Who is Srikanth Bolla? Everything about this Inspiring Visually Impaired Entrepreneur
This week, T-Series Films released the trailer of one of the most-awaited movies, ‘Srikanth: Aa Raha Hai Sbki Aankhein Kholne’. The movie stars Rajkummar Rao, Jyotika, Sharad Kelkar, and Alaya F. This movie is a biopic based on the life of Srikanth Bolla, a visually impaired entrepreneur and the first blind international student from MIT, US. The movie shows how Bolla struggled in his early years and transformed his disability into an advantage.
The Srikanth Bolla story is the perfect example to show how dedication and resilience can lead you to success.
Early Life and Education
Born in 1991, Srikanth Bolla had been visually impaired since birth. When he came to this world, his relatives advised his parents to abandon him as he could not take care of them in their old age. Srikanth’s early life was full of challenges, he faced numerous difficulties in life due to his disability, from limited opportunities to social prejudices. Although his confidence and hard work kept pushing him towards success.
Srikanth did excellence in school; he achieved 90 per cent marks in 10th grade from Devanar Schools in Hyderabad. It was such a big achievement for Srikanth, but it was just the beginning of his struggling and victorious journey.
Despite being a topper, Srikanth stopped studying science and math. This man fought another battle and sought justice through the legal system. Finally, the court decided in his favour. As expected, Srikanth excelled in the XII board exams with 98% marks.
Still, he could not get admission to the IIT due to his disability. So, he started applying to different foreign universities. Finally, he decided to get admission to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) after getting admission opportunities to top schools, including MIT, Stanford, Berkeley, and Carnegie Mellon in the US. This is how he became the first blind student from outside the US to enroll in the Management Science Program at the renowned institution, MIT.
Srikanth Bolla Family
Srikanth got married to Veera Swathi in 2022. They have a beautiful baby girl.
Professional Journey
In 2012, Srikanth Bolla decided to come back to India after his education, rejecting all the job offers overseas. He laid the foundation for Bollant Industries to offer a Braille printing machine to support children with disabilities. Over the years, the company has progressed, offering work opportunities to disabled people.
Apart from supporting people with disabilities, the company also focused on environmental sustainability. It produces disposable plates, cups, and other daily-use products. The best part is that the company makes these products from municipal waste, crafts packaging items from recycled paper, creates disposable products from natural leaves and recycled paper, and transforms waste plastic into usable products.
The company is creating a great impact and has attracted investors nationwide. Finally, business tycoon Ratan Tata invested in the company. Presently, Bollant Industries has four production plants in Hubli, Nizamabad, and two in Hyderabad.
Besides, he is leading the Surge Impact Foundation, an initiative to achieve Sustainable Development Goals in India by 2030. He is also the co-founder of the Samanvai Center for Children with Disabilities. Here, he began a Braille printing press to support people with visual impairments.
Forbes recognized him on the 30 under 30 list in 2017 for his dedication to making positive social change.
Srikanth Net Worth
According to publicly available data, Srikanth Bolla’s estimated net worth is around Rs 50 crore.
Srikanth’s APJ Abdul Kalam connection
As a youth leader since 2005, Srikanth has been a member of Lead India 2020. Former President of India Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam started this moment to help India reach the goal of becoming a developed country by 2020 by eradicating poverty, illiteracy, and unemployment.
