30 Under 30 2017: The audacity of youth

They are bold. They are dreamers. And they have the grit and gumption to do what is necessary to chase their dreams and make them come true. Forbes India is proud to present the 2017 30 Under 30 list which showcases an array of young dreamers who aren’t afraid to think big and make things happen. In a country where around 57 percent of the population is below the age of 30, the achievements of this set pretty much encapsulates the power of youth and the face of a new India: A country that is enjoying the spotlight on the global stage and is ready to claim its rightful place in a changing and dynamic world.

This year’s 30 Under 30 are as varied as it gets. Take the case of Swiggy founders Rahul Jaimini and Nandan Reddy, whose food delivery startup has gained enormous traction and is fast becoming a name to reckon with. Or Arpana Choudhury, who is fighting for the rights of adivasis working in tea gardens and for the reduction of maternal mortality in Assam. Then there is Malav Sanghavi who built a low-cost baby incubator and, more recently, a programmable smart socket for amputees, and Munaf Kapadia, who created an exciting home chef enterprise which started out with feeding a few guests on weekends.

These achievers from diverse fields epitomise the fearlessness of youth, the will to take on odds in the hope of fulfilling one’s dreams. As Executive Editor Abhilasha Khaitan, who put this issue together, writes in her overview, this diverse set selected from 14 categories is not an exhaustive one, but is certainly representative of what Young India stands for. As the country moves forward, we will see many, many more such young achievers.

The India list apart, we also bring you the Forbes 30 Under 30 list of 600 young innovators from 20 industries. That’s a fascinating set as well.

This special issue, the result of weeks of hard work by the Forbes India team, involved putting together a long list, pruning it, speaking to sector experts and finally arriving at the names you see in the following pages. Photo Editor Mexy Xavier and Design Director Anjan Das also collaborated in bringing you the right tonality of the images, photos which aim to capture not just the ambition but also the joy and freedom the subjects represent.

We do hope you enjoy this issue. For us at Forbes India it was an enriching experience.

Success and determination, as you will find, have little to do with how young you are.



Best,
Sourav Majumdar
Editor, Forbes India
Email:sourav.majumdar@nw18.com
Twitter id:@TheSouravM