About 1.3 million people die every single year in road accidents globally. Unfortunately, India and China top that list of countries with the highest number of deaths. Poor infrastructure, poor safety rules and abysmal compliance contribute to this very disturbing reality. With the number of rising vehicles on Indian roads, the only way to really address this problem is to implement stringent road safety rules and to train drivers to ensure safe driving.

That's exactly the mission Ram Badrinathan of GlobalTHEN is on, through his multimedia based training program for chauffeurs, which blends education with entertainment, and its aim that's helping chauffeurs be more responsible on the road.

After a decade of analysing data and trends for the travel, tourism and hospitality industry, 30 year old Ram Badrinathan saw a problem that needed to be solved - a severe talent deficit. So, Ram founded GlobalTHEN in 2011 incubated by Karmyog Education Network. The venture employed the OmniDEL approach, which is essentially means it blends entertainment with education.

The flagship program 'Pawan Ko Kahin Dekha Kya' is a highly interactive one-day workshop designed to train drivers in skills beyond just driving. Pawan, the protagonist of the educational video, is pegged as the ultimate super driver who every chauffeur must try to be.

Badrinathan says, "We believe learning has become dull and dreary. Our products are fun, engaging. We have to package education like entertainment. People who know everything about Shah Rukh khan, who he fights with; where he is going for a holiday or what his team are  everything. But tell them if they know anything about education or the teacher, they have no clue. You have to engage people, look at the way consumer products, look at the advertising, look at the way television, look at mass media and the way it engages people."

Using Bollywood as more than just a recreational tool, Ram and his team have managed to teach 600 chauffeurs Pawan's mantras for punctuality, hygiene, road safety, and most importantly, customer satisfaction. With an initial capital of Rs 1.8 crore, the company has turned in revenues of Rs 35 lakh in its first year of operation and Ram is keen to get into top gear.

Badrinathan says, "The first product is 'Pawan Ko Kahin Dekha Kya'. It is to train drivers on soft skills. It's a one day workshop. It's a beginning of what we call the awakening phase. It's a part of a three year of what we call 'Pawan Jagrit Abhiyaan' where ever three years we want to awaken a million drivers to 'Atithi Devo Bhava' and customer service. The other products are 'Well said Shruti', which is around customer service and 'Radhika Rocks' that is around selling skills and it is great fun. We have got travel bingo in it. We have used Ludo as a metaphor for people to engage and learn selling skills. We are using digital interactive media. So the experience there also is of great fun."

Investors clearly like Ram's idea. Deep Kalra of makemytrip.com and Alok Mittal of Canaan partners have been early investors. His clients include corporates like Tata Motors and a few cab services like EasyCabs. But Ram admits getting companies to sign up wasn't that easy.

Badrinathan says "There is a personal dimension to the challenge. The professional you can deal with. I have a conviction that this is the way it is going to happen. You have to have the conviction that this is the way and the ability to make a difference to millions of people's lives to see a solution that is possible. To me it was a no brainer. But to many people it was difficult. But the people who invested in me - for them also, they saw the idea, they liked it, they are smart people. They saw the potential of it. So, it's a combination. You need a few guys to back you - that's all."

A year after he launched, Ram is hitting the right chords and is keen to tune the business model to go regional. 'Pawan Ko Kahin Dekha Hai' will be translated into several regional languages and may even crossover to China and the African continent.