Trichy to Harvard: The Almost-Dropout Who Made It
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It was the 90s in India, when we had only one most sought-after source of information called Doordarshan. I was a young Tamil boy from Trichy working in my job in Chennai, and Doordarshan was my only gateway to the rest of the world and its latest news. It was through this news channel that I used to hear about the Ivy League schools in the USA. Harvard was the most prominent among them. One day, while having chai with my friends on a chai stall in Trichy, I heard my friend talking about the movie Good Will Hunting, and this is where I heard about Harvard University again. I was always intrigued and had wondered, “What would it be like to study at Harvard University or even be able to visit it one day?”.
Now, Fast-forward to March 2023 is when the dream of a Tamil boy became a reality. Harvard once felt like a faraway name that I had heard in news channels and movies, but in March 2023, they published a case study on my company, VDart and it became a bestseller. A boy from Trichy, was now in Harvard’s pages and becomes the best seller. The story begins when a group of researchers from IIM Tiruchirappalli, Nidheesh Joseph and Abhishek Totawar, in collaboration with Ranjeet Nambudiri from IIM Indore, published a comprehensive case study on
“VDart Inc. : Managing Culture During Growth” with Ivey Publishing. The study focuses on how VDart scaled globally without losing its core culture. Harvard Business Publishing , then officially released the case study “VDart Inc.: Managing Culture During Growth ”, based on the six years of detailed research led by IIM Trichy faculty . This milestone marked a full-circle moment for me. What once felt like a distant dream from my hometown of Trichy is now a Harvard-validated lesson in scaling a purpose-driven culture globally.
I have always believed that companies succeed when people thrive.Hence when I built VDart ,I made sure that culture will not be side initiative, but a core business strategy. All my employees are treated as co-owners of one common vision that we all share and not just resources.
ARE Culture which became the building blocks of our culture:
I thus institutionalized the “ARE” culture Appreciation, Recognition, Encouragement , which became the soul of VDart. Emphasising practices like Monday “Employee shout-outs “ to Friday “Lunch and Learn” Sessions and constant coaching, every employee is made to feel seen and celebrated. I strongly believe that “Everyone deserves to feel valued, not just for what they do, but for who they are.” These key pillars of VDart which have made us a Culture first company, are now being analyzed by Harvard’s academic minds.
The Principle of Purpose and Over Position :
I have always believed that having a purpose driven goal will always inspire and motivate you to achieve your highest potential. Like my guiding star in my success journey has always been my passion to create an impact with everything I do and achieve, I made sure VDart’s mission inspired people to care about the reason behind their work.
Harvard scholars are exploring how VDart’s focus on purpose, rather than position, became the company’s greatest differentiator.
This story is a prime example of how a far fetched dream can be achieved by building something which leads not only you but everyone connected with you to a common Purpose while having a strong Culture intact. In the end, I realized Harvard isn’t just for those with connections or a famous background. When you build on purpose, culture, and authentic values, anything is possible. If a boy from Trichy can become a case study at Harvard, then no dream is out of reach.