http://getahead.rediff.com/report/2009/oct/20/specials-young-india-speaks-rohan-prakash.htm
Just go ahead and read the link. It features i-dream. As a part of their Get ahead series, Rediff.com has published my interview. From the marketing point of view, I do not see it as affecting our business much but as long as the article is there, I can atleast enjoy some moments of glory :).
The news however could have brought some more joy to me but a non encouraging reaction from some people close has not really helped the cause. This however only means that there is a lot more to do to prove myself. The question is AM I READY? The answer is YES. So, lets get going.
i-pod is missing someone, i dunno who but it has just switched on, " aakhein band kar lun to main dekhun bas tumhe...khwabon mein hi keh skta hun, apna tumhe.....rehne de mera ye waham pe hi yakeen...na jaaa abhi...pyaar ki ye raat hai ab na jaa.....choti si ek baat hai...ab na jaa". Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
The First Cheque
25 September, 2009: Today is the day when I got the first cheque in the name of i-dream. For that brief little period when I held the cheque in my hand and touched the feet of Karuna Verma Mam, I had tears in my eyes. They never came out though but the feeling inside me was something that I can never describe in words. One has to be there in the moment to understand the real feelings. And so i-dream is no longer a pre revenue concept :).
Nevertheless, it certainly marks a new chapter in the journey of i-dream. It reminds me that the journey has just begun and we have miles to go before we decide on further miles that we need to go. It also encourages me to go on during these tough times (amongst all the negative speculations), take the idea further and most importantly make it grow.
In the past two months, that I have been working with our first school, the experience has been amazing. The classes and students are now begining to be coming under my control as well as influence. There has still not been much change in the mindset of a lot of students, but some of them are begining to listen to me and understand what I am trying to convey. Its an indication that if a serious attempt is made, we can atleast ensure that our next generation will be a lot more environmentally conscious and caring, which would therefore ensure a safe future for all of us.
BTW guitar is now strumming in full flow. I also managed to write and compose a song, all by my own. Very small but for me it is a significant achievement in my attempt to understand music and its influence on my life.
Oh and my i-pod is happy but is playing a strange collection of song. Currently it goes something like this" O re manwa tu to bawra hai, tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai.....
tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai baawre...kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte,
jo barse sapne boond boond, nainon ko moond moond
kaise main chalun, dekh na sakun, anjaane raaste...
gunja sa koi hai ek tara, ek tara
gunjsa sa hai koi ek tara
gunja sa hai koi ek tara, ek tara....gunja sa ha koi ek tara"
Nevertheless, it certainly marks a new chapter in the journey of i-dream. It reminds me that the journey has just begun and we have miles to go before we decide on further miles that we need to go. It also encourages me to go on during these tough times (amongst all the negative speculations), take the idea further and most importantly make it grow.
In the past two months, that I have been working with our first school, the experience has been amazing. The classes and students are now begining to be coming under my control as well as influence. There has still not been much change in the mindset of a lot of students, but some of them are begining to listen to me and understand what I am trying to convey. Its an indication that if a serious attempt is made, we can atleast ensure that our next generation will be a lot more environmentally conscious and caring, which would therefore ensure a safe future for all of us.
BTW guitar is now strumming in full flow. I also managed to write and compose a song, all by my own. Very small but for me it is a significant achievement in my attempt to understand music and its influence on my life.
Oh and my i-pod is happy but is playing a strange collection of song. Currently it goes something like this" O re manwa tu to bawra hai, tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai.....
tu hi jaane tu kya sochta hai baawre...kyun dikhaye sapne tu sote jaagte,
jo barse sapne boond boond, nainon ko moond moond
kaise main chalun, dekh na sakun, anjaane raaste...
gunja sa koi hai ek tara, ek tara
gunjsa sa hai koi ek tara
gunja sa hai koi ek tara, ek tara....gunja sa ha koi ek tara"
Monday, August 31, 2009
Hey Wassup
Some time since I wrote the last time and trust me, a lot has happened since then. The most exciting thing being " Chamkile Bakre ki kahani".
I am refering to the 15 day acting workshop conducted by Vineet Kumar at Lodhi Road. The experience was just fantastic. I was always interested in acting and other aspects of making and designing a story and therefore through this workshop wanted to see for myself if my interest is actually sustainable. After having spent the 15 days designing and acting in a theatre play, I am convinced that this certainly is one of my interest areas. And now, I do have plans to pursue it. How?? I am yet to figure out but hopefully will do that in some time from now.
But as far as the workshop is concerned, the learnings were far beyond just the techniques of theatre. Theatre in true sense can teach you a lot about life as well. You make rules only to break them. You set benchmarks only to take the next step. You become a totally different person while on stage, you can solve your life's issues by being a part of the world of theatre. I feel it may be an illusion but it is amazing.
For i-dream, product development is still in progress. Rerceived some flak for a few sessions last week. I have tried to make up for it in today's session by including activities and live examples. Still waiting for the feedback though. At the same time however, we now need to start working aggresively on the marketing side. The target is to sign up atleast 10 schools by this year end. Anushree is doing a good job by developing some positive leads and we are hopeful that we would be able to sign up a few of them.
My i-pod is happy and is singing along, " Band baje hai conutry ka..haa band baje hai ki country ka". After all, its chamkile bakre ki kahani. Enjoy!
I am refering to the 15 day acting workshop conducted by Vineet Kumar at Lodhi Road. The experience was just fantastic. I was always interested in acting and other aspects of making and designing a story and therefore through this workshop wanted to see for myself if my interest is actually sustainable. After having spent the 15 days designing and acting in a theatre play, I am convinced that this certainly is one of my interest areas. And now, I do have plans to pursue it. How?? I am yet to figure out but hopefully will do that in some time from now.
But as far as the workshop is concerned, the learnings were far beyond just the techniques of theatre. Theatre in true sense can teach you a lot about life as well. You make rules only to break them. You set benchmarks only to take the next step. You become a totally different person while on stage, you can solve your life's issues by being a part of the world of theatre. I feel it may be an illusion but it is amazing.
