Entrepreneurs, young and old, established and fledgling, agreed in a panel discussion titled ‘Brands of Bengal, organized by TV9 Bangla on February 25, 2023, that the key to the success of businesses in Bengal lies in cultivating a never-say-die attitude and relying on the entrepreneur’s grit and determination to overcome obstacles even as the administration strives to hand-hold investors to the best of its ability.

The exercise was part of TV9 Bangla’s effort to facilitate and stimulate brainstorming on state-related issues. In the past, TV9 Bangla has hosted a one-of-a-kind telethon on Bangaliana, or what it means to be Bengali, as well as a trade fair to create a platform for marketers and consumers across diverse product categories.

According to a press release, 20 state entrepreneurs were honored for their business journeys and contributions to society.

Sujit Bose, minister in charge of the department of fire and emergency services, who attended the event, congratulated TV9 Bangla on organizing discussions on topics that could inspire a few minds to pursue entrepreneurship instead of the traditional job-seeking tendency. On this occasion, he also unveiled TV9 Bangla’s ‘Brands of Bengal’ Coffee Table Book.

Divided into four panels, participants enthusiastically and animatedly discussed topics inextricably linked to the state’s investment climate.

These were ‘Banglai byabshar sahajpath (Ease of Doing Business in Bengal)’, ‘Banglai Start-up: somosshya o sombhabona (Start-ups in Bengal: Problems and Prospects)’, ‘Banglar Shilpa: Kaal, Aaj, Kaal (Business of Bengal: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow)’ and ‘Banglar shilpe medhar akal? (Bengal’s Industry Heading For Talent Drought?)’.

“A good number of start-ups have started operating in Bengal in the past few years. More than 3,000 start-ups were registered to take the state to the fifth position in India. In the year 2020, during Covid, more than 30,000 companies were registered. Had there been lack of confidence among the local youths, so many initiatives wouldn’t have been launched,” argued Abhinav Gupta, Founder & MD, KGA Home Appliances.

Arun Kumar Dasgupta, principal, Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan mentioned how they regularly inspire their students to come up with business ideas and how several of them have already been accepted for seed funding.

Manoj Khosla, Founder & MD, Khosla Electronics said, “The government should come forward for facilitating entrepreneurs so that manufacturing can flourish. The ecosystem, thus, will generate business and increasing ease of business will help the investor take it forward. Bengal was initially an agrarian state, but now with IT, software, and designers coming on board, the mentality is changing. The society has to build skilled workers to help industry.”

“Small and ancillary industries should support each other to help scale up. The workers would also benefit from such an ecosystem. Bengal has cheap labour and raw material is easily available. Ease of business is growing in the state providing a fillip to expansion of business,” said Pradip Kumar Shaw, MD, Lancet Pharmaceuticals.

Dr Sujoy Ranjan Deb, director, Kolkata Heart Lung Centre & Research Institute remarked, “There is a demand for trained doctors, nurses and paramedical staff. Bengal was number one in the past, but recently a lot of people have migrated to the Southern states for treatment and medical facilities. Trained workforce can bring back the health business in our state. The post-Covid era provides us opportunity to set up heart, lungs, kidney centres and wellness clinics for which there is demand in Bengal.”

Echoing Dr Deb, the honorary secretary of Saroj Gupta, Cancer Centre and Research Institute Anjan Gupta agreed that meeting the demand of skilled employees and super-specialty medical practitioners has become a need of the hour to prevent movement of people to other states for treatment.

“To push the young generation towards business as a career goal, the family has to play a vital role,” asserted Rana Deb, founder and chairman, Modern Institute of Engineering & Technology. “The government should assist with cooperation, promotion and encouragement so that more startups can blossom in the state,” he added.

Himadri Shekhar Patra, MD, Baffeto, who launched a food delivery app a year and half ago in the state vouched that with a little grit and clarity of vision, one can even rise from a humble background to successfully nurture a business. He gave his own example to highlight that he would shortly employ about 2,000 youths to spread his business in a few districts of Bengal.

“TV9 Bangla Brands of Bengal rides the authenticity, accountability and trust that TV9 Bangla enjoys. We are honouring those who have achieved and are striving for excellence in their respective fields,” said Amritanshu Bhattacharya, managing editor, TV9 Bangla.