My Encounter with Nikunj Irani

I met with Nikunj Ratan Irani thanks to the Internet. In 2021, while the world was struggling to come to terms with an unprecedented scam and an all too real terrorist attack on the part of the Big Pharma, some people and some companies were relentless in pursuing their own goals, against all odds.Nikunj was one of those persons. He contacted my Research Group, The X-Plan, asking to interview me on a number of topics, from world's economy to business and geopolitics.I gladly accepted, and we had, I remember, the first live interview while I was in Northern Italy, in the office of one of my clients (yes, lockdowns didn't exist for me.)
The interview was held at one of Nikunj's YouTube channels, and it helped us to understand each other. We realized we had a lot in common, and agreed on various topics. The off-the-stage conversation was even more insightful, as we discussed something like 4 or 5 different industries, and relished on the curiosity and interest we had to develop projects in Research, IT, Digital Media, and Education. Entertainment would come later.

Nikunj and Energy2Karma

As I learned more about Nikunj's work, I could appreciate his multitasking ability and broad vision of the businesses he was in. His approach struck me as being straightforward, detailed, and naturally open to integration with related yet diverse areas. Energy2Karma, the company he had founded a bit earlier than we came into contact, was meant to be a bridge among businesses, professionals, and the audience. Nikunj demonstrated a strong visual attitude in bringing to life concepts that could have been more easily written or coded. He wanted videos, and with his network of several channels, he offered a number of topics to the viewers, from arts to economy, spiritual insights and business projects, all the way to areas of the Digital world such as cryptocurrencies, gaming, and SEO services.

I have to admit, some of those areas were fairly new to me, although I had a basic theoretical knowledge of it (thanks to my work at ATN-Technologies.) Nikunj helped me greatly to navigate and learn, until finally I could orientate myself and understand how programmers and coders worked in the background. I can say that one of our breakthroughs was when he asked me to watch and debunk a popular Netflix documentary about Social Media. It was so full of contradictions and plain misleading narrative that it was fun and easy to share my view on it. Very fairly, Nikunj had asked the U.S. company featured in the documentary to connect with us and have a live debate. They surprisingly (sic) rejected the invitation, so I ended up having a monologue about the dangers of the wrong use of digital tools, as opposed to how useful they could be if backed by a proper education to, and understanding of them.

Energy2Karma combined the spirit of his founder, Nikunj Ratan Irani, with the power of entrepreneurship necessary to achieve ambitious goals. That's how hour roads met.

My Journey

It was a time when I had just began to open up to online videos. Up until 2020, my appearances were mostly in China, thanks to several years of collaboration with Alibaba.com platform as well as a quite popular Chinese university. My videos were disseminated in China, viewed by hundred of thousands of Chinese students and businessmen, but rarely made it to the Western world. In 2020, thanks to the request of Nexus NT magazine in Italy, and because of my articles about the Co.V.Id scam that was about to explode, I started to make some videos from Italy. When Nikunj approached me, I had already acquainted myself with being on camera from the desk, other than from the field research (The X-Plan videos) or from China. Nikunj brought me into India, so to speak, one of the most ancient cultures in the world, with such a diverse and dynamic array of cultures that can be defined a world in itself.

This new experience prompted me to complete my research on the Indian subcontinent, and publish NAGAS – A Shapeshifting History, as tribute to what I perceived would be a new business and spiritual opportunity for me.

Failures and Successes Make Strong Bonds

Over the next four years, Nikunj and I engaged in a number of project involving the U.S.A, Europe, India, and China, in the field of Digital Services and Business education. Some of these projects did well, helping us to consolidate a network of professionals and companies as well as gauge the interest of the online viewers in some of the platforms we created. Other projects were either not captivating enough, or lacked structural stability, and failed. Overall, I can say that in both cases, we never lost hope or respect for one another; on the contrary, we strenghtened our bonds by assessing our mistakes, discussing solutions, and applying alternatives to dead ends. We lost some money, we made some money, but we did that together, which my business experience taught me is the best blueprint to check if a partnership can be long lasting or not.

Our Journey

One day, after Nikunj experienced a fierce hacking attack that left almost all his various platform heavily damaged, I remember we had a long talk together. He expressed a bit of dissatisfaction in the Digital industry, and was not sure whether to continue on that road or not.

Perhaps because I was not directly hurt like him, or because the Universe always balances the opposites in a constructive way, I told Nikunj why don't you go back to your origins? After all, you are a third generation in the Bollywood Film Industry, which is not a little thing. Let's put in practice all we have learned in these years, and launch a new era in the Indian Entertainment.

Nikunj not only embraced the idea, but he went full force into this, so that only a few months later, he had established a clear and solid Film Acquisition Division at Energy2Karma, put me in charge for the US and Asian-Pacific markets, and brought in an experienced Italian director and executive producer.

At the moment, Energy2Karma has acquired over 150 foreign films, documentaries, and TV series, and rebranded almost completely its official website. We are about to embark in known waters, although not devoid of sharks and tempests, but our ship is stronger than ever.

We sail on, toward the seas of destiny, bringing with us energy, karma, and our best confidence.

Diego Antolini

Director of Acquisitions – USA and Asian-Pacific Rim