For i-dream, product development is still in progress. Rerceived some flak for a few sessions last week. I have tried to make up for it in today's session by including activities and live examples. Still waiting for the feedback though. At the same time however, we now need to start working aggresively on the marketing side. The target is to sign up atleast 10 schools by this year end. Anushree is doing a good job by developing some positive leads and we are hopeful that we would be able to sign up a few of them.
My i-pod is happy and is singing along, " Band baje hai conutry ka..haa band baje hai ki country ka". After all, its chamkile bakre ki kahani. Enjoy!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Sir, May I go to toilet!
Imagine you are standing in front of 50 students from class VI to class VIII and this is what happens to you in the next one hour:
" Sir, may I go to the toilet"
"Sir, may I go to drink water"
"Sir, may I go an wash my hands"
"Sir, he is beating me and she is throwing pens at me"
"Sir, may I do my Maths homework"
"Sir, he has stolen my pencil box"
"Sir, Kalpana Mam is calling me"
"Sir, I need to go for basketball practise"
I do not know at the end of if, how would you react but I pulled out all my hairs. So much so that I had to then rush to a barber to get it all fixed up to avoid any further embarrassment. But, this is exactly what I have been through in the first few days since we have started our program. The good news however is that now I can claim that i-dream is underway. We have officially signed up our first school and began working in it since August.
However, the challenge as I had expected is huge. There are students who are just not interested in listening. These are those with typical Kya Farak Padta Hai attitude. Teachers and friends tell me, there will always be such students in every class. My argument: they are all equally capable, how can we inspire them to do extraordinary things in life. The challenge is more so when it comes to doing something for the environment because even the top 20% students need to be inspired equally. We will try but only time will tell if we can crack this up or not.
As far as i-dream is concerned, we are working full steam to get all the content in place. These days, I am not doing much of sales and involved only in content development and delivery. Once all our content is ready which should happen by end of September, we will go ahead with our sales plan. We would then need some good quality trainers as well.
Another latest is that, I have joined a theatre society in Delhi and will be attending their 15 day workshop beginning this sunday. Now I know, PP and Rashmi would yell their favourite words at me, " Nautanki". But I am sure, it would be interesting and fun.
It is finally raining in Delhi now and my i-pod says, " maine pehli baar mohabbat ki hai, maine aakhri baar mohabbat ki hai." Enjoy
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The First Break
Is it the end of our gestation period?
Well, it may just be so for i-dream. Today, we have verbally signed our first contract with the school. Hopefully, now there won't be any further problems and we would be able to begin the work in the school. The school in question is New State Academy located at Pitam Pura.
The school is headed by Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia and she is an extremely dynamic person. And I am not just saying because she has given us our first opportunity, but she has also encouraged us to chase our dreams and make it a reality.
With i-dream on the verge of getting its first school, the task ahead is huge. We would now need to sit and design all our content formally and give it a proper shape. This would I know require huge amount of effort and what is even more critical is that we need to complete the process fast as well. Meanwhile, my friend Anushree is doing a fantastic job covering all South Delhi schools. In her first few calls itself, she has been pretty impressive to talk through with the principals about i-dream. If, she does continue the way she is doing right now, I am quite positive, that we would be able to meet our first year targets. So, Kudos to her.
So, I am off to work now as there is lots that needs to be done. BTW today was also the day when my chota haathi (read my alto) completed a landmark 5000 Kms and it is therefore now due for its second service.
And my i-pod is enjoying the rains and is singing the romantic tune, " Tune jo na kaha main wo sunta raha, khaamkhan bewajah khwaab bunta raha". Enjoy!
Well, it may just be so for i-dream. Today, we have verbally signed our first contract with the school. Hopefully, now there won't be any further problems and we would be able to begin the work in the school. The school in question is New State Academy located at Pitam Pura.
The school is headed by Dr. Sangeeta Bhatia and she is an extremely dynamic person. And I am not just saying because she has given us our first opportunity, but she has also encouraged us to chase our dreams and make it a reality.
With i-dream on the verge of getting its first school, the task ahead is huge. We would now need to sit and design all our content formally and give it a proper shape. This would I know require huge amount of effort and what is even more critical is that we need to complete the process fast as well. Meanwhile, my friend Anushree is doing a fantastic job covering all South Delhi schools. In her first few calls itself, she has been pretty impressive to talk through with the principals about i-dream. If, she does continue the way she is doing right now, I am quite positive, that we would be able to meet our first year targets. So, Kudos to her.
So, I am off to work now as there is lots that needs to be done. BTW today was also the day when my chota haathi (read my alto) completed a landmark 5000 Kms and it is therefore now due for its second service.
And my i-pod is enjoying the rains and is singing the romantic tune, " Tune jo na kaha main wo sunta raha, khaamkhan bewajah khwaab bunta raha". Enjoy!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
The D-Day
And finally it happened. A small journey that started off on a dull afternoon culminated into my first ever meeting with the investors. I have no clue on what it took i-dream to be amongst the 1000 ideas from the total of 12000 which appeared in the first round. Very frankly, real work on the business plan had started only after I had cleared the first round. And then, i-dream managed to even clear the last hurdle and enter into the final round. May be it was the power of idea we had which was strong enough to be one amongst the 234 ideas which made it to the final round.
The final round involved a meeting with the potential investors. I have been preparing for this meeting since a very long time with innumerable days and hours going into it. On the D-day, Dad and me reached on time and we were asked to go into the meeting slightly before scheduled time of 11:45 AM. That the meeting lasted for more than 1.5 hours against the allotted time of 45 mins is a good enough indication of the fact that the things were all positive. The panel liked our idea, concept, marketing, sales strategy etc. However, the only point was that we are still a pre revenue company which therefore increases the risk from the investor's point of view. And very honestly, the point is fair as well. I mean why would someone want to invest money into an idea which is still at a very nascent stage. Secondly, we are trying to sell a concept and not really a product whose market exists already.
