow into a structured idea.
Some ideas and their young creators included:
- Aryan Behera: a cold storage facility for farmers — KishaanCool
- Prateek: a sensor-based traffic management system — TCD
- Raja Patra: protecting cows and managing plastic waste — Cow Saver
- Samar Das: reducing plastic usage with eco-friendly alternatives — Eco Future
“This problem exists near our village,” Aryan said into the microphone.
“This is the first time I created my own brand,” another shared, smiling.
The ideas weren’t borrowed. They were lived.
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Discovering AI Not as Magic but as a Tool
Then came a moment that visibly shifted the energy in the room.
Students were introduced to AI, not as something intimidating, but as something they could talk to. They were shown ChatGPT and its voice command feature, starting with a simple task: ask AI for brand names.
AI responded quickly, but did the suggestions match their product? Often, the answer was no.
That’s when the real learning began. Students discovered that AI is only as good as the questions we ask. They learned how refining prompts leads to better results. Clarity of thought mattered more than perfect English.
Aryan described his cold storage idea to AI. Names like AgriVault, KisanSetu, and FreshCrop appeared. After discussion, he settled on:
KishaanCool — simple, meaningful, and memorable.
The hall buzzed as more students tried local names, English names, and hybrid ideas suited to their target customers. They realized that broken English works too. AI understands intent.
Next came logos. Students were asked which logos they already knew. Hands shot up:
“SBI!” “BMW!” “Ferrari!” “H&M!”
Using AI again, students generated logo ideas. When a logo didn’t look Indian enough, prompts were refined. When the farmer didn’t feel local, details were added. Thinking led technology, not the other way around.
This was practical learning happening live.
The Elevator Pitch — Sixty Seconds to Make an Impact
Before the session concluded, students learned to pitch their ideas in less than 60 seconds, the classic elevator pitch.
Mr. Pradhan explained: what if you meet a potential donor or someone who can help your idea and have only a minute before the elevator reaches their floor? How do you make the biggest impact in the shortest time?
Students practiced crisp, confident pitches, learning that even 60 seconds can change the course of an idea.
A Lesson Without Slides
As the session neared its end, Mr. Pradhan asked the students to clap, but only when he said “1, 2, 3.” Very few did.
Then he began again.
“1… 2…” And clapped himself. Without waiting for “3,” the entire hall clapped along.
He stopped and looked around.
“When we only talk, the impact is limited. When we act, people listen and follow.”
He pointed to the students who had stepped onto the stage among a crowd of nearly a thousand and left them with words that lingered long after the applause faded:
“Aage badhenge to jeet jayenge,
haar jayenge to seekh jayenge.”
Prateek, a student who had ideated TCD, reflected at the end: today, stepping onto the stage taught him something new. Failure is the first step toward success, he said, and even if they had failed today, in the next attempt they would succeed because now they knew how.
Then came a powerful act of reflection. Students were told to raise their hands, pat their own backs, and acknowledge what they had achieved. Not just students but teachers, mentors, and staff in the room were asked to do the same.
In life, it often happens that while we are busy noticing others, we forget to appreciate ourselves. This moment gave everyone the permission to pause, reflect, and celebrate themselves.
Words That Closed the Circle
As the session drew to a close, Mr. Nityananda Barik, DEO, Cuttack, addressed the hall. Turning from students to teachers, he reminded everyone that educators are not just teachers, but mentors.
Then he added a line that stayed with many:
“Those who learn more make students learn more.”
Calling Mr. Pradhan a young and dynamic symbol of action, he encouraged students to stay curious, ask questions, and move forward with confidence.
A Moment That Felt Bigger Than a Session
As students filed out, something was unmistakable.
This wasn’t just a workshop.
It wasn’t just about business or startups.
It was about confidence.
About realizing that ideas don’t come from somewhere else — they begin here.
In classrooms. In villages. In questions asked out loud.
For a few powerful hours, the PM SHRI Utsav at Cuttack gave students more than knowledge.
It gave them belief
