Tech for Good: How Vinayak Lohani Blended Business & Social Impact with Parivaar.

Vinayak Lohani’s journey reads like a page from a modern-day spiritual fable an IIT Kharagpur and IIM Calcutta graduate who renounced placement offers to serve the most vulnerable. Inspired by the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna, he set aside the corporate rat race in 2003 and began Parivaar, caring for just three destitute children in a rented space on the outskirts of Kolkata.

Starting out without financial cushion, Lohani supported Parivaar’s early days by giving lectures to MBA aspirants, pouring every rupee he earned into the fledgling institution. Within a year, rising support enabled Parivaar to buy a plot of land in Thakurpukur and build a permanent campus. Over time, that small social experiment grew into a full-fledged residential school: Amar Bharat Vidyapeeth for boys and girls, where students live, learn and grow under the same roof.

Lohani’s vision was always more than education alone. Parivaar’s ethos rests on the spiritual principle of “divinity of man” expressed in “Seva” and “Tyaga” service and sacrifice. He extended Parivaar’s presence in 2016 to tribal districts in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand, setting up “Seva Kutirs” — day-boarding centres that provide free education and meals to thousands of underprivileged tribal children.

The impact is tangible and wide. Parivaar now runs six residential institutions across Bengal and Madhya Pradesh, supporting thousands of children from marginalized backgrounds. On the health front, it operates 94 ambulances around the clock in remote tribal districts, runs mobile medical clinics, and conducts vision-restoration camps.

What makes Lohani’s work especially relevant in the Indian startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem is that he built Parivaar with the discipline and mindset of an entrepreneur. He weathered resource constraints, scaled operations over decades, and maintained a lean but mission-driven team. In business school terms, he turned social need into a scalable model that attracts supporters, individual donors, and young volunteers who live and work in his campuses.

Lohani’s leadership has earned him many honors. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2025 by the Government of India for his social service work. He also won the National Award for Child Welfare, the Sanskriti Award, and other recognitions, but his humility remains steadfast.

For Indian entrepreneurs who want to build startups that matter, Lohani’s story resonates deeply. It is not just about growth or profit it is about social purpose, long-term commitment, and building systems that support the vulnerable. Parivaar stands as a powerful example that business leadership and social impact need not be separate tracks.

In an age when “tech for good” is a buzzword, Vinayak Lohani shows us that real change often comes from rooted, human leadership from someone who gave up comfort to create a home, education, and care for children who had no one else. His journey reminds us why entrepreneurship is not just about disruption, but also deep, lasting service.