If you met 7 year old self on the street, what 3 pieces of advice you would offer them? (Googling Myself 5)

 1. Respect every women in your life and around you.

2. Think very carefully before you speak.

3. It is good to make mistakes. Keep making them without feeling guilty.

The day I learn't the first, I got the love of my life. I wish, I had known this much before.

I have lost a lot of reputation and friends because I spoke irrationally a lot in the first quarter of my life. I corrected this mistake when I called Preeti back. I wish I could correct other mistakes too.

If I had pursued my Sainik School dream, my flat foot would have been caught at a very early stage, if I had pursued basketball, I could have made it to the National Team or even played internationally. There are many ifs in my life as in everyones. 

As a child, you doubt everything you dream of and your parents are there to tell you right from wrong. But their perspective of life is limited to their experiences. And to pursue ones dreams one has to put aside rational experiences and take irrational decisions and make mistakes. The earlier one makes mistake, the sooner they learn. 

I started making mistakes too late in life. I wish, someone had told me that it is okay to make mistakes if you learn from them.

The best thing I love about Jay is his attitude to make mistakes. He doesn't listen to me or Preeti. He just does what he believes in. And kanav on the other hand listens to me, analyzes and then makes mistakes. I wish both of them will make more of these mistakes before they get out in the real world.

What Kind of People Energize You? (Googling Myslef 4)

Positively Passionate people!

Passionate about anything!

Passion is a double edged sword. If it falls in the hand of a misguided person, it will not only strike him/her but everyone around them.

Positively passionate people are the ones who don't feel victimised in any situation and create opportunities for themselves. They are the true entrepreneurs in their field and are able to create positive dent in the area they wish to tread in.

They would lift you with their ideas and are not only confident but are quite self aware. Discussions with such people are enriching and sometimes even life changing.

Be it someone like Faraz, Yogi or Ranjith, I completely feel at home with them even if we talk after a long gap. I often try to read books written by such people or listen to their podcasts. 

These days I have been enjoying Vishal Gondal's Show which is probably a mine of some brilliant ideas. Even this concept of Googling Myself was suggested by one of his guests - Tirthankar Dash!

I am extremely lucky to be surrounded by passionate people including my Wife!

If you had $100million to invest in a social Cause what would you support? (Googling myself - 3)

Education! Of course!

It might be the same project which we had started in Punjab and develop it further to take it to places like Himachal, UP, Bihar etc.

The important question is Why?

When I answered this in 2008-2009, it was because I was quite passionate about teaching. And one of the best years in y life had been when I was in a teaching profile which I had enjoyed to the hilt.

But now, the reason is very different. It's not because I love doing it, but because the kind of impact I had seen a small project like Locus had created. 

Education is something which does not impact an individual rather, the whole community can feel the change.

What would be the title of my Autobiography? (Googling Myself 2)

 

The Rebel with a cause

What is a Rebellion? 

An act which does not conform to the standard norm of 'commonly acceptable behaviour' is classified as an act of Rebellion! 

When you are brought up in a typical middle class family, it is an unwritten rule that you have to step aside from your dreams and idiosyncrasies and follow a standard pattern in your life.

But how is that fun? 

How is that living?

Isn't it just surviving?

Don't one finds bound with chains most of the time?

I have struggled for freedom from these chains many times. The earliest struggle which I could remember was when I was in class 5th. I would have been around 11 years of age then.

My unrelenting passion was to join a Sainik School and train for being in the Army. This was also the time when Sharukh Khan Starrer, Fauji was released. And this dream of mine was fuelled by the creativity of this 13 episode series. I was preparing really hard for the written exams for Sainik School. I had even told a lot of friends about it. 

But Sainik School did not happen. Today as a father, I can clearly see the logic in the decision taken by my parents. But as an 11 year old it was suffocating. 

Later it was joining a taekwondo training academy, pursuing career in sports, not able to live my dream of being in defence forces. 

Do I blame my parents or anyone for it? No, never.

But this is what made my personality. The feeling of suffocation of not able to live your dream, however small is killing. Surviving is to live with this suffocation. 

I grew into an individual who would always find a way to break away from all this. It does take time for me to get on to the right path but every decision I take in my life is to breakaway from this suffocation. 

Over a period of time, I have been trying to find a way in which I can help other people to do the same. Be it by opening school in villages where we helped a lot of teachers breakaway from their suffocating lifestyles or be it as a Startup School Director at LPU, where I helped students.

People today need assurance that it is okay to breakaway. The cost of living your life the way you want is not exorbitant. Rather on the other hand it is even more worthwhile.

I hope that I would continue to create opportunity for myself and my kids to live a life one wants.

If I am locked in a room, what are the three things which I would take with me? (Googling Myself - 1)

If I am locked in a room, what are the three things which I would take with me?

