Bhilai boy who taught himself coding now donates 96% of his wealth

In 1987, 11-year-old Vivek Shangari in Bhilai, Chhattisgarh saw BBC Micros in his school corridor. With no teacher or syllabus, he taught himself coding from manuals during lunch breaks. He later used his piggy-bank savings to rent computers for Rs 10 an hour.

After losing his mother early and being thrown out by his uncle in college, Vivek took a job as a lab instructor. In 1998 he moved to Bengaluru for a Rs 7,000-a-month programming role. He went on to work at ICS, Andale and ICICI oneSource, and later founded AceNgage and codeCraft. His Lisp-based AI firm was acquired by a Fortune 100 company.Choosing to give back.

Vivek has donated over 96% of his wealth. He lives on investment returns and runs Eklavya Trust with two friends. The trust pays for school fees and support for children who cannot afford education. The only condition: they must study full-time.300 children supported so far.

In two years, Eklavya has sponsored 300 children at Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh per child annually. Total support: Rs 2.5 crore. The focus is largely on rural areas.

Vivek is also a member of LivingMyPromise, a 2018 initiative where Indians with Rs 1 crore net worth pledge 50% of their wealth to charity. The community has grown from 6 to 175 members. Education is the top cause among donors. LMP aims to reach 500 members by 2030. The pledge is moral, not legal, but names are listed publicly.

For Vivek, it’s about passing on the chance he got. “When I was 18 and had nothing, people gave me opportunities. Now I’m doing the same for children.”