'I plan to spend some time in Ballia': Zoho's Sridhar Vembu says Purvanchal has demographic potential

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu on Monday said he is closely tracking the Purvanchal region — comprising eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar — because he believes it holds significant demographic potential for India's future. In a post, he also praised the push to set up astronomy labs in some government schools in Ballia district in Uttar Pradesh.

"During my last visit to Ballia, UP to visit the DSET Public School in Karnai village, which we are happy to support, I met the DM as well as the Chief Development Officer. The CDO Aojasvi Raj IAS has been keeping me apprised of developments there," Vembu wrote on X.

"I keep track of this region (Purvanchal region, eastern UP, and Bihar to its east) because it has the demographic potential that is important for the future of our nation," he said. Referring to an educational initiative, he added, "He shared this BBC video about the new Science Labs in all the government schools in the district. I have been working extremely hard on technical stuff now, so I am not able to spend more time there, but once I hit some crucial milestones, I plan to spend some time in Ballia."

The initiative Vembu referred to has also drawn praise from top officials. Awanish K Awasthi, Advisor to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, highlighted the impact of science and astronomy labs now being set up across Ballia. "Extremely proud to share an inspiring initiative from District Ballia, where Science and Astronomy Labs are being established in government schools across all 17 blocks. The days are gone when innovation and opportunities were limited to private institutions," Awasthi wrote in a post sharing the video.

"Every student, regardless of background, deserves equal access to quality education and this initiative bridges the resource gap between government and private schools. Congratulations to Aojasvi, CDO Ballia, and his entire team for creating a example. You have truly shown what real educational transformation looks like,” he added.

The Astronomy Labs were initiated by Aryan Mishra, founder of AstroScape, who has been working to install telescopes in rural and underserved regions. In a LinkedIn post last month, Mishra shared a photo and story from Ballia. "Every week, I receive hundreds of images of children using the Astronomy Lab. But this one is special — it's from one of the most backward districts of India, Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. In this picture, children are showing their grandparents the planets through a telescope," he wrote.

"I’ve installed more than 300 telescopes in over 300 villages across the country. Currently, I’m working in one of the most Naxal-affected regions of Chhattisgarh—Bijapur and Narayanpur—with the aim of helping children here experience what science truly looks like," Mishra added.