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.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
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!
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