By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD
Over the past few years, we have all been noticing that the old and sedate, but incredibly charming face of Namma Mysuru has been steadily changing. Being very gradual, this change so far has not been unlike the transformation in the face of a beautiful lady when she gracefully steps from youth to old age, losing none of its charm in the process and instead, acquiring a glowing patina and sheen of its own.
But suddenly, our city now seems to be all set to undergo some drastic plastic surgery and a complete change of face, going by some new things that are taking place on our royal soil. While I am not very sure whether all this is going to be good or bad for us, especially the old-time Mysureans, but change, however undesirable, is inevitable and it cannot be thwarted even by the most powerful forces.
It is very much like the weathering of rocks and very often the entire landscape, by the gentle and almost imperceptible forces of wind and water. No rock however solid can resist their impact in the long run. That is why there is much truth in the age-old saying that… In the battle between rock and water, the water always wins, not because of its power but because of its perseverance!
Very soon, in the next weekend to be precise, we are going to see in our city a mega conclave that will have all the ingredients of the commercial promotional events that are usually held these days in almost all metropolitan cities across our country. Mysuru, because of its environment and ambience, its prominence as a tourism hub, its now vastly improved and still improving connectivity by air and road, its climate and clean city tag, is all set to be the City of Smart Start-Ups & MSMEs.
All the aforementioned attributes, along with its close proximity to Bengaluru, make Mysuru an ideal city for any entrepreneur. It is a ‘comfort with convenience’ kind of story!
A 3-day Mega Mysuru Start-Up Pavilion & Conclave is being held on 5th, 6th, 7th August 2022 at the SJCE Campus, Mysuru. Some very bold ecosystem partners and start-up enablers will be hosting this mega event, to bring all like-minded players under one roof. Over 15,000 aspiring participants comprising students, innovators, researchers, educators and industry professionals are expected to visit the 100-plus start-up & MSME stalls and will have access to more than 25 speakers, investors, mentors, incubators and accelerators, all under one umbrella, justifying the tagline of the event as — One Place, Infinite Possibilities.
The event is set to offer access to the entire start-up ecosystem with keynote sessions, masterclasses, expert talks, start-up pitches, networking, panel discussions on cloud technologies, cybersecurity and many more. More importantly, the Mysuru Start-up Pavilion will also provide a platform for school kids and college-going students to present their innovative ideas to investors and the general public, showcasing possibilities for new-gen aspiring entrepreneurs.
Even in the field of healthcare which is what I am associated with, or interested in, Mysuru is fast emerging as a very reliable and convenient destination people can head to, for quick and effective health care without the hassles of navigating through the congestion of larger cities. Unlike in the very recent past when one had to necessarily rush to Bengaluru for advanced medical treatment, now most good hospitals in our city are more than adequately equipped to handle almost all medical emergencies.
Many of my friends who are settled abroad always prefer to come down to Mysuru for their non-emergent health needs and some of them are doing this even for their annual health check-ups which they synchronise with their visits to India! It may seem like an extreme coincidence but even as I was writing this article, a friend of mine called me up from Dubai to tell me that I should get in readiness a good ward at a good hospital to get him operated for the haemorrhoids that were bothering him for the past few months! I wonder if I can call this a ‘Bottoms-Up’ kind of story!
Sensing the great need that exists to showcase and market healthcare infrastructure that can be developed here in Mysuru, the Mysuru Start-Up Pavilion & Conclave has offered to give a stall at its exhibition where this can be done. And, a few leading hospitals which happen to be members of MAHAN, The Mysuru Association of Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Clinics and Diagnostic Centres, will be conducting events like patient education, free health check-ups and maybe even free Covid booster dose vaccination there under the banner of MAHAN.
Even as things stand today, Mysuru already has a mix of entrepreneurs who have brought new energy and passion to the existing eco-system, with their own success stories, be it in the field of electronics or cutting-edge technology. Being the pioneers who first tested the waters, they have all had positive journeys that can themselves inspire aspiring but sceptical entrepreneurs to live their own amazing experiences.
The year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav certainly seems like the right time for the passionate aspirants to make the leap forward from job-seekers to job-givers. Yes, the time is just right and, entrepreneurship is a journey, not a destination. Begin your journey NOW and Be at the right place!
e-mail: kjnmysore@rediffmail.com
This post was published on July 31, 2022 6:05 pm