Startups pray for success in India’s spiritual city

The Ganges as it runs through Varanasi. The river is worshipped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. Photo credit: Nhi Dang.

When Neeraj Ghaywan decided to portray Varanasi in his debut film Masaan, he chose to go beyond the usual clichéd scenes showing the Ganga ghats (the steps that take devotees down to the banks of the Ganges), temples, rickshaw pullers maneuvering through narrow bylanes of the city. Instead, he portrayed the new face of Varanasi that is getting empowered by technology. Startups are a big part of this change.

Pradeep Srivastava, professor and coordinator at IIT-BHU’s technology business incubator, has seen the transformation firsthand in India’s spiritual city.

“The incubation centre was established in 2009 after lot of protest from Banaras Hindu University faculty members. BHU, being a traditional university, did not wish to mix entrepreneurship with academics,” he says. “Once it was established, there was little activity till the institute got upgraded to IIT in 2012.”

Due to that raised status, the institute’s incubator – the Malaviya Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (MCIIE) – has been receiving a lot of funds from India’s Department of Science and Technology. MCIIE has incubated around 30 startups.

“The number looks small but it is a huge achievement for us considering the fact that a city like Varanasi received little attention till two years ago,” adds Pradeep.

Every concept is a new concept

When Aayush Rathi, an IIT Bombay and IIM-A alumni, decided on Varanasi as the base for his startup, it did raise quite a few eyebrows.

The cost of doing business in Varanasi is far less than what it would be in India’s larger cities.

Nevertheless Aayush was determined to start his company from the holy city. Roobaroo Walks connects users with people who give guided tours.

“The city is the perfect fit for the kind of work we’re trying to do. The range of different aspects of Indian culture and history that can be experienced in Varanasi is tremendous – not for nothing is it called a microcosm of India!” says Aayush. Though he considered Mumbai and Delhi “given the bigger size of the industry there and a more developed startup ecosystem”, he ended up zeroing in on Varanasi.

Aayush Rathi’s startup connects travelers with people who give guided tours. The service is starting off by focusing on Varanasi itself before expanding. Photo credit: Roobaroo.

“Our focus was more on content than volume. Varanasi is the perfect pilot city for us to polish our offerings”. The fact that the city is not as well documented as Rajasthan or Agra also made Aayush more determined to set up his tech business there.

Like Aayush, Shikha Shah found her inspiration to start her tech venture in Varanasi.

Varanasi talent hunt

Funds still a problem