Skip to main content

To a year on ... is add to maturity

It's been another year of life - I turned 25 yesterday. It feels great to acknowledge to yourself on such days that you have a place on earth and in hearts of few people as well.

I personally am slightly careless and forgetful person when it comes to my own self ;-) and there have been more than one occasion when I forgot my own birthday. But yesterday was not so, thanks to my parents, relatives and friends who kept reminding me of the occasion since past 2 weeks. And the number of phone calls I received from midnight till midnight made my day.

Payal called up from the US, and what was meant to be a 2 minute call to wish me turned out to be a 45 minute chat from Professional Life to Indian Politics. Same was the case when Hemant called up from Geneva - we discussed projects, dreams and more - I felt that I have rolled a few balls in the past 25 years. 'Twas a great feeling to get all expected calls from relatives, friends and acquaintances. To add were the many mails that kept flowing into my mailbox whole day.

There were unexpected events as well. Little ones like getting a call right at the midnight stroke from Ashita and Milind (almost simultaneously), getting a call from a totally unexpected acquaintance to the biggest surprise of all - a mass mailer for me on the Arbit Choudhury mailing list.

In fact, my deep(er) involvement in Arbit Choudhury was a secret, I was anyway planning to reveal on my blog since quite some time; but hadn't ever thought it would come out this way. Arbit Choudhury was initially just another innovative idea that we floated during the heady days of MastishK '04, two years ago. However, its unprecedented popularity made it a special feature amongst the other innovations. And finally, when we parted ways with MastishK as core team members, handing over the baton to juniors - Arbit was our only "take-home".

During MastishK, I was so busy with other aspects of the event that I had abandoned the charge of all activities related to Arbit to Hemant and Shubham. So, when we decided to spin off Arbit as a venture independent of MastishK, it was on the face a decision taken purely by both of them. This has been true for all other initiatives and decisions made with respect to Arbit till date. However, what few people know is that, I was always an implicit part of the team of 'Fathers' (as we internally call ourselves). Slowly, as I got disengaged with all operational responsibilities of MastishK, my involvement with Arbit grew to the extent that I am today as deeply involved with it as Hemant and Shubham are. And like many other ventures Arbit has become a passion.

It felt great yesterday to see my birthday being declared in the Arbit Choudhury fortnightly mailer also acknowledging my hidden role in the venture since its inception. I would probably remember this birthday of mine for this reason all my life.

To sum up 'its another year' but a crucial one - Arey! Silver Jubilee ho gai yaar !! Another thought which gets impressed is that its been quite some time on planet earth and high time to execute all that one has been planning for all this while. Just hoping that I will be able to succeed in achieving my dreams in the years to come!
And if you are still wondering where I stole that post title from - it was the subject of mail sent by a Sr. Manager to me for my birthday.

Comments

  1. No great concept is a creation of a single individual.. Same is the case with Arbit Choudhury.. Ever since he was 1st conceived in Room No. 241 & 242, Hostel 2, NITIE.. many people have played different, yet important roles in his growth and development.. When I look back at Arbit's evolution, I cannot help but feel that Arbit would not have been the same without each and every one of those contirubutions.. But the most important people in Arbit's life are those who belived in him from the begining, and who supported him when everyone else was rediculing the concept..
    As Arbit's "Unofficial" Father, you will always have a special place in his heart..
    Happy B'day Again!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How will travel industry transform post-Covid

Unlike philosophers, journalists and teenagers, the world of entrepreneurship does not permit the luxury of gazing into a crystal ball to predict the future. An entrepreneur’s world is instead made of MVPs (Minimum Viable Product), A/B Tests, launching products, features or services and gauging / measuring their reception in the market to arrive at verifiable truths which can drive the business forward. Which is why I have never written about my musings or hypothesis about travel industry – we usually either seek customer feedback or launch an MVPised version and gather market feedback. However, with Covid-19 travel bans across the globe, the industry is currently stuck – while a lot of industry reports and journalistic conjectures are out, there’s no definitive answer to the way forward. Besides there is no way to test your hypothesis since even the traveller does not know what they will do when skies open. So, I decided to don my blogger hat and take the luxury of crystal gazing...

Learning from 11 years in KPMG

It is only when we give up what we have is when we can embrace the new! I quit my job at KPMG one year ago - 22 January 2016 was my last day with the firm. As I reflect back on that day, it felt more like a graduation day! The eerie mix of nostalgia, excitement, anxiety and blues of missing your friends. KPMG was not just my first job but also a place where I learnt everything that I represent professionally. KPMG is one of the institutions I deeply respect and love – and relationships I have built here will stay with me for my lifetime. In my entrepreneurial career as well, I am often reminded more of all the great things I have learnt over my 11 years in KPMG. An year gone by, I realize these learnings have stayed with me and apply equally to the world outside KPMG. Almost all would apply to those working in role of (internal or external) consultants but several are generic and can be applied across professions. I have tried to change the text so that the learnings sound ...

Vikramaditya - Myth or Reality

  A statue of Vikramaditya at  Vikramaditya ka Tila / Vikramaditya's Singhasan Battisi On a recent visit to Ujjain, I found myself drawn to the city's extraordinary blend of history, mythology, and spirituality. As I stood before the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga, I reflected on its significance as one of India’s most revered shrines. Yet, amidst these sacred surroundings, I encountered narratives of Vikramaditya - the legendary king of Ujjain, celebrated for his valor and wisdom, who's name resonates from the folklore of locals to every part of India. Every time we celebrate a festival in India, it is marked with a tithi i.e. date as per the Indian calendar - which is called the Vikram Samvat calendar, attributed to being founded by Vikramaditya of Ujjaini (the then name of Ujjain). What struck me, however, was the curious fact that despite Vikramaditya’s pivotal place in Indian cultural memory, his existence as a historical figure lacks definitive evidence. My exploration l...