So, we may not get the immediate funding but the prospect of getting one is extremely high if we are able to prove our concept in the coming 5-6 months. Moreover, the entire exercise has also helped me give a definite shape to entire business plan which I feel is so critical for any new venture. It helps in more ways than one. Firstly, it sets the direction where you would see your venture shaping up in the years to come. And secondly, since you know your potential numbers much before, you also avoid a lot of frustration creeping into you during the early years when you may not be making all the profits.
As I have said before, " It may or may not, the dreamer will keep dreaming", and so it will be.
My i-pod somehow catches the mood of my guitar and keeps playing the same song, " Piyu bole..piya bole...kya ye bole...jaanu na". Enjoy!
The final round involved a meeting with the potential investors. I have been preparing for this meeting since a very long time with innumerable days and hours going into it. On the D-day, Dad and me reached on time and we were asked to go into the meeting slightly before scheduled time of 11:45 AM. That the meeting lasted for more than 1.5 hours against the allotted time of 45 mins is a good enough indication of the fact that the things were all positive. The panel liked our idea, concept, marketing, sales strategy etc. However, the only point was that we are still a pre revenue company which therefore increases the risk from the investor's point of view. And very honestly, the point is fair as well. I mean why would someone want to invest money into an idea which is still at a very nascent stage. Secondly, we are trying to sell a concept and not really a product whose market exists already.
So, we may not get the immediate funding but the prospect of getting one is extremely high if we are able to prove our concept in the coming 5-6 months. Moreover, the entire exercise has also helped me give a definite shape to entire business plan which I feel is so critical for any new venture. It helps in more ways than one. Firstly, it sets the direction where you would see your venture shaping up in the years to come. And secondly, since you know your potential numbers much before, you also avoid a lot of frustration creeping into you during the early years when you may not be making all the profits.
As I have said before, " It may or may not, the dreamer will keep dreaming", and so it will be.
My i-pod somehow catches the mood of my guitar and keeps playing the same song, " Piyu bole..piya bole...kya ye bole...jaanu na". Enjoy!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Website Launch
And so i-dream goes online. After a lot of patience, lot of time and a lot of thought, we have finally launched our website. It was a very normal affair unlike doing it in a press conference as suggested to me by a friend. I just reached home from office, logged on and here it was, the website was finally up.
So, mark this date of 10 June, 2009 as the official launching day for i-dream website.
Please log on to http://www.simplygreens.com/ and let me know your feedback/comments.
My ipod meanwhile has picked up my new favourite song, " gulon mein rang bhare, badalon bahar chale". Enjoy!
So, mark this date of 10 June, 2009 as the official launching day for i-dream website.
Please log on to http://www.simplygreens.com/ and let me know your feedback/comments.
My ipod meanwhile has picked up my new favourite song, " gulon mein rang bhare, badalon bahar chale". Enjoy!
Monday, June 8, 2009
i-dream makes the Final Cut
Some good news for i-dream. Out of 12, 000 ideas that were shortlisted in the first round at ET-Power of Ideas Contest, i-dream is among the 254 finally selected for the final round of presentation in front of the investors.
As for the final round, I have also been assigned a mentor who will review the B-Plan with me and help fine tune it before the final presentation. I have not met him yet but his profile as per his company's website looks very promising. I am sure it would be exciting to meet him and discuss about i-dream.
More than the selection in to the final round and the amount of money it might bring in, I am glad that the idea is finding some acceptability when it comes to making business sense out of the same. Also, making the business plan has given a lot more direction to the way we need to approach about i-dream irrespective of whether we get the money or not. All in all, the connection with the ET initiative has certainly been of some utility for me. Lets see how it goes on from here.
My i-pod is playing the same that I am currently playing onmy guitar, " Jab se tere naina..mere nainon se ..laage re...." Enjoy!
As for the final round, I have also been assigned a mentor who will review the B-Plan with me and help fine tune it before the final presentation. I have not met him yet but his profile as per his company's website looks very promising. I am sure it would be exciting to meet him and discuss about i-dream.
More than the selection in to the final round and the amount of money it might bring in, I am glad that the idea is finding some acceptability when it comes to making business sense out of the same. Also, making the business plan has given a lot more direction to the way we need to approach about i-dream irrespective of whether we get the money or not. All in all, the connection with the ET initiative has certainly been of some utility for me. Lets see how it goes on from here.
My i-pod is playing the same that I am currently playing onmy guitar, " Jab se tere naina..mere nainon se ..laage re...." Enjoy!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Competition is hotting up...
Just read about one of TERI's initiative in the field of environment education. What they are trying to do is very similar to our concept as well. In such a scenario, the odds are certainly stacked against us. And there are reasons as well.
TERI is ofcourse a very big and influential organization when it comes to anything to do with environment. And after Dr. Pachauri got the nobel prize, TERI has come under a lot more limelight. However, I must admit that they are doing fantastic job as well undertaking several very good research projects. Moreover, it is much easier for them to get any sort of tie-up whether in media or any sponsorship. Akshay Kumar infact endorses their Soldiers of the Earth comic series.
But, how well are they able to sustain their initiative on environment education is something that I would need to watch out for. Because if they do manage to do well, it will create some very stiff competition for us, atleast in the city of Delhi. Lets see how it goes on from here. Some highlights of TERI's initiative:
"The Soldiers of the Earth campaign, an all encompassing, environmental awareness generation programme launched by TERI Press, the publishing arm of TERI and India's first green publisher, in collaboration with the ONGC is all set to go to the grassroots with the start of their school awareness programme in early July this year.
The programme includes innovative components like books, workshops, educational learning material to educate, train and encourage children from all walks of life to learn more about the world they live in and encourage them to act towards saving their planet.
This phase aims to raise awareness among school children towards conservation of the environment in the school, at home and in the locality. Activities such as rainwater harvesting; vermi-composting; tree plantation, slogan-writing, and poster-painting competitions, as well as 'reduce, reuse, recycle' campaigns would be carried forward in schools across India"
My i-pod is reminding me of the Lagaan spirit,
" koi humse jeet na paave...chale chalo..chale chalo.." Enjoy!
