My Tryst with Entrepreneurship at Ashoka – Becoming a #1 Bestselling Author

Out of all the subjects I’ve studied at Ashoka, Entrepreneurship has been my favourite by far. It has fundamentally shaped how I think.

I began pursuing my Entrepreneurship minor in my 4th year, and it felt like I joined Ashoka all over again. It’s funny; now that I’m done with my Ashoka journey, I can say that out of my most of my favourite courses have been from the InfoEdge Centre for Entrepreneurship. They weren’t just about building businesses; they were about building mindsets. From learning how to think like a designer to how to argue like a lawyer, from crafting a world-class brand to embedding social impact at the heart of your venture, the department taught me how to build anything with meaning.

The professors weren’t just academics. They were practitioners- people who get it, who know what it takes to bring an idea to life. I walked out of every classroom more energised than when I walked in.

But if it were only an academic engagement, then that would be the end of it. It is the support beyond academics that makes this department stand out. The department exemplifies the fact that entrepreneurship is, at its core, a topic-agnostic practice. You can be entrepreneurial in anything.

For instance, I am someone who is deeply passionate about the natural world. One of my life’s missions is to speak for creatures and landscapes that can’t speak for themselves. In this regard, one of my projects involved making a field guide for all the wildlife found in and around Ashoka. This small book contained information about all the creatures I documented in and around the campus across my 4 years. The idea is that this book would help anyone identify an animal they came across in and around campus.

The Entrepreneurship department saw value in this project and helped me scale it. They offered platforms, mentorship, and community support to help the guide reach more people. That kind of backing for a nature-focused initiative- in a business program- speaks volumes.

When I released The Light of Wilder Things– a deeply personal book exploring the beauty, fragility, and wonder of the natural world- I wasn’t prepared for the response it received. It went on to become a #1 bestseller, and what began as a quiet project rooted in my love for wildlife suddenly became a conversation with a much larger audience. Once again, the Entrepreneurship department stepped in- not just to congratulate me, but to help me navigate this new terrain. They offered mentorship in branding, outreach, and platform-building. They helped me treat the book not just as a creative endeavour, but as a living, breathing venture. With their guidance, I was able to turn The Light of Wilder Things into more than a book- it became a movement. One that invites readers to reconnect with the wild, and to see conservation through the lens of storytelling, empathy, and action.

As I step beyond Ashoka, I carry with me more than just memories or lessons—I carry a way of thinking. Entrepreneurship, as I’ve come to understand it here, is not limited to startups or pitch decks. It’s about noticing what’s missing in the world and daring to create it. It’s about leading with empathy, thinking systemically, and acting decisively. Whether I’m writing my next book, launching an environmental initiative, or just trying to change minds through conversation, I know I’ll be practising entrepreneurship in all that I do. CfE lit the spark- now it’s my turn to carry the fire forward.

So, wherever you are in your Ashoka journey, my biggest piece of advice is simple: take a course with the Entrepreneurship department. Dive in. It doesn’t matter what you’re studying—the experience will change the way you see your work and your world.

My heartfelt thanks to my faculty: Priyank Narayan, Nikhil Sud, Vani Gupta, Navyug Mohnot, Ashish Mathur and Advaita Rajendra. I recommend ALL their courses. Special thanks to Ekanto, Suhesh, Shubham, Sushant, Riya, Srishti, Avnie, and Praveen ji.

Written by Ishan Shanavas (ASP’25)