A Helping Hand for Aspirants of Competitive Examinations from Vernacular Mediums

Hailing from a non-business background, I had to learn the very basics of business. Besides being an entrepreneur was not our very first motive for we were aspirants too. But by taking this U-Turn, we had to be answerable to our family, friends and society. Also, there were financial hurdles and to overcome these hurdles we strived for utmost efficiency in terms of our processes. We had to learn every step; from creating this service to the marketing steps. We did a lot of hard work to fulfill this dream that we had visualized and in our journey our teachers and friends turned out to be very supportive and helpful

Please elaborate about your start-up

My startup is called 'Let's Learn Together'. It is an education-tech startup providing education for competitive exams like Assam Public Service Commission (APSC), Panchayat and Rural Development (PNRD), Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), Assam Direct Recruitment Exam and other such examinations in vernacular languages. We focus on students from semi-urban and rural areas who studied in regional languages. Our primary operation is centered on developing educational contents in regional languages and their easy distribution through an Android app. Let's Learn Together is both mobile and website based. It includes physical touchpoints also as we deliver hardcopy of books and study materials to the students. We started our venture in 2018 and during the pandemic we had to change our operations (where teachers were able to work from home) while maintaining the quality of the contents. Students got the opportunity to learn online and we started providing contents to Class 11 and Class 12 students as well. This initiative received great response from the beneficiaries and the media alike and was covered by national media houses like the Hindustan Times too. Till date, we have around 9000 students and provide contents in English, Assamese, Hindi and Bengali. We are also trying to cover other languages as well. We were incubated in Assam Startup nest and supported by the Numaligarh Refinery Limited and the Government of Assam. WhatsApp has made a story about us for creating a positive impact in society.

Why did you embark on this start up? How was the experience of setting it up until now? Please mention all the challenges you faced and how you overcame them?

Well after completing my Masters degree, I was preparing for various competitive exams. During my preparations, I faced a lot of problems. Primary among these problems were language issues, geographical barriers and the unavailability of study materials in the vernacular language. Contents were available only in the English or Hindi language. Since I studied in an Assamese school I feel much more comfortable studying in my mother tongue as compared to English or Hindi. To compound my difficulties I realised that there were no coaching institutes available in my hometown. I had to leave my hometown and stay in Guwahati to join a coaching centre. However, this turned out to be a very costly decision as I was also paying for my accommodation, transportation, food etc. I came across many other aspiring candidates who were contending with the same problems and challenges. Infact many of these aspirants could not even afford the fees that were required to join the good coaching institutes. During that time, I got selected for a free government coaching course. Only 200 students were selected for the course. The other candidates started approaching us for notes and other study materials. Incidentally my co-founder had also got selected for that course and when we were studying in a group, we realised that we learn more by explaining to others. Therefore we started providing notes and study materials through social media such as WhatsApp and Facebook. The response of people was very positive towards our posts and they also wanted to connect with us for more help. Then we thought of taking a step further and thus we created a website through which we were sharing self-video lectures on the important topics related to competitive exams. It was also helping us in our preparation. Till then, our website was not commercialized. Further when we realised the importance of quality teachers, we decided to create a community of students, aspirants and experienced teachers. Keeping these specific criteria in mind, we developed a mobile application name 'Let's Learn Together'. In January 2018 we had finally launched our app 'Let's Learn Together' where we provide video lectures, study materials, MCQs, newspaper analysis, current affairs, vacancy updates and solved previous year question papers of competitive exams. We are trying to provide a virtual alternative of coaching institutes to the aspirants of competitive exams and lessen their hurdles at least to some extent.

What have been the challenges of your entrepreneurial journey?

Hailing from a non-business background, I had to learn the very basics of business. Besides being an entrepreneur was not our very first motive for we were aspirants too. But by taking this U-Turn, we had to be answerable to our family, friends and society. Also, there were financial hurdles and to overcome these hurdles we strived for utmost efficiency in terms of our processes. We had to learn every step; from creating this service to the marketing steps. We did a lot of hard work to fulfill this dream that we had visualized and in our journey our teachers and friends turned out to be very supportive and helpful.

What have been your biggest achievements in this startup?

The milestones achieved so far by LLT are many. It is recognized by Startup India and Invest India. We have tied up with the students' union of 3 universities to whom we provide free coaching classes for Assam Direct Recruitment exam. Previously we also provided off line coaching in the Tinsukia district for police recruitment with the help of a cabinet minister Sanjay Kishan. Like I mentioned earlier we have also been recognized by WhatsApp for creating a positive impact on the society. We have received a grant fund from Numaligarh Refinery Limited through their startup competition NRL Ideation. The media coverage by regional as well as national media has also been one of our stellar achievements.

There are other achievements too. Until now we have covered almost 9,000 aspirants, and more than 1000 students have cleared the exam they had prepared for. One of our candidates, Nilut Palakshi Borah from a remote area in Sivasagar district who did her schooling in an Assamese medium school successfully cleared the Assam Civil Service Exam twice. In her first attempt, her rank was low and she had joined as an Inspector of Taxes. However, in her second attempt her rank was much higher and she joined as a Circle Officer in the Jorhat district. Now she is associated with our institute. She is only one among many others who (with our help) have cleared the APSC exam and are still associated with us.

What are your goals/vision going forward?

Our short-term goal (in the next one month) is to design a course for the Assam Government posts under APSC and DHS. I mean people who are seeking recruitment into these posts can enroll into this course. Our long-term goal (in the next six months) is to introduce Bengali language in our course modules so that we can expand our business to the Barrack Valley (Bengali is the major language used there) West Bengal and Tripura.

How did your receive mentorship an funding for your start-up?

We were incubated in Assam Startup nest. With their mentorship and guidance, we have learnt many crucial steps in our journey as first- generation entrepreneurs. They have taught us the various aspects in terms of handling and managing a business successfully and have connected us to investors on personal levels. We have got funding from the Assam Government with the help of Assam Startup nest. As I mentioned earlier, we also received a grant fund from Numaligarh Refinery Limited through their startup competition NRL Ideation.

Please tell us something about yourself?

I have completed my graduation in Economics and Masters in Assamese. I also pursued a post graduate diploma in mass communications. After completing my masters, I was preparing for competitive exam as well as teaching in a coaching institute. My co-founder is Upal Jyoti Baruah. He completed his BE in chemical engineering from Assam Engineering College Guwahati and MBA from Assam Institution of Management. Today he works in various departments of Assam Government apart from teaching in our coaching institute.

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