TERI is ofcourse a very big and influential organization when it comes to anything to do with environment. And after Dr. Pachauri got the nobel prize, TERI has come under a lot more limelight. However, I must admit that they are doing fantastic job as well undertaking several very good research projects. Moreover, it is much easier for them to get any sort of tie-up whether in media or any sponsorship. Akshay Kumar infact endorses their Soldiers of the Earth comic series.
But, how well are they able to sustain their initiative on environment education is something that I would need to watch out for. Because if they do manage to do well, it will create some very stiff competition for us, atleast in the city of Delhi. Lets see how it goes on from here. Some highlights of TERI's initiative:
"The Soldiers of the Earth campaign, an all encompassing, environmental awareness generation programme launched by TERI Press, the publishing arm of TERI and India's first green publisher, in collaboration with the ONGC is all set to go to the grassroots with the start of their school awareness programme in early July this year.
The programme includes innovative components like books, workshops, educational learning material to educate, train and encourage children from all walks of life to learn more about the world they live in and encourage them to act towards saving their planet.
This phase aims to raise awareness among school children towards conservation of the environment in the school, at home and in the locality. Activities such as rainwater harvesting; vermi-composting; tree plantation, slogan-writing, and poster-painting competitions, as well as 'reduce, reuse, recycle' campaigns would be carried forward in schools across India"
My i-pod is reminding me of the Lagaan spirit,
" koi humse jeet na paave...chale chalo..chale chalo.." Enjoy!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Disillussioned
What happens when someone close to you does not trust you with what you are doing? You fill completely demoralised and as the title of the post says completely disillussioned. You don't feel like moving ahead, you begin to lose your passion and the worst you begin to question yourself with what you are doing in your life. The question of "What if" becomes all the more stronger.
So, what do we do in such situations. And one will face such a scenario if one is undergoing a journey which does not define the usual convention. If someone has a certain answer to it, you know whom to talk to. I am as of now, completely blank not clueless though. I feel like running away somewhere far far away. Let me know if you have an answer.
And things are so fizzled out that even my i-pod has exhausted all the battery and is lying motionless in one corner.
So, what do we do in such situations. And one will face such a scenario if one is undergoing a journey which does not define the usual convention. If someone has a certain answer to it, you know whom to talk to. I am as of now, completely blank not clueless though. I feel like running away somewhere far far away. Let me know if you have an answer.
And things are so fizzled out that even my i-pod has exhausted all the battery and is lying motionless in one corner.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Last few days.....
Last few days have been tough and why?
1. Temperature is at an all time high in Delhi
2. Suffered a major disappointment when a potential contract could not materialize on an immediate notice
3. A thing as basic as a website is getting delayed. Numerous vendors, so many prices, so much negotiations and it is still not decided on who is designing the website
4. Brochure designing and then re-designing, editing, giving them for prints but the wrong format. I had to wait for two days for the printer to turn up again to take the correct format. ( I must mention here Praveen, for patiently being with me on this)
5. Have been sending out numerous mails to a lot of people for potential tie-ups, but none have responded. I don't understand, when people do not have to respond to mails, then why do they mention the e-mail ids on their website?
6. No commerical success means no cash flow. Its been five months now ( the sixth month has started) since I started working on this idea. Though no money crunch yet ( thanks to my previous empl0yer) but need to work out on something so as to generate some immediate cash inflow. I cannot use all my savings to finance my monthly expenses, they are meant to be invested into business and so they should be
7. Most importantly, people have started questioning on what I am doing. Quote from "Pursuit of Happiness", " If you believe in your dreams, do not let anyone, I mean anyone come in between you and your dreams". The words may not match exactly, but the essence is the same
But after about a month of struggling with all the above things and many more, the update is:
1. Brochure designing is done and they are getting printed
2. The entire content is now structured and very well defined
3. Have started working out on an alternate plan to generate some immediate cash flow. It will be launched in one-two days. Hoping it will be some success.
4. My belief is still intact. The fight ain't over yet.
" Yesterday you were poised to do big things, Today Take Flight"\
My i-pod finally syncs in with my my mood,
" socha kaha tha, yeh jo, yeh jo ho gaya
maana kaha tha, yeh lo, yeh lo ho gaya
chutaki koi kaato na hai hum toh hosh mein
kadmon ko thaamo yeh hai udate josh mein
baadal pe paanv hain,
ya jhuta daanv haia
bb toh bhay chal pade
apani yeh naav hai"
1. Temperature is at an all time high in Delhi
2. Suffered a major disappointment when a potential contract could not materialize on an immediate notice
3. A thing as basic as a website is getting delayed. Numerous vendors, so many prices, so much negotiations and it is still not decided on who is designing the website
4. Brochure designing and then re-designing, editing, giving them for prints but the wrong format. I had to wait for two days for the printer to turn up again to take the correct format. ( I must mention here Praveen, for patiently being with me on this)
5. Have been sending out numerous mails to a lot of people for potential tie-ups, but none have responded. I don't understand, when people do not have to respond to mails, then why do they mention the e-mail ids on their website?
6. No commerical success means no cash flow. Its been five months now ( the sixth month has started) since I started working on this idea. Though no money crunch yet ( thanks to my previous empl0yer) but need to work out on something so as to generate some immediate cash inflow. I cannot use all my savings to finance my monthly expenses, they are meant to be invested into business and so they should be
7. Most importantly, people have started questioning on what I am doing. Quote from "Pursuit of Happiness", " If you believe in your dreams, do not let anyone, I mean anyone come in between you and your dreams". The words may not match exactly, but the essence is the same
But after about a month of struggling with all the above things and many more, the update is:
1. Brochure designing is done and they are getting printed
2. The entire content is now structured and very well defined
3. Have started working out on an alternate plan to generate some immediate cash flow. It will be launched in one-two days. Hoping it will be some success.
