Master Shaurya Kabra, The boy on a mission!

Shaurya Kabra, A 17-year-old bright young boy, who at a very tender age has taken great strides by launching two initiatives: “SimplyFintech” and “Ek Prayaas

Shaurya a 17-year-old young boy who is well beyond his years in maturity, worldview and outlook in life.

He carries his responsibility effortlessly and this tells a different story about him. Shaurya Kabra is not one to take the easy route to achievement.

Nor the much trodden part. Within him beats a heart of gold, and one that bleeds for his lesser privileged compatriots.

Displaying remarkable clarity of matters societal, environmental and economic, he has launched – at his tender age – two wonderful initiatives.

Ventures that aspire to empower the not-so-fortunate with the basics of financial literacy and thus help them maximise their own resources and also share his passion of fintech with his peers.

He’s passionate about some of the things that 17-year-olds hanker after. Basketball and singing, to name two.

But then, unlike the typical teenager, he’s also captivated by the intricacies of the business and financial world. It’s no coincidence that he is a wizard with numbers.

And so, at an age when the teenager of today is occupied with obsessive devices, Shaurya set his mind on his mission and launched two initiatives: “SimplyFintech” and “Ek Prayaas”.

Through both, an attempt to radiate his own financial knowledge and tap on knowledge of the experts in the field for the benefit of others.

“SimplyFintech” is a platform that introduces and educates young individuals about Fintech; demystifying for them that complex world, through sessions delivered by Fintech experts.

Shaurya’s vision for “Ek Prayaas” is to improve financial literacy amongst India’s rural masses. Through financial literacy offerings, the platform aims to raise financial awareness and empower underprivileged rural populations. Shaurya Kabra is a man on a mission.

For now, a man in a boy’s avatar. But the passion in his eyes and the fire in his belly gives a glimpse into what is to come, and maybe not too distantly into the future… Plans to launch is own Fintech start-up.

Can you tell us a little bit about your background and how you got interested in writing a book?

Shourya Kabra: I was born and brought up in Mumbai, but now study in Class XII in Jayshree Periwal International School, Jaipur.

From a very young age, my interest in finance grew by watching both my parents being involved in their business. Our dinner conversations often revolved round business, finance and much more.

Since childhood, I was lucky to sharpen my knowledge in finance through my parents, teachers, books and various other resources.

I’ve always been conscious of the socio-economic inequalities among various communities in our country.

I saw kids coming from economically weaker families and that made me sensitive to the fact that there are so many children who are not as lucky as I am. So, I felt this growing urge within me to do something for them.

Kindly brief us about Ek Prayaas.

Shourya Kabra: Ek Prayaas is a book that I’ve written which deals with the basics of finance. I’ve attempted (Prayaas in Hindi) to make basic financial literacy common knowledge, especially for our rural kids.

What inspired you to write Ek Prayaas? What is the main message or the theme of the book?

Shourya Kabra: The lack of knowledge among the masses led me to understand that financial inclusion would instil among them—especially the rural people—the habit of saving and investing, and would give them access to the banking system which would lower their dependence on moneylenders, reducing their exposure to economic shocks, and even help create jobs. The book mainly deals with the basics of finance.

How does your personal experience and perspective inspire the stories and ideas highlighted in the book?

Shourya Kabra: I knew the book would be a success only if children could easily and fully comprehend the topics. So, I used simple words and even included fairy tales that I’d read since my childhood to make the learning process easier for them. An uninteresting subject like finance can become quite fun if taught through such stories.

What do you hope readers will take away from reading Ek Prayaas? How do you think it will impact their lives?

Shourya Kabra: I think that, if the subject is included in the curriculum early on, it will allow children to acquire knowledge and imbibe responsible financial behaviour as they grow up.

Besides, the book will help people in rural areas with no banking facilities to understand the importance of the system and allow them to save in—or take loans from—banks instead of spending all their money by borrowing from cut-throat moneylenders and paying exorbitant interest. This will help them break the poverty cycle and emerge as winners in the financial game.

Can you walk us through your writing process—from conceptualizing the book to publishing and promoting it?

Shourya Kabra: I wrote the initial draft of Ek Prayaas when I was in the 10th Grade. It was during Covid and we were all studying from home and had a lot of spare time.

I’ve always been interested in finance and wanted to explore the subject more. Despite being overloaded with schoolwork and extracurricular tasks, I just had a chance to express my ideas on it.

It was during this period that I took up the project of writing the book under my school supervisor’s guidance, I wrote an initial, rough draft of my book.

I had more time to work on my passion during the summer vacation. I worked on refining the language and on the creative elements in the book.

The research involved reading books on investment for kids, sending a Google form to children and getting their opinion on the structure/creative diagrams needed for the book, understanding and developing precise specifications for the structure and creative diagrams.

I also researched topics required for the book and made the information concise and easy to read. Moreover, to cover more students, I got the book translated into different languages.

The book has been translated into Hindi, Marathi and Tamil so that rural children from different regions can understand the contents easily.

I also visited schools in various states, such as Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Till now, I’ve distributed 65,000 books among children across the country.

What was the inspiration behind turning into a writer?

Shourya Kabra: I’ve been aware of the huge socio-economic disparities among various communities in our country since childhood.

One such experience was when I visited Juchandra village in a tribal area of Maharashtra. My interaction with the local children there was quite revealing and made me realize the challenges that the underprivileged face.

Although I’ve been fortunate enough to have all the resources to study and expand my knowledge and have parents who have constantly helped explain ideas to me, I do realize that others may not.

I believe it’s important for me to share the knowledge I have access to with people who don’t. This was the primary motivation behind picking up the pen for Ek Prayaas.

Read more Success stories of Indian entrepreneurs, Women Entrepreneurs & startups stories at SugerMint. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn