Success stories often start in boardrooms or tech colleges — but this one began in a tiny drought-hit village in Maharashtra. Meet Dadasaheb Bhagat, a 10th-pass youth who once worked as an office boy at Infosys, earning Rs9,000 a month — and is now the founder of Design Template, a rising design-tech startup being called “India’s Canva.”
From Drought to Determination: A Journey Begins
Born in Beed district, one of Maharashtra’s most drought-prone areas, Dadasaheb grew up in a family where survival came before schooling. After finishing class 10 and completing an ITI course, he moved to Pune, searching for stability. His first job fetched him Rs4,000 — barely enough to live on.
So, when Infosys offered him a housekeeping job for Rs9,000, it felt like a promotion. What he didn’t know then was that this role would plant the seeds of a lifelong dream.
The Turning Point Inside Infosys
Working at Infosys’ guesthouse, Dadasaheb cleaned rooms and ran errands — but his eyes were always on the company’s sleek offices, where employees worked on computers and spoke in the language of technology.
Curious and inspired, he once asked how he could land a similar job. Most said it required college degrees — until one person mentioned something different: graphic design and animation, fields driven more by creativity than certificates.
That one suggestion lit a fire in him.
Rediscovering a Forgotten Passion
The idea reminded him of his childhood — of watching local artists paint temple walls, of sketching as a boy when his parents worked away.
That forgotten spark came alive again.
By day, Dadasaheb worked at Infosys. By night, he enrolled in a local design institute, often studying after midnight. Within a year, he went from mopping floors to designing logos — his first digital steps toward transformation.
The Leap into Entrepreneurship
Soon, freelancing projects replaced his day job. He realized he didn’t just want to work for a company — he wanted to build one.
He founded a small design startup in Pune, providing services to local businesses. But just as things started picking up, COVID-19 struck, shutting down his office and drying up contracts.
He had to move back to his village — with no office, no team, and very little hope.
Innovation in a Cow Shed
Yet, adversity only sharpened his resolve.
With poor electricity and no broadband, Dadasaheb set up a makeshift office near a cowshed on a hilltop, where mobile signals were strong enough to work online. From this humble setting, he and a small team built “Design Template”, a digital platform offering ready-to-use designs for businesses — just like Canva, but tailored for Indian users and languages.
He didn’t just build a company — he built a movement. Dadasaheb started training village youth in graphic design, creating digital livelihoods where none existed.
Recognition and National Praise
Soon, his story reached national attention. Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally praised Dadasaheb Bhagat for embodying the spirit of ‘Make in India’, proving that innovation doesn’t need to come from cities — it can rise from the heart of rural India.
Today, his company’s design tools empower students, startups, and small businesses across India — making creativity accessible to all.
Words to Live By
“Try different things,” says Dadasaheb. “You’ll eventually find what you truly love. Once you give your passion everything you have — success follows naturally.”
A Symbol of Modern India
From a Rs9,000 job at Infosys to running a global-ready tech startup from a cowshed — Dadasaheb Bhagat’s story is more than inspiration.
It’s a symbol of resilience, innovation, and India’s digital spirit rising from its villages.
“When your dream is genuine, even the smallest beginning can lead to the grandest destination.”