4. My belief is still intact. The fight ain't over yet.
" Yesterday you were poised to do big things, Today Take Flight"\
My i-pod finally syncs in with my my mood,
" socha kaha tha, yeh jo, yeh jo ho gaya
maana kaha tha, yeh lo, yeh lo ho gaya
chutaki koi kaato na hai hum toh hosh mein
kadmon ko thaamo yeh hai udate josh mein
baadal pe paanv hain,
ya jhuta daanv haia
bb toh bhay chal pade
apani yeh naav hai"
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Sometimes its just not your day!
I woke up today in the morning knowing I had nothing much to do through the day. Very lazily got ready, drove all the way to DU only to spend just two minutes and drive back to the office. On the way, while I was sitting idle in my car over a red light, a santro hits me from behind. The girl gestures to me as if she has obliged me by hitting my car. I mean, this is the worst that can happen for an accident. You are relaxing, your engine closed as it is a long red light and still someone ( and that too a girl) manages to hit you and leave a scar on the body of your newly bought car.
Sometimes few days of action are followed by a few days of lull. On some days, the vision is crystal clear and yet there are days when things appear a bit blurred. These days currently are silent days. Somehow, after setting up the base, things are not moving forward with the same speed I had expected them to. There could be several reasons to it as well, some personal, some strategic. And then there are days like today, when you feel like letting yourself loose. I wish I could get the best bunch of friends together, go out for a movie, have a good lunch/dinner and simply freak out. A conventional thinker at such a point would tell me that this is not how entrepreneurs should behave. They should be full of energy and confidence at all times.
I say that when we read about entreprenuers, somehow those few pages of a book are unable to capture the essence of their actual struggle. Because if they actually would have, I am sure I can then defy the conventional thinking. Anyways, whatever it may be, as of today, even though my vision is clear, it is yet somewhat blurred and there is a slight lack of assurance about the same. But I understand one thing for sure, this is not the end, this is just the begining of where I want to be and I need to defy these odds and look ahead. But it is easier said than done. Sitting here in my office, I am undergoing a very strange feeling. Good thing is I am not leaving it here, atleast not before I fight it out. Yet, I must admit that today is a strange day.
Even my i-pod is not in a mood to play any refreshing number. And so, I will finish on a thought that I learned recently:
Its never the end that matters...
Its how you finish it
Can you finish it Strong?
Here's hoping that the dullness in the air will soon go away and the rest of the day will shape out well. Amen!
Sometimes few days of action are followed by a few days of lull. On some days, the vision is crystal clear and yet there are days when things appear a bit blurred. These days currently are silent days. Somehow, after setting up the base, things are not moving forward with the same speed I had expected them to. There could be several reasons to it as well, some personal, some strategic. And then there are days like today, when you feel like letting yourself loose. I wish I could get the best bunch of friends together, go out for a movie, have a good lunch/dinner and simply freak out. A conventional thinker at such a point would tell me that this is not how entrepreneurs should behave. They should be full of energy and confidence at all times.
I say that when we read about entreprenuers, somehow those few pages of a book are unable to capture the essence of their actual struggle. Because if they actually would have, I am sure I can then defy the conventional thinking. Anyways, whatever it may be, as of today, even though my vision is clear, it is yet somewhat blurred and there is a slight lack of assurance about the same. But I understand one thing for sure, this is not the end, this is just the begining of where I want to be and I need to defy these odds and look ahead. But it is easier said than done. Sitting here in my office, I am undergoing a very strange feeling. Good thing is I am not leaving it here, atleast not before I fight it out. Yet, I must admit that today is a strange day.
Even my i-pod is not in a mood to play any refreshing number. And so, I will finish on a thought that I learned recently:
Its never the end that matters...
Its how you finish it
Can you finish it Strong?
Here's hoping that the dullness in the air will soon go away and the rest of the day will shape out well. Amen!
Monday, March 2, 2009
What does it take to educate a Child?
The tagline of Shiksha Campaign says, "Padhega India...Badhega India". Very simply it means, education is so much of a necessity in these times for an individual and for a country to grow and prosper. And I am sure I don't need to write why?
Few weeks back I had gone to a Pakkakheda Village, Karnal, some 150 kms or 2.5 hours car drive from Delhi. Suddenly, you are in a world, which is in complete contrast to what we experience in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai etc or even Tier-II cities like Pune, Chandigarh etc. Electricity comes every alternate day, people are reluctant to send their girl child to near by schools, people marry off their daughters at an age of 13-15 years. To fight against such a mindset at their ages is one hell of a task. Probably to an extent it is even out of our hands. But our future is certainly in our hands and if we make a choice, we can shape it as we want it to be.
By educating our future generation we can atleast prevent such thoughts from entering into these innocent minds. There are a number of people across the country who are working at providing free education to children, several NGOs in cooperation with government are running several programs to help fecilitate the same.
We, at Sarthak Prayas are also trying to spread this movement. In the same village I mentioned earlier, we are now running a school, "Divya Sanskar" providing free education to 250 students from nursery to X. This is just a start, our aim is to help any child study well till graduation. It is the basic right of every individual and all of us can help these innocent little children to gain access to the best of what world can offer.
In one of the recent seminars, Harsh said that all we need to do is cut down on one single outing to a restaurant in a year, buy one shirt less or not watch one movie in theatre in a year and with that money we can help a child study, we can bring a smile to someone's face and we can help shape our future. As I always say in my workshops on environment, The Choice is Yours!!!
I will log off with this thought, " Sometimes you got to create what you want to be part of. Those are the very moments when you create your destiny."
By the way i-pod has switched on a wonderful song, " jab hawaein sunati hai tere mere pyaar ki dastan ,sunati hai ye fiza, sunati hai ye zameen , sunata hai aasmaan........isiliye phoolon mein kaliyon mein khushboo hai, isliye parvaton jharno mein jaado hai, isliye nikhre hain..raadte vaadiyan" from Luck By Chance. Enjoy!
