I Met Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, The Founder of Bandhan Bank

Last Sunday, I met someone whose journey changed the way I look at building long term impact. His name is Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, the founder of Bandhan Bank. What made this meeting even more special for me is that he is also from Tripura, just like me.

What surprised me the most was how his story began. Around 25 years ago, he did not have an office, money, or fancy degrees. He had only a bicycle and a strong belief. He used to ride from village to village in West Bengal, meeting poor families, listening to their problems, and giving small loans. He was not trying to build a big bank back then. He was trying to build trust, one person at a time.

Many people thought his idea was impossible. A bank built from villages sounded unrealistic to them. But Chandra Sir did not care about opinions. He kept showing up every day and kept working quietly. Over time, those small efforts started to compound.

Today, Bandhan Bank has more than 6,000 branches across India, serves millions of customers, and has a market value of around ₹70,000 crore. It is bigger than many startups that are called unicorns today. But what touched me the most was not the numbers.

Chandra Sir is investing ₹200 crore to build a medical college in Tripura. He has committed ₹10 crore for startup incubation to support entrepreneurs from the state. He is also actively supporting women entrepreneurs. There is no noise around this work. No big announcements. Just consistent action at the ground level.

As the founder of Fueler, a portfolio platform that helps companies hire through assignment based hiring, this meeting felt deeply personal. I have been building Fueler for the last four years. I started from Agartala with zero savings. Some days, I question if we are moving fast enough or if we are doing enough.

Meeting Chandra Sir reminded me that meaningful things take time. Big institutions are not built overnight. They are built village by village, customer by customer, and day by day. He did not build a startup to sell it in three years. He built a bank over 25 years.

This reinforced a few beliefs I strongly hold. Patient capital beats quick exits. Consistency beats short bursts of intensity. Real impact takes time to show results. The world celebrates overnight success stories, but legends are built over decades.

I am grateful to the Tripura Institute for Transformation and the Government of Tripura for organizing the Prabashi Tripurabashi Summit 2025–26. More importantly, I am grateful for the chance to meet someone who proved that building something massive is possible if you simply refuse to quit.

As I continue building Fueler and helping people get hired through proof of work, this meeting will stay with me for a long time. It reminded me why staying patient, honest, and consistent matters more than chasing speed.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who is Chandra Shekhar Ghosh and why is he important in Indian banking?

Chandra Shekhar Ghosh is the founder of Bandhan Bank, one of India’s largest private sector banks. He started his journey by working with poor communities through microfinance. His work is important because it shows how financial inclusion can be built from the ground up with trust and patience.

2. How did Bandhan Bank start and grow over time?

Bandhan Bank started as a microfinance initiative focused on giving small loans to underserved communities. Over many years, it expanded its reach, earned trust, and eventually became a full scale bank. The growth happened slowly through consistent effort, not quick funding or shortcuts.

3. What lessons can startup founders learn from Chandra Shekhar Ghosh?

Founders can learn the value of patience, long term thinking, and ground level execution. His journey shows that solving real problems consistently can create massive impact over time, even without early resources or recognition.

4. Why is Chandra Shekhar Ghosh investing in Tripura now?

He is investing in healthcare, startup incubation, and women entrepreneurship to create long term social and economic growth in Tripura. These investments focus on building strong foundations rather than short term visibility.

5. How does this story connect to modern startups and founders like Fueler?

This story highlights that sustainable companies are built with consistency and clarity of purpose. For platforms like Fueler, which focuses on proof of work and assignment based hiring, it reinforces the belief that real value creation takes time and commitment, not shortcuts.

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