From Failing CA Exams 5 Times to Starting My Own Venture

After failing IPCC five times, Nikhil soon realised he didn’t care about “Duniya Kya Bolegi” and pursued his dream of starting an online portal called India Khel.

“I was a bright student all through my school and junior college and used to participate in various competitions and win many awards.” “On my teacher’s guidance, I decided to pursue Chartered Accountancy (CA),” says Nikhil Pawar, from Navi Mumbai (New Mumbai), India.

CPT and IPCC Travel

“I cleared the CPT (1st level CA exam) in the first attempt. Then came the IPCC (2nd level CA exam, which consists of 2 groups: GRP 1 and GRP 2).

I passed IPCC Group 1 on the first try, and then moved on to IPCC Group 2, which I failed after three attempts. My confidence crashed. I felt hopeless and helpless. I tried again—fourth, fifth, and sixth times—and received no positive feedback.

My parents were even more devastated than I was seeing me go through this made them really sad. It made me feel like I had let them down.

It was a sudden shift from a so-called “bright student” to a “dumb student.”

If I think about it now, maybe I did not give my 100 percent, but at that point in time, whatever I could give, I did. But somehow things were not moving from IPCC, Grade 2.

I had a passion for accounts, numbers, and business, but when I really got into it, it turned out to be much different. I am not blaming the ICAI, as they want us to be all-rounders, and they are right in their way.

Entrepreneurial Journey

However, I regained my confidence and began working on an idea that had been brewing in my mind for quite some time.

I started India Khel, a social networking platform for people with similar sports interests. It’s a total package for sports lovers. We launched it this October, and we have around 150+ active users on it.

It is a portal where:

• Anyone can find their sports buddy.
• Create teams and manage events.
• Buy and sell new and used sports equipment.
• Provide sports services like training and coaching, rent out grounds and turfs, etc.

Future Plans

I’m also working on an idea of time travel using virtual reality that I have patented and am now working on a prototype.

Also, I will try CA again and again until I succeed, and I will pursue it along with my online portals.

To all those out there: People will always talk about you, irrespective of your success or failure. So do what you want because, in a few weeks, people will stop asking. In a few years, they’ll stop caring. “BE BRAVE,” he concluded.