Few weeks back I had gone to a Pakkakheda Village, Karnal, some 150 kms or 2.5 hours car drive from Delhi. Suddenly, you are in a world, which is in complete contrast to what we experience in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai etc or even Tier-II cities like Pune, Chandigarh etc. Electricity comes every alternate day, people are reluctant to send their girl child to near by schools, people marry off their daughters at an age of 13-15 years. To fight against such a mindset at their ages is one hell of a task. Probably to an extent it is even out of our hands. But our future is certainly in our hands and if we make a choice, we can shape it as we want it to be.
By educating our future generation we can atleast prevent such thoughts from entering into these innocent minds. There are a number of people across the country who are working at providing free education to children, several NGOs in cooperation with government are running several programs to help fecilitate the same.
We, at Sarthak Prayas are also trying to spread this movement. In the same village I mentioned earlier, we are now running a school, "Divya Sanskar" providing free education to 250 students from nursery to X. This is just a start, our aim is to help any child study well till graduation. It is the basic right of every individual and all of us can help these innocent little children to gain access to the best of what world can offer.
In one of the recent seminars, Harsh said that all we need to do is cut down on one single outing to a restaurant in a year, buy one shirt less or not watch one movie in theatre in a year and with that money we can help a child study, we can bring a smile to someone's face and we can help shape our future. As I always say in my workshops on environment, The Choice is Yours!!!
I will log off with this thought, " Sometimes you got to create what you want to be part of. Those are the very moments when you create your destiny."
By the way i-pod has switched on a wonderful song, " jab hawaein sunati hai tere mere pyaar ki dastan ,sunati hai ye fiza, sunati hai ye zameen , sunata hai aasmaan........isiliye phoolon mein kaliyon mein khushboo hai, isliye parvaton jharno mein jaado hai, isliye nikhre hain..raadte vaadiyan" from Luck By Chance. Enjoy!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Day will come
Last week I had visited an institution named Maharaj Surajmal College of Education for a meeting with the Head of the department. As I finished telling him about our initiative, he appeared interested and asked me to meet the Director of the institution because it would be he who would ultimately give the final consent.
Upon requesting the receptionist to set up a meeting, she in turn asked me to meet some administrative officer Mr.Chopra. He was already in a meeting with someone and so I had to wait for about half n hour to enter into his cubicle. As I was introducing myself, he told me that his students are far too much busy in their studies and therefore have no time for such things. I tried to reason him out on this but he got slightly disturbed and told me that he has been doing a lot of things around for the environment. I asked him to tell me two positive things that he might have done in the last ten years for the environment which would also inspire me to do the same and protect our planet. Upon hearing this he came down heavily on me. And obviously so, because he had no answers to what I asked him. We got into some arguments and ultimately I had to leave but not before I said a big Thank You to him.
The reason I must thank that gentleman are twofold. First, it makes me a lot more determined in my fight against this change of mindset which I had also mentioned in my last post. If we at i-dream can do things to influence such tough nuts, it will be a real victory for us. Secondly, I feel that Mr.Chopra in his capacity as an administrative officer had absolutely no right to talk to me like that and misbehave. I guess just because I am nobody right now, did he dare to talk to me like that. I do understand that these are the challenges which would come along in this entrepreneurial journey, but then it is these challenges which make me a lot more convinced that we need to do something so good and so big that these very people stand up as we enter their rooms. As the title says, hopefully one day that Day will come. Till then, its Thanks You to Mr. Chopra.
My i-pod simply loves Shahrukh Khan, the king of romance and just can't get over the latest hit, " khudaya khair...khudya khair" from Billu without the barber. Enjoy!
Upon requesting the receptionist to set up a meeting, she in turn asked me to meet some administrative officer Mr.Chopra. He was already in a meeting with someone and so I had to wait for about half n hour to enter into his cubicle. As I was introducing myself, he told me that his students are far too much busy in their studies and therefore have no time for such things. I tried to reason him out on this but he got slightly disturbed and told me that he has been doing a lot of things around for the environment. I asked him to tell me two positive things that he might have done in the last ten years for the environment which would also inspire me to do the same and protect our planet. Upon hearing this he came down heavily on me. And obviously so, because he had no answers to what I asked him. We got into some arguments and ultimately I had to leave but not before I said a big Thank You to him.
The reason I must thank that gentleman are twofold. First, it makes me a lot more determined in my fight against this change of mindset which I had also mentioned in my last post. If we at i-dream can do things to influence such tough nuts, it will be a real victory for us. Secondly, I feel that Mr.Chopra in his capacity as an administrative officer had absolutely no right to talk to me like that and misbehave. I guess just because I am nobody right now, did he dare to talk to me like that. I do understand that these are the challenges which would come along in this entrepreneurial journey, but then it is these challenges which make me a lot more convinced that we need to do something so good and so big that these very people stand up as we enter their rooms. As the title says, hopefully one day that Day will come. Till then, its Thanks You to Mr. Chopra.
My i-pod simply loves Shahrukh Khan, the king of romance and just can't get over the latest hit, " khudaya khair...khudya khair" from Billu without the barber. Enjoy!
Friday, February 20, 2009
First Orientation Session
The latest from i-dream is that we have designed a new 2 Day workshop for the students at the graduate and the undergraduate level. The idea is to go to the youths of the country and try to influence their mindset. A very difficult task, I can assure you.
I did my first orientation session regarding the same today at College of Education, a B.Ed college imparting training to future teachers. We know that this profession was once a worshipped one but today it has become a lot more commericalized. Nonetheless, a teacher still has enormous power in his/her own individual capacity to influence a large number of minds during their entire lifetime.
Students and other people present today liked the session, but when I asked them whether they would be willing to spend Rs. 300 to train themselves on environment, only 10 out of I think 70 odd people said yes. That is the irony of the situation. I asked them if I give you Rs. 500, what would they do with it. I heard all the typical answers like shopping, movie, good food etc but none came up with a socially relevant answer. That is certainly unfortunate but then that is also the reality. And it is against this mindset only that I am fighting.
The journey to a green tomorrow is a journey about joining the dots. The dots in this case refer to the people. It is not like we talk to some 100 people, educate them about environment and everything would be set right. This journey has to go on from one group to another, one institution to another, one area to another, one city to another and may be ultimately from one country to another country. Its a slow journey but trust me, its worth it. And I am sure and I hope that others will join in the journey as well, sooner or later.
