I don’t remember the last time I felt alive for 72 hours straight! This Jaipur trip and the alumni reunion was very energizing.

Three top highlights from my trip

1. Amer Fort
2. Electric Tuk-tuk
3. Budding entrepreneurs like Yash from Tier2/Tier 3 cities

Part 1- AMER Fort

The fort is 1000 years old and the palace is about 400 years old. I’ve been to the palace before but it was my first time at the Sound and Light show. The show was very thought provoking and it piqued my interest in the history of the region.

Up until the 13th century, this region was inhabited by the Mina tribe and then d the Kachwaha clan colonized it because they loved the Aravali hills. They ruled the place for the next 500+ years!

Some questions I walked away with

• What did it take for one dynasty(Kachwaha Rajputs) to have the reigns for 500 years in this region?!
• What did it take for the rulers to set aside budget and bandwidth to invest in arts/music/culture while fighting wars?
• What education/exposure/support did the young kings have to protect their kingdom?(some of them were as young as 15 when they had to take over?)

No answers yet, just questions 🤓

PART 2 - Conversations with Tuk Tuk drivers

I thoroughly enjoyed conversations while riding in tuk-tuks and cabs. My recent agri knowledge was very handy in having meaningful conversations. Almost all the drivers I spoke to have a parcel of land that they have leased out.

I spoke at length to Ahmed, an electric tuk-tuk driver to understand the rationale behind his decision. Ahmed makes Rs 30000 per month of assured income driving his electric tuk-tuk. To make the same income from agriculture, he would need atleast 7 acres of land, water security and market linkage. And not to mention managing labor availability, weather fluctuations, and sweating it out in the sun.

Unit economics of an electric tuk tuk in Jaipur

Monthly Revenue: Rs 37500 (avg)

Monthly Opex: 5150 INR

• Electricity bill: Rs 3000
• Repairs/Maintenance of batteries: Rs 300
• Monthly equivalent of yearly spend on battery replacement: Rs 1850

Monthly Interest: Rs 1500 (considering a 7% interest over 5 years on Rs 1 lakh)

Capex: 1.5 lakhs INR (an electric auto with 100km daily capacity)

PART 3- The rise of new age entrepreneurs from Bharat

On Airbnb experiences, I found an early AM hike and I was thrilled. I haven’t hiked since I had a baby and I couldn’t wait to go on it despite the biting cold weather in Rajasthan.

The hike was beautiful - great panoramic views— sun rise on one side of the sky and full moon on the other side!