Humans of
Surat

This realisation turned into my inspiration soon

Coming from Delhi, I always thought that I had an upper hand in everything I do, that I'm very blessed. This attitude made me feel superior and fed my ego. This is when my father came up to me and told me that this fancy life that you live is all made for you, but that doesn't mean you choose the pessimistic lens, consider yourself lucky and have a down-to-earth attitude. I didn't get it then, but gradually I started noticing things, I started noticing how hard my parents work for the life I'm living. This realization turned into my inspiration soon. I started looking at things that interested me like modeling. I started participating in various shows, but initially, all I got is rejection. I used to get upset and even thought of leaving this field. Although, that's when I thought that it doesn't matter if you're successful or not, everything vanishes the moment you stop trying. I continued this charade and soon I won Mr. Teen Surat. I couldn't believe my ears. Later, I became the finalist of Mr. Teen India, but since it was my final year in school, I had to back off. This pinched me. People come up to me and ask me " Don't you want to turn your passion into your career?” I love modeling and will continue pursuing it, but there is a limit to everything - passion and profession shouldn’t be merged. There's a lot to come in my life, my interests may change,but it doesn't matter. I'm neither terrified nor prepared because I know that eventually, every obstacle shall pass.

It takes more than a little trigger to trigger me.

“ I’ve been born and brought up in Surat - always putting my hundred percent in everything I do. I opted for science in my senior years and then pursued computer science in college. Later on, to specialize in a creative field, I was conflicted between music and film-making and after a lot of thought, I decided to do a three-year diploma course on visual effects and film-making. Now, I'm a food photographer and a filmmaker with clients ranging from local to global. Although, something didn't seem right a few years back. I started having severe mood swings and almost reached the stage of depression. This is when one of my closest friends suggested going to consult a doctor. I resisted but then agreed later on. I found out that I have bipolar disorder. ' Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks.' My life came to a halt. The doctor prescribed me hundreds of medicines, but I decided to choose another path. Following the mantra of 'Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living and your belief will create the fact.', I chose the path of 'The Art of Living'. While pursuing the art of living, I even got the chance to perform my music in front of my beloved Master Sri Sri Ravi Shankar himself on my birthday, making it one of the happiest moments of my life. After finding out about this disorder, I started relying on 'The Art of Living' more than ever and it hasn't disappointed me once. Yoga and meditation have helped me remain creative as well as happy - both extremely important factors in my field of work. It has kept me centered and hard-wired my brain to remain optimistic. Currently, I'm back on track, living a dream, I once dreamt of, with the most wonderful clients and the best part? It takes more than a little trigger to trigger me, or I'm what you call 'organized chaos'. “

I have no idea how to describe my relationship with him

Dedu : " You're not using the phone today, it's not Saturday" Chicken: " Then, you should keep the phone." "I have no idea how to describe my relationship with him. We do everything together, from listening to music to playing cricket. Even if I'm late from work, I'll never say no to him because I know every moment is precious. Although, that doesn't mean we don't have rules. I let him be as mischievous as he wants, but he should be disciplined. Once I enter the house, every electronic should be kept aside, we can watch a movie together, but nothing individually. There's this saying - 'A child becomes how you mold him', but that's not what I do. I mold myself for him. I believe in my mom and dad more than anything and make sure to touch their feet before leaving the house every morning. Surprisingly, Veer does it too. He doesn't need to be told, just shown. One of my favorite moments was when we went to watch an IPL match in Mumbai and stayed at the hotel all the other players were staying at. Just because of his willingness to meet the players, we stayed back until we met them. The smile on his face brightened up my day. I want him to become an airforce pilot, but I don't mind if he pursues something else. All I need from him is to be self-dependent and humble, and then he can find his way, just like I did."

but the twist comes when now, they're coming to me to buy tea.

