Aditya Thackeray - A Leader By Compulsion And Choice In 2010, when the Yuva Sena was launched, Aditya was made the head of the youth wing as his father felt that he represents the language of the youth.
By Punita Sabharwal •
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They are the 35 boldest entrepreneurs of India who are changing the game in various industries and together they represent the optimism, inventiveness and boldness of India's millennial entrepreneurs. They have not just questioned the conventional wisdom but answered it with their fiery and risky business undertakings. They have inspired every young Indian to not shy away from breaking the status quo, rewriting the rules and transforming the world.
Entrepreneur Magazine is glad to present Aditya Thackeray, 26, Politician who made it to our 35 under 35 special.
When politics is a serious business, being the grandson of an enigmatic leader is not an easy task. When grandfather, Balasaheb Thackeray, and father, Uddhav Thackeray, conquered the stage with speeches, young Aditya, now the chief of Yuva Sena, the youth wing of Shiv Sena, would enter the crowd and communicate with people. "This would make them feel that I am one of them," Aditya says. He further adds, "I don't prefer speaking big words from the stage. Rather I go to people, talk to them, listen to their problem and tweet about those. This is how I have developed my own identity along with being tech savvy."
When teachers in his college called a strike, Aditya looked into the concerns of the students and the issues pertaining to the teachers and solved those issues and immediately emerged as a youth leader. In 2010, when the Yuva Sena was launched, Aditya was made the head of the youth wing as his father felt that he represents the language of the youth. And, as Aditya started growing as a politician, the responsibility of Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena and Bhartiya Vidyarthi Seva was also handed over to him under the aegis of Yuva Sena. Today, it has units across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir.
"The legacy of the family is in my blood and I don't take it as pressure rather, I work for the party tirelessly. As politics today has become more target oriented and commercialized, I set a target and work towards that. It has become more popular due to social networking sites," he further says. Aditya single-handedly worked on Senate elections, and went on to win 8 out of 10 seats for Yuva Sena.
Speaking about his vision, Aditya says, "Making Yuva Sena the strongest branch of Shiv Sena, taking Shiv Sena to the top level, electing CM of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, sending maximum number of elected MPs of Shiv Sena to centre, furling Bhagva flag in Maharashtra and Delhi and leaving alternate for Shiv Sena in Maharashtra." Speaking about his other two passions, poetry and photography, he said, "I love poetry since childhood, I have launched my poetry book. Photography is the hobby, which has come to me from my father. I have pursued his passion for photography. Many a times I photograph my father during his rallies and speeches."
(This article was first published in the February issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)