My i-pod is enjoying the feel of this wonderful city of Delhi these days and with Dilli-6 releasing today, it has as usual got the perfect timing by switching on now, " ye shahar nahin mehfil hai, ye dilli hai mere yaar". Enjoy!
I did my first orientation session regarding the same today at College of Education, a B.Ed college imparting training to future teachers. We know that this profession was once a worshipped one but today it has become a lot more commericalized. Nonetheless, a teacher still has enormous power in his/her own individual capacity to influence a large number of minds during their entire lifetime.
Students and other people present today liked the session, but when I asked them whether they would be willing to spend Rs. 300 to train themselves on environment, only 10 out of I think 70 odd people said yes. That is the irony of the situation. I asked them if I give you Rs. 500, what would they do with it. I heard all the typical answers like shopping, movie, good food etc but none came up with a socially relevant answer. That is certainly unfortunate but then that is also the reality. And it is against this mindset only that I am fighting.
The journey to a green tomorrow is a journey about joining the dots. The dots in this case refer to the people. It is not like we talk to some 100 people, educate them about environment and everything would be set right. This journey has to go on from one group to another, one institution to another, one area to another, one city to another and may be ultimately from one country to another country. Its a slow journey but trust me, its worth it. And I am sure and I hope that others will join in the journey as well, sooner or later.
My i-pod is enjoying the feel of this wonderful city of Delhi these days and with Dilli-6 releasing today, it has as usual got the perfect timing by switching on now, " ye shahar nahin mehfil hai, ye dilli hai mere yaar". Enjoy!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
A start
As mentioned in my earlier post, today was supposed to be my first professional workshop. Going by what happened yesterday, I was just keeping my fingers crossed and sincerely wishing that the day long workshop would actually happen. Yesterday, I had given a call to the principal of the institute reminding her of the workshop to which she replied that she has completely forgotten about it and she just can't seem to remember who I was. Imagine, how one would feel by getting such a shock. But gladly it was like a Zor ka Jhatka dheere se lage types as the principal did agree and asked me to come over.
I reached well before time and set up everything. And then the first batch arrived, about a 50 odd students, one round of introduction and then began the workshop and I started speaking. One workshop happened and then the second, a lunch break, the third and then the fourth one. By the time, all the workshops ended, I had already realized that this is it, this is exactly what I would loved to do and got greatly convinced not only about the workshop which I had designed but also on the purpose behind it. I sincerely hope that a large number of students would have got a little more enlightened by listening to me today but practically even if 10 out of those students would go on to do something about global warming or pollution, I would consider myself extremely satisfied. I forgot to mention though that all the 4 sessions went well and were very well received by the students as well as the teachers present.
Even Harsh from Sarthak Prayas was present to see one of the sessions and am glad that he too liked it. In fact today only we came to know that an NGO mela is being organized in the school for which now even we are participating. This would not only give us a good exposure but also help us get some volunteers.
So, at it stands now, the revenue figure of "i-dream" stands at Rs. 1050. The figure is not important, what is important is the satisfaction that I had at the end.
My i-pod is happy as well and it is going Rock On! after a long time.
"Socha hai ya tumne kya kabhi
Socha hai ki hain kya sabhi
Socha nahin to Socho abhi"
Enjoy!
I reached well before time and set up everything. And then the first batch arrived, about a 50 odd students, one round of introduction and then began the workshop and I started speaking. One workshop happened and then the second, a lunch break, the third and then the fourth one. By the time, all the workshops ended, I had already realized that this is it, this is exactly what I would loved to do and got greatly convinced not only about the workshop which I had designed but also on the purpose behind it. I sincerely hope that a large number of students would have got a little more enlightened by listening to me today but practically even if 10 out of those students would go on to do something about global warming or pollution, I would consider myself extremely satisfied. I forgot to mention though that all the 4 sessions went well and were very well received by the students as well as the teachers present.
Even Harsh from Sarthak Prayas was present to see one of the sessions and am glad that he too liked it. In fact today only we came to know that an NGO mela is being organized in the school for which now even we are participating. This would not only give us a good exposure but also help us get some volunteers.
So, at it stands now, the revenue figure of "i-dream" stands at Rs. 1050. The figure is not important, what is important is the satisfaction that I had at the end.
My i-pod is happy as well and it is going Rock On! after a long time.
"Socha hai ya tumne kya kabhi
Socha hai ki hain kya sabhi
Socha nahin to Socho abhi"
Enjoy!
Monday, January 19, 2009
Another Step forward
For the first time in my life I met an entreprenuer, whose satisfaction lies not in creating a big successful enterprise but in doing work which we conventionally associate with an NGO such as organizing blood donation camps, maitaning a blood bank, AIDS awareness, children's education, old age home etc. The work which he has already done and which he plans to do truly reinforced my thought to belief in yourself and give everything you got to turn your dreams into reality. The end result is immaterial, whether you make it or not does not matter so much in the end, its the inner satisfaction of having tried something you believed in, it is the effort, it is the journey that matters the most.
Meeting him also gave me a wonderful opportunity to involve myself in such an initiative. After the first few meeting, we have decided to work in collaboration which in business term means that we both join hands and now work together for the cause of environment and the society. Lets see how this association goes on from here.
On the business front, things seem to be progressing though still no major breakthrough. If things happen as per schedule, on wednesday, 21 Jan, I may be doing my first professional session on global warming, which would make it my first case of revenue generation. But lets not speculate much until the session has finally happened. I will update the status day after.
PPs marriage is nearing fast and am certainly excited. With all friends coming down to Delhi, am sure it would be fun filled two days.
My i-pod has turned spooky and has developed some love for this certain Raaz which only he knows. Enjoy the song as I try and figure out the Raaz.