” I was always the notorious child - playing different pranks every week and still succeeding in not getting caught. Nevertheless, I managed to get good marks and get into a college in Mumbai - I dropped out of college soon. The entire process didn't make sense to me. What good does a degree make when you can show your worth through your work. Surprisingly, my parents didn't argue. They let me find my way. My father being into metal and construction, did urge me to join his business, but after a while, I noticed that there is no space for innovation in this field. This is when I started looking at various options and landed at tea. The irony with the business is that I used to despise tea as a kid, I couldn't tolerate the smell of tea and now I can't wait to explore more flavors. When I told people about my idea, they would as me questions such as ' Tu chaiwala hai?' and it surely didn't boost my confidence. Although my mother was always there for me, she constantly encouraged me and told me to keep thriving. She was my pillar. In the earlier years of my business, I made a few mistakes which decreased my sales to about half. I was disheartened, but it helped me to rise stronger and learn from my mistakes. I began to read more, test more varieties, meet other tea tasters. And now? Within 5 years, I have a catalog with 52 different flavors of tea. I am also the sole manufacturer in India for 3 of my flavors. The journey has been tough, with people not even keen to know about my products, but the twist comes when now, they're coming to me to buy tea. People know my brand, more than they know me and trust me that feeling is fantastic! Having lived in a joint family, I've always seen a part of the difficulties life throws at you, but my mother always said, " If there's a problem, there's a solution." That's probably why I have learned to look at the optimistic side of life. I am happily married now and my wife is everything to me. She completes me like a puzzle piece. She is the yin to my yang and is a constant reminder that life is pretty tea-rrific!”

I found out the difference between my interests and passion very early in life.

”Just like there's a difference between an infatuation and love, I found out the difference between my interests and passion very early in life. While watching the news channel, I saw Sunita Williams. I immediately asked my mother, "Who is she?" She told me that she's an Indo-American astronaut and goes to space to conduct her research. I asked another question, "Why space?", and no one had an answer. That was when my interest turned into my passion. I started gathering information via newspapers, magazines or the discovery channel and that's when I knew. I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. Although, it wasn't that simple. My goals didn't match my academics. I failed poorly twice, once in mathematics and once in physics - both prime subjects in this field of study. Nevertheless, I never gave up. Once I got into college, I started my own 'STAR Club' and built my team. We tried out 36 different model rockets and each of them failed, making me reconsider my career decision. Yet, I was prepared. I knew the risks this choice entailed and I was ready to take them. One of the many qualities that make me stand out. The journey wasn't that easy. Since this is a field that involves a lot of research and development, we naturally require a lot of funds. Initially, we used to use our own money to fund small projects, but all the scale of the projects increased, it became an issue for us. In dire need of funds, the irony is that we never turned to investors for money, just connections. We collaborated with different schools and colleges for financial support. Initially, I had the choice to go to ISRO or NASA, but STAR gives me and millions of other a platform to come explore their dreams in a way other mediums restrict. Everyone's opinion matter, everyone matters. One of my happiest moments is when I performed a piece of my own choreographed dance in front of my mother. Now, I want to see the same smile when I build another world-Mars. I'm the kid who had once promised his teacher that he'll build a rocket with an Indian flag on it, I'm the kid who doesn't want to change the world, but build another one, I'm the kid who turned his dreams into his passion.”

'Kya didi, akele akele patle ho rahe ho'

“I was never an athlete, but also never lived an inactive life. I always occupied myself in either classical dancing or fashion designing. However, my life came to a halt when I gave delivery to my second child. It became impossible to take care of two kids along with dancing and my job. I had to leave them both and it felt like all my dreams were crushed in a second. I cried myself to sleep for a month straight thinking that I'll never be more than a housewife. Later, due to gaining excess weight, I started getting into fitness and it sparked an interest like never before. It made me feel alive. When I lost some weight, some of my neighbors came to me and asked ' Kya didi, akele akele patle ho rahe ho', and that's when I decided to start my own journey. I started looking up exercises on google and met with a trainer who trained me. This was almost 2 years back and remain one of the happiest moments of my life. The times when I clicked a picture with the best trainers for my good performance, or when I received certification for my hard work still bring a smile on my face. Initially, I only had 2 clients for 6 months. During this time, I heard people say 'Why're you wasting hours on just 2 people? ' However, I soon realized that to become successful, you have to start leaving small fights for small fighters. Now, I have 80 clients with 5 batches. During our family outings, all we used to talk about was household chores or gossip, and now? Almost every talk revolves around fitness and it's all because of me. People don't know me from my husbands' name anymore, but my own. I have my own identity and this feeling is different. Good different. For me, ones' biggest achievement is when you stop asking others for money and it's mine. Now, my only dream is to have my own personal studio because that day, I'll know, that my passion for fitness has finally become my career, I can finally call myself self-made.”