Mahatma Education Society’s

Pillai College of Arts, Commerce & Science (Autonomous),

New Panvel
Affiliated to University of Mumbai
Academic Year 2021-22

Tanmay Bhushan Modak

CLASS:FY B.COM
DIV:A
ROLL NO:128
SUBJECT:FC
  He was also recently acknowledged as
The Youngest Entrepreneur By
India Maritime Awards

Tilak Mehta
• The 13-year-old boy from Mumbai left the country in awe when he
launched his startup in 2018, Papers N Parcels, to ‘rise’ courier
services in the city. From planning the project to coordinating with the
city dabbawalas, the class 8 student aimed to ease courier services in
Mumbai while making a mark for himself.

• took the opportunity to interact with Tilak and his father Vishal
Mehta, to know more about how the boy juggles business with
academics, with the support of his family and school
1.What was your mission at the outset?
• Survive…just kidding, no seriously. We believed that we could create a
services based company where Dabbavalas could grow and flourish.
We wanted to work with leading technology and build real-world
enterprise software solutions. I have always been a leader and I am
creative and take great satisfaction out of both corrier and our
company. I appreciate the opportunity to sink or swim based on my
own effort and hard work.
2.How did you come up with the idea of the startup?

Tilak: I was once stuck in a situation in which I was helpless. I had

forgotten my books at Borivali at my uncle’s place, when I was in the
seventh standard. I wanted those to be delivered the same day to my
place since my exams were approaching. I couldn’t find any way to do
that. Some delivery companies I got in touch with were charging Rs
250-300. This made me wonder how people who don’t have peons or
drivers manage to get their stuff delivered within the city. So, I thought,
why not have a company to facilitate same-day delivery of stuff within
the city? When I was looking for delivery partners, I wanted somebody
who was really experienced and cost-effective. And I could think of no
one else but the dabbawalas. That’s how I started my company.
3.How did you parents react to the decision of starting a
company at such a young age?

Tilak: When I started working on the project in 2017, I always had the
support of my father and the core team. We used to work together to
set up our operations and talk to service providers. My parents have
been really supportive throughout the journey. My mother has always
helped me with time management between academics, sports and
business, and prioritising things. My parents also allowed me to travel
with the dabbawalas for 15 days to understand the operations.
4. You had to travel with the dabbawalas to understand the
operations. Didn’t your parents raise questions about your
safety?
• Tilak: Not really, since they were quite open to the exposure it would
give me and that’s what enabled me to get this company launched. I
think most of the credit for my endeavour actually goes to them.
5. What do you look for in an employee? The most important
thing to us is that they fit into our corporate culture!

We look people who are self-motivated and who do not need to be

managed.
We need them to be what we call triple threats:They have to be able to
do the work.
They have to be able to work and communicate with their peers.
• They have to be able to work and communicate with customers.
6. Did it ever worry you and your parents that your business
might impact your academics? How do you strike a balance
between the two?
Tilak: I started the company, fortunately, during my vacations. That’s
how I could invest more time in it. Now, I mostly visit the office on
weekends. On other days, I am in touch with our team through
conference calls. And if I get free time on weekdays after my studies, I
drop in at the office. The principal of my school, Garodia International
Centre for Learning Mumbai, is really cooperative. I am allowed to take
half-day leaves if I have any event to attend. If I miss out on any test,
the school is kind enough to take a re-test
7. From whom do u inspired?
Tilak :-“I am inspired by Mukesh Ambani. I also enjoy reading about
Steve Jobs, who dropped out of school and established such a
successful company.”

.
8. Tell us something more about ‘Paper N Parcel’

• Tilak:-‘Paper N Parcels’ is a startup and is primarily based on a mobile

application. It has more than 200 employees. Apart from it, more
than 300 Dabbawalas are connected to his startup. Paper N Parcels is
my dream, and I am working very hard to take it to more significant
heights in the future
9. What are your future plans?

• My plans is to have a grand launch of our company where I would

have a 20 percent partnership in the Intra-City Logistics market in
Mumbai and Rs. One hundred crores turnover very soon.
10. For many parents, their child’s academic excellence is still the yardstick
of success. And that’s why many children are discouraged from pursuing
their non-academic dreams. How do you think that can affect a child?

Vishal: It is a typical Indian mentality, where people only want to see

one’s grades. Unless we give our kids the freedom to explore, they will
never really be able to show their real potential. Who knew that at the
age of 12, my son would spot a problem and come up with a solution?
If we had discouraged him, he may have never come up with the idea.
Parents need to support their kids to see what colour they can bring to
their lives. If they are dedicated towards their dream, they should
definitely be supported.