The Story Of How ICICI’s Academy For Skills Changed This Indore Boy’s Life Is Heartwarming

In our country, it’s not news that many people live a hand-to-mouth existence. But what happens when the hand that feeds the house isn’t there anymore? The story of Arjun Solanki from Indore began with a harsh shock just like this one.

In the small village of Baroda Sindhi, 25 kms from Indore, Arjun’s parents worked as daily wage labourers and provided sustenance for their family. But tragedy struck when his father, who was an alcoholic, succumbed to Tuberculosis.

Arjun saw his mother struggle every day as she tried to put food on their plates with a meager income.

On the altar of life’s cruel reality, a 14-year-old Arjun and his elder brother sacrificed their education and childhood. They began working odd jobs to supplement their household income.

“My friends would leave for school in the morning, while I would head to work. If I didn’t work, we would’ve starved to death and nobody would’ve known or even cared.”

They worked hard, as agricultural labourers and as workers on construction sites. But somehow, nothing seemed to lessen their everyday struggle for existence. There future seemed bleak.

Then one day, a beacon of hope shone bright. Arjun’s friend Shravan spoke to him about how a free course from the ICICI Academy For Skills had changed his life. And who knew, it could probably change Arjun’s too? And boy, it did!

Arjun decided to pursue the Paint Applications Technique course. The fact that it was a free course meant he didn’t have to worry about fees! But unlike other free courses that touch only the surface of the topic, this one was quite comprehensive.

Through the ICICI Academy itself, Arjun was placed with a contractor, who loved his work so much that he was promoted to a sub-contractor!

And guess what? Arjun’s now an independent contractor and has employed other students from the Academy to work for him!

He has managed to build a home for his family and encouraged his brother to enroll for the Electrical Appliances Repair course in the Academy.

From the 14-year-old with no hopes about his future, Arjun has come a long way, all because of his hunger to succeed and an opportunity to prove himself, courtesy ICICI Academy For Skills.

Take a look at his heartwarming journey here!

In the past two decades, ICICI’s many social and developmental initiatives have managed to fulfil their noble motto of ‘Empowering People, Transforming Lives’. From Women Empowerment, Skill Development, Education to Digital Villages, Clean India, Green India and Health, ICICI has helped over 17 million individuals with limited resources realise their dreams.

You’ve already heard from Arjun about the ICICI Academy For Skills (IAS), which offers industry-relevant vocational training to youth free of cost.

In addition, there’s also the Rural Self Employment Training Institutes (RSETIs) set up in Jodhpur and Udaipur, in association with the Ministry of Rural Development. If a rural area has a budding local industry, RSETI will train individuals between 18-45 years in those relevant skills.

And what’s more, there’s even a Rural Initiative that helps people develop their soft skills, inculcate financial literacy and prepare them for their future.

Arjun’s story may have been the one that caught our fancy but it is not the only dream come true! Through their 141 training locations, the IAS has managed to train over 190,000 underprivileged youths in 49 skills!

The best part? These trained individuals have been placed in over 1000 top companies, including Havells, Eureka Forbes, Daikin and others!

Think this is too good to be true? Hear it from the horse’s mouth, why don’t you? The stories of beautician Lajwanti Bagrana, plumbing contracter Devaram Meghwal, and appliance repairman Sachin Chavan are testament to this fact!

You can read all their stories and more about ICICI’s various other CSR initiatives here.

We applaud ICICI for the amazing work they’ve done. Here’s to two decades of uplifting lives, fulfilling dreams and building a better India!