The curious attributes of my choices!

Choices, preferences are things which are extremely individualistic. Does it change over the period of time? I’ve no idea on that, people say it does but as long as mine are concerned, it certainly not! I remember someone had said “those activities we conduct time and again would transfer as our choices of life!” Well quite a thought to ponder over! But my understanding of choices is one thing/object/activity we pick while we are given whole variety of options.

I have been taught from the beginning that dream is the painting we paint over the canvas which called future! Taking this into account, where does THE choice exist? I guess choices are the colors which help us to paint our canvas. Having said that, it opens up the volcano of questions such as, have we taken the right colors to paint our canvas? Above that had it been our colors ever? In a country like India do we actually have controls over our choices? Well I’m not the Chaten Bhagat of writing to write in behalf of whole growing up kids of the country, but I can pitch my story here!

Image courtesy to www.bestsayingsquotes.com

I had born to lower middle class parents, who used to be heading strong Brahmins. Ever since I was a kid, I had been in a cocoon which, the typical Indian parents call mannerism and respect! And the biggest folly a kid can ever do is to try coming out from the cocoon, which again a nature’s process! The movement we start developing choice, those get suppressed and demolished under the process of parenthood. I’m not trying to hold anyone responsible here, but that’s how innovation and choices suffers in our country. And the time the kid grows up he/she grows with certain levels of insecurity and confidence breakdown. Again if they end up doing crap (which is quite evident to occur) in life, then ironically those same parents blame it on to the child. 

The moment I try to connect the dots, I find very few choices those were being made by me without the external influences, and certainly those were the choices which bent, twisted and shaped my life!  It doesn't matter how many choices we had in life, but how many of them are exclusively ours that matter’s the most.   

Thanks for enduring it! :P 

A journey of self Discovery...

 Journey Begins

24 Dec 2012, 450 individuals got into a journey of discovering India in the space of social enterprises. A journey which started with a light of hope, touch of action and a paradise of learning touched my souls to a larger extend.

I remember Swasank’s (Chairman of Jagriti Yatra) speech about external and internal journey of Jagriti Yatra.Well, at that point of time it didn't appeal me much, and I thought of giving it a sense of ignorance. my intentions were very much clear about Jagriti Yatra, after being gone through by mental tumults of personal miss-happens, I had decided to enroll in the Yatra to bring myself back to the path of happiness. learning had been in the list just to justify my journey to the outside world. 

With due course of the Journey I realized, having no expectations is the best possible expectation in this world. I started interacting with my peers.  People with extremely diversified profiles, though 80% of them were Engineers. but every single engineer has his/her unique dreams and aspirations. I portrayed myself as a jovial chap to kill my serious picture to an extant, and got some serious feedback too. slowly I realized, its just not a buggy, but more of a home, its not just a group of individuals, but a family of 21 members and  finally its not just a train, but a movable ecosystem. I completely forgot about the world which was exist outside the train, and biggest example of it is',I didn't make a single phone call to outsiders other than my Yatri friend Kartik (which had a secret reason). The morning hunts of Chapals, those fights to change clothes in a tiny space, and our million dollar over night discussions of Indian culture Vs western (we never got to conclusions, and finally we agreed to disagree) when I recall these incidents, it puts an honest smile to my face. :)

The external Journey

 I  experienced both external and internal journeys. External journey started with the train and ended up with the train. It gave me a platform to meet with 400 odd youths, who have an intention to change the country. It took me to 12 role models who inspired my life in multiple ways. It made me to travel all around of middle India and exposed me to the greatest diversity of my country. 

 

The Awakening

The role model visit to Arvind eye care, actually awaken me. Soon after the visit I realized, its not just my body which is traveling, but its my soul which is traveling on the path of entrepreneurship. I started asking questions, and this time not to others but to myself. And the question was like, if people like Mr.Ansu Gupta, Dr. Govindappa Venkataswamy could make a difference then, Why can’t me? Suddenly I realized there is an entrepreneur within me who is answering back to my queries. I have developed great amount of confidence and believe within myself to drive an agenda of development with process of transferring change. This journey stimulate my vision or I would say it gave me a new vision for the rest of my life.

This journey tied me up with true friendship and a beautiful family to care for.  Thanks all of you for making my journey outstandingly precious and unforgettable... :)    

Young Inspirations from Jagriti Yatra!!!

The moment I think about inspirations, Jagriti Yatra comes live to my mind, and puts me on a different world all together. Well, out of my basket of inspirations, I would like to pitch out one inspired story before all of you.

My life started at eleven years!

This is a story of a young man called Nitesh Sardana from Hisar, Hariyana. He happened to be one of the Yatri at Jagriti Yatra and fortunately clubbed into the same group where I was in. Nitesh was the first guy in my group, with whom I had my initial conversations in the Yatra, and the one who inspired me to the core of my heart. 

During Jagriti Yatra we had an ice breaker called life line exercise, this exercise not only brought all my group-mats closer as a family, but also put us on an inspired mode where all of us could segment an extraordinary approach out our ordinary life.

Well with out wasting more time here, I would like all of you to read Nitesh's life in his own words...

Like any other middle service class families, Nitesh’s parents always cut down their expenses and comfort for Nitesh and his sister's well being. Since the beginning of his life he was discovered with some problem in his throat, but no one in his town (Hisar, Haryana) was able to know the exact problem though he was being treated by many doctors. All those efforts were in vain. He was not confident about himself and had a very poor social life. And even his academic and non academic performances were poor.

The T-junction...

In 2002, when he was around 11  year old, he got operated in Sir Ganga Ram hospital, Delhi. He was diagnosed with two nodules in his throat which were operated. Here he got his first T-junction of his life. Hence, He had a fresh start in his life and excelled over it. As Nitesh says, his life actually started at the age of 11 instead of zero. 

Nitesh's life in a graphical manner!

He had a normal life from class 6 to 10, like a regular student with bit of ups and downs. In class nine, he just uttered that He would achieve 94% in class 10 and IIT by any cost. With his strong dedication, determination and of cause god's grace (as Nitesh says) both the things came true for him. And he wishes, he would have demanded more at that time.

"I'm not a slave of circumstances, I'm the master of my own destiny..."  

After class 10, he went to kota (A place in Rajasthan)  for his IIT JEE coaching. Initial few months over there were the lowest phase of his life. being a person who hates isolaition, he went under severe home sickness. though challenges were  sky touching, so as the commitments of Nitesh. At times he felt like giving up but his dreams kept him all along with the flow.  He gave IIT entrance exam and  got all India rank of 1454. With the help of the rank he got admission into Dual Degree Course of Mechanical Engineering Department at IIT Kharagpur. 

Being born and brought up in a middle class family, he has seen dreams remain dreams due to lack of affordability. he installed innovativeness within him from the beginning. In summer, he developed a spot cooling device which uses water for conditioning air. this device has been tried and tested and comes in a price of 2000 to 4000 rupees per unit. 

I could sense entrepreneurship in his talk, ideas and future ambitions. In future he wants to start his own manufacturing unit, which would manufacture this spot cooling device. Nitesh is an example for many youths in the country who keep them self out from the journey of success, and play the blame game to it's best. 

All the very best Nitesh for life ahead, I know you would excel over it in a meaningful manner, as you have been done till now... :)