Billionaire Se Zero Tak: Ek Tuition Teacher Ne Kaise Duboyi India Ki Sabse Badi Ed-Tech Company 'BYJU'S'?

 

Doston, "Billionaire Dairies" mein aaj hum kisi puraane zamane ke scammer ki nahi, balki ek aisi company ki baat karenge jiska ad (vigyapan) aapne pichle kuch saalon mein har jagah dekha hoga—TV par, mobile par, aur yahan tak ki Indian Cricket Team ki jersey par. Hum baat kar rahe hain BYJU'S ki, aur uske founder Byju Raveendran ki. Ek aisa insaan jiska sapna tha education ko badalna, par paise aur tez growth ki andhi daud mein usne ek aisi lalaach ki deewar khadi kar di jo aakhirkaar usi ke upar aakar gir gayi. Aaiye jaante hain $22 Billion (lagbhag 1.8 Lakh Crore rupaye) ki company ke mitti mein milne ka poora sach.

Stadium Mein Padhane Wala Teacher

Byju Raveendran ka janm Kerala ke ek chhote se gaon Azhikode mein hua tha. Unke dono mata-pita school teachers the. Byju shuru se hi padhai aur maths mein bohot tez the. Unhone engineering ki aur videsh mein naukri karne lage. Jab wo chhuttiyon mein India aate the, toh apne doston ko MBA ke CAT exam ki taiyari karwate the. Hairani ki baat yeh thi ki Byju ne khud CAT exam diya aur dono baar 100 percentile score kiya!

Yahan se unhe samajh aagaya ki padhane mein unka jadoo chalta hai. Unhone naukri chhod di aur bachhon ko padhana shuru kiya. Unka padhane ka tareeka itna famous hua ki bachhe unse padhne ke liye pagal hone lage. Ek waqt aisa aaya jab wo indoor stadiums book karte the jahan ek sath 20,000 se zyada bachhe unka math ka lecture attend karte the.

App Ka Janm Aur Shah Rukh Khan Ki Entry

2015 mein Byju ne 'Think and Learn' naam se ek company banayi aur BYJU'S The Learning App launch kiya. Unka idea tha bachhon ko animations aur videos ke zariye padhana taaki unhe concepts aasaani se samajh aayein. App hit ho gaya. Unhone desh ke sabse bade superstar Shah Rukh Khan ko apna Brand Ambassador banaya. TV par ads chalne lage ki "Ab bachha rattega nahi, samjhega." Facebook (Meta) ke founder Mark Zuckerberg se lekar bade-bade videshi investors ne BYJU'S mein karodo dollar lagana shuru kar diya.

Covid-19 Aur 'Steroids' Wali Growth

2020 mein aaya Covid-19 lockdown. Saare schools aur tuitions band ho gaye. BYJU'S ke liye yeh kisi sone ki khaan (goldmine) milne jaisa tha. Har maa-baap chahta tha ki unka bachha ghar baithe padhai kare. App ke downloads aasman chhoone lage. Byju Raveendran ke paas investors ka itna paisa aagaya ki unhone baaki sari companiyon ko kharidna shuru kar diya. Unhone ₹7000 Crore mein Aakash Institute ko kharida, WhiteHat Jr ko kharida, aur America ki kai companiyan kharid li. BYJU'S ki valuation pahunch gayi $22 Billion! Byju India ke sabse ameer logon mein shamil ho gaye.

Asli Khel: Education Kam, Toxic Sales Zyada

Par is chamak-damak ke peeche ek bohot ghinona khel chal raha tha. BYJU'S ab ek education company nahi, balki ek Aggressive Sales Company ban chuki thi.

Inke sales agents aam aur gareeb maa-baap ko target karte the. Wo unhe darate the ki "Agar aapne BYJU'S ka course (tablet) nahi liya, toh aapka bachha zindagi mein peeche reh jayega." Jo maa-baap ₹50,000 ya ₹1 Lakh ka course nahi kharid sakte the, unhe dhokhe se Third-Party Finance companiyon se Loan (EMI) par course bech diya jata tha. Kai aam logon ke account se EMI katne lagi aur unhe pata bhi nahi tha ki unhone loan liya hai. Grahakon ki shikayate (complaints) aasmaan chhoone lagi.

Iske alawa, company ke andar ka culture bohot 'Toxic' tha. Salesmen par din-raat course bechne ka pressure dala jata tha, unhe gaaliyan di jati thi aur target poora na hone par nikal diya jata tha.

Gubbara Phata: Jab Schools Dobara Khule

Covid ke baad jaise hi schools khule, logon ne online padhai chhod di aur bachhon ko wapas school bhejna shuru kar diya. BYJU'S ke naye customers aana band ho gaye. Company ke paas kharche bohot the (BCCI aur FIFA world cup ki sponsorship, SRK ki fees) par kamai gir chuki thi.

Aur badi gadbadi tab hui jab BYJU'S ne apne Financial Audits (hisaab-kitab) theek se sarkar ko jama nahi kiye. Jab report aayi toh pata chala ki company hazaaron crore ke ghaate (losses) mein chal rahi hai. Investors ne apna hath kheench liya. Bankon ne unpar case kar diya.

Arsh Se Farsh Tak Ka Safar

Paisa bachane ke liye BYJU'S ne hazaaron employees ko bina kisi galti ke naukri se nikal diya (Mass Layoffs). Unke office ka kiraya tak jama nahi ho pa raha tha. Jo investors kal tak Byju Raveendran ki tareef karte the, aaj unhone unhe CEO ki kursi se hatane ke liye case kar diya hai. Jis company ki keemat ek waqt par $22 Billion thi, aaj experts uski keemat (valuation) lagbhag "Zero" mante hain. Byju Raveendran ki personal net worth bhi asmaan se farsh par aagayi hai.

Is Kahani Se Hum Kya Seekhte Hain?

• Education Ek Sewa Hai, Dhandha Nahi: Bachhon ke bhavishya aur maa-baap ke darr ke sath khel kar aap paisa kama sakte hain, par lamba business nahi chala sakte.
• Aggressive Growth Ke Nuksaan: COVID mein tezi aayi thi, par Byju Raveendran ko laga ki yeh tezi hamesha rahegi. Unhone bina soche-samjhe dusri companiyan kharidi, jo unki sabse badi galti bani.
• Ethics Aur Honesty: Agar company apni core value chhod kar sirf "Sales Target" ke peeche bhagegi, toh ek na ek din uska ant nishchit hai.

Billionaire Diaries Conclusion: BYJU'S ka downfall India ke startup ecosystem ka sabse bada chapter hai. Yeh batata hai ki kisi bhi company ki safalta uske board members ya funding par nahi, balki uske customers (grahak) ke bharose par tiki hoti hai. Jab ek tuition teacher vyapari banne ki daud mein apne ethics bhool jata hai, toh uske empire ko mitti mein milne mein der nahi lagti.