"Tujhe mil ke laga hai ye, tujhe dhoondh raha tha main
Tujhme hai kuch aisi subah sa, jiske khaatir main tha jagah sa
aa tu mere khwaab saja re, "
Meeting him also gave me a wonderful opportunity to involve myself in such an initiative. After the first few meeting, we have decided to work in collaboration which in business term means that we both join hands and now work together for the cause of environment and the society. Lets see how this association goes on from here.
On the business front, things seem to be progressing though still no major breakthrough. If things happen as per schedule, on wednesday, 21 Jan, I may be doing my first professional session on global warming, which would make it my first case of revenue generation. But lets not speculate much until the session has finally happened. I will update the status day after.
PPs marriage is nearing fast and am certainly excited. With all friends coming down to Delhi, am sure it would be fun filled two days.
My i-pod has turned spooky and has developed some love for this certain Raaz which only he knows. Enjoy the song as I try and figure out the Raaz.
"Tujhe mil ke laga hai ye, tujhe dhoondh raha tha main
Tujhme hai kuch aisi subah sa, jiske khaatir main tha jagah sa
aa tu mere khwaab saja re, "
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Here come the Chota Haathi
15 January, 2009, lets mark this date because today has arrived the Chota Haathi. Its nothing but a beautiful silky silver coloured Maruti Alto Car. In a way, it becomes my first owned car, as it was financed partly through my savings and partly by my dad. And I shared the first ride with my very good friend Ankur and hence we now become life partners. But I would like to thank him, for buying my car means a lot to me and it was he who stood there with me waiting for endless hours before we got to drive the car...may be I bored him a bit today but I guess he has teased me enough to deserve this and even more :).
I also take buying this car as an investment into my business. In fact it is the first major investment that I have made so far in the business if I consider just the value of money. The car now would ease my movements through the city and help me cover distances faster than earlier. I sincerely hope that this investment would start to bear fruits as well and that too soon.
On the work front, nothing substantial has yet happened in terms of revenue generation though there are a number of prospects which seem to developing well. At this point, lets just keep fingers crossed and keep working at it with full enthusiasm and passion.
The best thing however are the guitar lessons. Chord lessons are now almost over and by how things stand right now, I am getting better at them. From this week, the lessons would get one step tougher when we would start to mix leads with chords. With a lot of practise and even a lot more of patience, I am sure I would only get better. So Rock On!.
My i-pod is happy today, as we just came from a good drive and had a real nice dinner as well. It is now playing, " Shut Up n Bounce" from Dostana. Enjoy!!!
I also take buying this car as an investment into my business. In fact it is the first major investment that I have made so far in the business if I consider just the value of money. The car now would ease my movements through the city and help me cover distances faster than earlier. I sincerely hope that this investment would start to bear fruits as well and that too soon.
On the work front, nothing substantial has yet happened in terms of revenue generation though there are a number of prospects which seem to developing well. At this point, lets just keep fingers crossed and keep working at it with full enthusiasm and passion.
The best thing however are the guitar lessons. Chord lessons are now almost over and by how things stand right now, I am getting better at them. From this week, the lessons would get one step tougher when we would start to mix leads with chords. With a lot of practise and even a lot more of patience, I am sure I would only get better. So Rock On!.
My i-pod is happy today, as we just came from a good drive and had a real nice dinner as well. It is now playing, " Shut Up n Bounce" from Dostana. Enjoy!!!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
New Year and the Journey continues....
2009 has come and plans have been laid out for the year ahead. The aim is to reach out to more and more number of students and spread the message of environment protection.
These days, the things are going slow. With schools closed for the winter vacation, I cannot even approach them. Hopefully from next week onwards, work would pick up some pace yet again as schools would start opening up. In the meanwhile, a friend of mine from school, Shifu Gupta has joined me and will be helping me in this endeavour. She is a Math teacher at school and going by what I have seen of her so far, she is a very good one too. What impressed me most about her was when I was thanking her for deciding to help me out, her attitude was that I don't need to do that. And the reason she gave me was that like me, she too wanted to do it and she is therfore making a very conscious choice. She also said that if we work hard there is no reason why we won't be successful. Hopefully, she will be able to maintain her enthusiasm for all the times to come.
My best friend from JMI, Gaurav will soon be leaving for US, in fact he is leaving in three days now. He is going to CMU, a very prestigious university to complete his MS. I am extremely glad that he is now going on to do what he really wanted to do and hopefully it will pave the way for all his dreams to come true. I wish him luck and all the success in the times to come. Work hard buddy for you deserve it all. However, I must confess that I would miss the good times that we have had and those long chats discussing the next technological trend and the next big business opportunity.
Its getting extremely cold out here in Delhi and my i-pod just loves this weather for it makes it go all romantic as it plays for the first time an english number, but the most romantic song ever, “My heart will go on....". As you sleep off, enjoy the song!
These days, the things are going slow. With schools closed for the winter vacation, I cannot even approach them. Hopefully from next week onwards, work would pick up some pace yet again as schools would start opening up. In the meanwhile, a friend of mine from school, Shifu Gupta has joined me and will be helping me in this endeavour. She is a Math teacher at school and going by what I have seen of her so far, she is a very good one too. What impressed me most about her was when I was thanking her for deciding to help me out, her attitude was that I don't need to do that. And the reason she gave me was that like me, she too wanted to do it and she is therfore making a very conscious choice. She also said that if we work hard there is no reason why we won't be successful. Hopefully, she will be able to maintain her enthusiasm for all the times to come.
My best friend from JMI, Gaurav will soon be leaving for US, in fact he is leaving in three days now. He is going to CMU, a very prestigious university to complete his MS. I am extremely glad that he is now going on to do what he really wanted to do and hopefully it will pave the way for all his dreams to come true. I wish him luck and all the success in the times to come. Work hard buddy for you deserve it all. However, I must confess that I would miss the good times that we have had and those long chats discussing the next technological trend and the next big business opportunity.
Its getting extremely cold out here in Delhi and my i-pod just loves this weather for it makes it go all romantic as it plays for the first time an english number, but the most romantic song ever, “My heart will go on....". As you sleep off, enjoy the song!
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