Youtube is amazing. Just like picture is worth 1000 words a, A Minute of Video Is Worth 1.8 Million Words, according to Forrester Research. And among all kind of video on youtube you also have tutorials on Filing Income Tax return by Engineer Amlan. In this article we are going to talk about Amlan’s videos on filing Income tax return, his vision of making knowledge free, how he started making videos,his future plans.

Amazing YouTube

My 10 year old visits it it daily for his school project on history of Pi, to latest song videos or even videos of how games are played, or reruns of his favourite shows. I visit it to find about solution to my children school problems (especially ExamFear which has more than THREE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED (3,800) educational video lessons on Physics, Maths, Chemistry & Biology for Class 9, 10, 11 & 12 with concepts & tricks), recipes,anything that I want to learn. We have also started making some videos and uploaded them on YouTube at bemoneyaware’s Youtube channel.

Since its inception in 2005, YouTube has grown from a site devoted to amateur videos to one that distributes original content. It played an instrumental role during the Arab Spring, and has also helped jump-start the careers of Justin Bieber and Korean pop sensation Psy. Some statistics about YouTube

• YouTube has more than 1 billion users
• Every day people watch hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube and generate billions of views
• The number of hours people are watching on YouTube each month is up 50% year over year
• 300 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute
• ~60% of a creator’s views comes from outside their home country
• YouTube is localized in 75 countries and available in 61 languages
• Half of YouTube views are on mobile devices
• Mobile revenue on YouTube is up over 100% y/y

YouTube channel of  Engineer Amlan

Engineer Amlan has lots and lots of tutorials on YouTube such as GO DADDY HOSTING – A Practical Perspective of thing’s,ADS,ADSENSE ,ADWORDS -Understanding with live examples,IRCTC(Explaing the online Ticket Registration system) and 10000 live cases for income tax ( Whatever your case , we have a solution ) As on Jul 20 2015 it has 9,387 subscribers  and 2,249,192 views . 

There are many tax related channels on YouTube like  Dilip Dadlani , Learn with Lodhas, which are good but they are theoretical. Amlan YouTube channel on ITR is in simple language, jargon free.  A sample image of his YouTube channel is shown below.

Youtube channel of Amlan Datta

Amlan’s Mission is to make Knowledge Free , he is very passionate about it and  refers to Tagore, Vivekananda often in his videos, and as he says in his About page

Project – Make Knowledge Free —

I make this channel with a noble intent to make every common person educated of certain important things that concern everyone . I do this knowing that it stands to benefit lakhs of families – Your children , your parents , your families . A educated mind is able to appreciate thing’s in a much better manner and has less chances of being duped .

Know that ,knowledge and education is no one’s monopoly , it’s everyone’s birthright

I will relax once i finish of the mission , finance is just 1 subject

More than your subscription to my social pages , i will appreciate and feel good when yourl share your knowledge with people and help others . Life bring’s with it some pain knowing that we are all taught to be selfish by the same society that stands to benefit if a kind approach is adopted .

I beg you to adopt the kind approach of helping people by sharing knowledge so that a time shall come when every mind is truly educated.

YouTube Amlan Datta’s Mission make knowledge Free

Conversation with Amlan

It was so easy to contact Engineer Amlan Dutta. He has given out his mobile number on his Facebook page and YouTube videos.  I sent him a message that I want to ask him some questions and we had a 47 minutes long conversation .  You can you can listen to the recording , which he sent within 5 minutes of when the conversation ended , on Soundcloud here.

How did you start making videos on Tax?

In  year 2011-12 I got the notice from income tax department, there is credit mismatch, a credit of 1 crore is being shown. I was asked to take my  Form 26AS and meet the Assessing Officer. He asked me does BHEL pays that much salary. I  then found out that Account officer while filing the TDS  for salary income has shown the consolidated TDS in my return.  There was also the case of lease agreement with my father for house which made me realise that I had not filled my income tax return properly. I also had to pay penal interest.

I realised that I did not know the subject of Income tax and started learning and sharing my information through YouTube.

How long does it take a video?

For an 1 hour of tutorial it takes around  4 hours. After making the video I have a high, something like people getting on drinking. I am very passionate and I have become addicted to making videos especially about tax. In tax season I uploaded 250 tutorials  in a day and made a 6 hour marathon video on filing ITR.

You are young, Don’t you want to spend time partying with your friends?

I have few friends, but I am not much into socializing. I go once or twice  in month with friends but I do not like going to bar where people are eyeing girls in short skirts. I am happy in spending time on making video and sharing knowledge.

What are the Future plans?

I am preparing for GMAT and want to do the  IIM Ahmedabad Fellow Programme in Management (Doctoral Programme, Equivalent to PhD) coursein  Innovation and Management in Education.

What about the Marriage plans?

My parents are after me and someone told me on Facebook next three years are going to be difficult

Are there monetary benefits on making videos?

Yes I earn through Google Adsense just like Ekta Kapoor earns through her programs in TV channel. There is no hidden motive in making the videos. Infact I have made vidoes on how anyone can earn through youtube channel. I make the videos with the intent of making Knowledge free. (FYI Bemoneyaware also earns through Adsense but that happened recently only and it’s not the big amount that one can leave job )

How do you take Criticism?

Criticism if good , constructive, raises valid questions, adds values is welcome. But if someone’s intent is just to criticize, ex the voice is not good  I ignore them, but if it persists I block them.  It’s easy to criticize, when Sachin Tendulkar was playing, entire India had opinion on everything, his playing style, his bat. But how many of us can face Shane Warne the way Sachin did.  (Bemoneyaware : There is a famous quote in Hindi which translated to English is The elephant keeps walking while the dog keeps barking.)

If people think my videos are not good, please make videos and help people. My mission is to spread knowledge,  I have shown my PAN number, given out my mobile number. When experts call me to test me I speak in their language , I have collected, read books on Tax from various sources .(Bemoneyaware just like Paresh Rawal in Hindi movie OMG)

I do realise that I may make mistakes. If I make mistakes like I made in Fixed Deposit I correct it. I am trying to help people . Everyday people like an autorickshaw guy, or a girl from Kashmir contacts me though Facebook, WhatsApp and I try to help them and others by sharing what I am.

His biggest dream is 

Make knowledge free is my biggest dream. I believes that if experts from  different domains like doctors, lawyers start sharing their knowledge, do their little bit for humanity, this country where Tagore and Vivekananda lived will again become a great country.

Related Articles:

• Income Tax for AY 2015-16: Tax slabs, ITR Forms
• Filing ITR : Video on which ITR to fill
• An Interview: 20s and Money
• Meet Personal Finance Blogger : Pattu of FreeFinCal
• Case Study: Single, New in Job and Loans
• Nita Ambani: Is there is more to her than money?

Technology has given opportunity to ordinary people like Amlan, Bemoneyaware to spread knowledge. Please do visit Amlan’s YouTube videos on Tax related stuff and do your bit,no matter how small it is, for spreading knowledge.