Stories from India’s heartland that tell a different story than GDP headlines | Subroto Bagchi, Mindtree

“Push something a millimetre in the private sector, you make an inch of progress. In the public sector, it’s a mile of progress.” Subroto Bagchi started his career as a clerk in the Odisha government in 1976, leaving postgraduate studies. Today, eight years after serving at the rank of cabinet minister in the same government, he has certainly changed countless lives, not nameless faces. In this conversation, he passionately shares stories of young men and women from Odisha who overcame generational challenges by getting skilled, gaining not just jobs but identity. While this conversation could have focused on his remarkable journey building Mindtree in 1999 with 9 Co-founders and taking it to IPO, it goes beyond entrepreneurship. It’s about stories from hinterland India, seen through the eyes of a founder who spent 16 years in the private sector before serving his home state. Subroto also reflects on India’s big picture: instead of just chasing the trillion-dollar goal, we should also focus on improving quality of life for the 94% in the unorganized sector.  This episode shares stories beyond metros, it highlights how building scalable solutions in business can translate into meaningful social impact.  0:00  – Trailer 1:47 – 10-6-4-2 Method to evaluate ITIs 6:15 – Muni Tigga: Locomotive Pilot story 9:12 – Basanti Pradhan: Story of 50% of garment workers in Tiruppur from Orissa 15:49 – Sumati Nayak: How skills give us identity 19:16 – Joy of building Mindtree vs. joy of working in govt 20:35 – The difficult stories of people moving away for Jobs 23:32 – How Mr.Subroto accepted the Job? 31:13 – The story behind “The Day the Chariot Moved” 33:26 – How 8 years in hinterland India changed Mr. Subroto 37:14 – India vs. Bharat 42:04 – India’s priorities beyond the $5 trillion economy 43:43 – Quality of life for a gig worker in India vs. a developed country 45:29 – Reality of 94% India that is unorganised 47:50 – What India gives its vocationally trained students? 49:09 – Stereotypes about govt, that maybe not true anymore 52:03 – The highly efficient & incorrupt politicians 54:00 – Where the government has succeeded in delivery? ------------- India’s talent has built the world’s tech—now it’s time to lead it. This mission goes beyond startups. It’s about shifting the center of gravity in global tech to include the brilliance rising from India. What is Neon Fund? We invest in seed and early-stage founders from India and the diaspora building world-class Enterprise AI companies. We bring capital, conviction, and a community that’s done it before. Subscribe for real founder stories, investor perspectives, economist breakdowns, and a behind-the-scenes look at how we’re doing it all at Neon. ------------- Check us out on: Website: https://neon.fund/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theneonshoww/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/beneon/ Twitter: https://x.com/TheNeonShoww Connect with Siddhartha on: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/siddharthaahluwalia/ Twitter: https://x.com/siddharthaa7 ------------- This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice. Find Mr.Subroto Bagchi"s latest book here: The day the Chariot Moved Send us a text