Five years. Our next chapter.

A PERSONAL NOTE FROM PRANAV SHARMA

Founder & Managing Director · September 2026

Five years, and a responsibility to our generation

When we began PLS Foundation in September 2021, I was 21. We were building during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when young people were having to rethink education, work and their plans for the future. Completing five years makes me proud, but it also makes me ask a more important question: what kind of support does our generation need now?

I am grateful to everyone who has given us time, guidance and trust. I remember Alaknanda especially. She was our co-founder, a local entrepreneur and a person who kept learning across different fields. Her honesty, initiative and care for others belong together in our story. I wish she were here to share this moment.

The pressures young people carry

The years since 2021 have asked us to adapt repeatedly: to the aftermath of the pandemic, to AI changing how we learn and work, and to wars and uncertainty in the wider world. Alongside these changes are familiar pressures—exams, competition, earning a living and the feeling that everyone else is moving ahead. I want us to make room for honest conversations about these pressures.

We also need compassion for struggles that may be less visible: stress, loneliness and health concerns, including infertility. People facing infertility deserve privacy, dignity and access to qualified care. No one should have to prove their worth through marks, income, career speed or whether they become a parent.

A stronger India begins close to home

My purpose is to help young people grow and, through them, help India grow. I believe we need to give greater priority to local capability: local entrepreneurs, skilled trades, small businesses, teachers and communities. Localisation means creating more of the knowledge, products, services and opportunities we need within our own communities.

We can learn from the world while building the confidence to solve problems here. Self-reliance grows when we value good work, mentor a young founder, choose a capable local business and share skills. Standing together also means making space for people with different languages, beliefs and backgrounds.

Tradition, technology and inner development

I want us to think carefully about what we carry forward from our culture: service, responsibility, respect for life, craftsmanship and the habit of learning from one another. We should be able to question practices thoughtfully, preserve what helps people and adapt what needs to change. Pride in our roots can sit alongside curiosity and scientific thinking.

AI and other technologies should help us learn, create and make informed choices. Alongside technical skills, I value self-development: discipline, reflection, emotional awareness and a sense of purpose. Spiritual growth, for those who find meaning in it, can be a personal source of grounding. It should remain open and voluntary, with respect for every person’s beliefs.

Support that helps people build their own future

Charity and immediate relief still matter. I also want the Foundation to help people develop the ability to move forward: to learn a skill, understand a choice, begin an enterprise or find someone willing to guide them. A young person deserves both support in a difficult moment and opportunities to become more independent.

For PLS Foundation, this means continuing to develop educational collaboration, free learning resources and practical connections for young entrepreneurs, alongside community and animal welfare. Mentoring, incubation and small grants are areas we want to develop responsibly as our capacity grows. We will be clear about what is available and what remains an ambition.

As we enter our next chapter, my invitation is simple: let us stand together, build locally, use technology thoughtfully and make room for personal growth. I want PLS Foundation to be a place where young people feel that their ideas, their effort and their contribution to India matter.