1. Book - Discovery of India - by Jawahar Lal Nehru

2. A very heavy Register of atleast a 1000 pages (if possible)

3. A pen with Ink to last 1 lac words. 

Reason -

India is one of the oldest civilizations and a book which transcends time and captures the development of this civilisation provides insights into cultures, traditions, human behaviour and leadership. The pattern captured in the book is exquisite. Even after over 80 years since the book has been written, its power of capturing ones imagination is huge.

Why did I choose Discovery of India over my other favourite books - Mahabharata and Gita.

While both the other books are just outstanding in terms of the knowledge they impart and the way they make one look inside oneself. But Discovery of India sets itself apart from both these as it is a story about how we reached where we are and for me knowing both the things are important - knowing myself as well as how we reached here. I think that both these things combined will provide me direction into where I am heading. 

While for knowing myself, I am carrying the other two things where I intend to detail out myself and discover myself, this one book will help me get a perspective of the world we are living in today, the mistakes we have made, the things we could have done better and probably I would be able to identify things I need to read more about.

An accidental Journey Part 3 - Day 2 Ride to Fagu

Cycling Starting Point - Kasauli

Destination - Fagu

Route - Kasauli - Dharampur - Solan - Kandaghat - Sadhupul - Chail - Kufri - Fagu

Cycling Distance - 104 Kms

Car Driving - 104 Kms

Kanav’s Cycle Ride - 80Kms

Major Breaks - Solan, Sadhupul, Koti

Elevation Gained - 2077 mtrs.

The day started early with us planning to leave the hotel by 4:00am. But our car was badly stuck in the parking lot. But finally by 4:30am we were on the saddle enjoying our Downhill ride to Dharampur in pitch dark.

I was quite sure that we would have to ride uphill most of the day and it would take us a good amount of time to reach Solan. But suddenly after a few Kms from Dharampur, the road began to slope downhill and it did not end till we reached Solan. The view on the way was just out of this world with clouds floating along with us. People were getting out of the cars and clicking photographs and we were savouring our ride and the view.

While the quick ride to Solan encouraged us, our confidence was even further Boosted by a few young cyclists from Solan who told us that the downhill shall continue upto Sadhupul from where Chail was about 17-18 Kms only. So me and Abhishek decided to speed things up and see how far cold we reach by 8:30am as our intial target was Solan which we had already achieved by 7:00am.

But simultaneously preeti encountered her first car driving challenge. She had taken another route and was on the Solan Bypass when we called her out for a tea in the Solan Market. She took a detour into the market advised by a passerby. But this detour was an extremely steep climb for the car. The car stopped in the middle of the climb but Preeti recalled a similar incident in Hoshiarpur’s Miraj Cinema and quickly pulled the hand break and released it only after she had put her foot on the accelerator. And now, she was ready for the bigger challenges she was about to face on the world’s most treacherous road ahead.

We were gliding to Sadhupul with almost a Kms distance between each one of us Abhishek - Myself - Kanav. Only 3kms away and at 8:00am, I found Abhishek sitting with the cycle upside down and working on another puncture. I quickly got down and we worked on changing the tube of the cycle. Kanav and Preeti reached soon after and Jay took Sultan to a small trek for him to relieve himself on the nearby mountain. Jay was fully enjoying the trip playing with Sultan. Preeti was introducing him to experiences like working a hand pump, plucking flowers and fruits etc.

Suddenly a man on the motorcycle came and hushed us up by warning us of a few leopards and their cubs just a few meters ahead. The cubs seem to have attacked the motorcyclist. We were apprehensive but did not take the risk and immediately hang up the cycles on the rack and drove out in the car around 3 kms to a dhaba at Sadhupul.

I quickly began my day’s office routine while having breakfast. Kids immediately made friends with the kids of the dhaba owner and started exploring nature. They were plucking fruits and eating them while the local kids introduced them to more varieties of fruits and flowers around. While leaving the place, the kids exchanged numbers and decided to call one another. The elder one, Dhruv, even took his single gear bicycle and rode with us for 2 kms uphill when we left at around 12pm.

While I kept getting calls on the way, Kanav and Abhishek were riding uphill. Preeti in the meanwhile was disgusted with the condition of the car and was still at the Dhaba cleaning it up. She must have spent an hour in total making the car spic and span before starting off. She caught up with Kanav soon and I also was beside him just 8Kms before Chail.

As usual Preeti was exploring the local plants and found walnuts hanging from the trees. She took one as a prize to show it around. Kanav soon gave up on the climb as it was hot and the climb was gruelling. Abhishek had reached Chail by now in a single shot without stoppages and I had still to climb 8 kms which were the toughest part of the climb. The forests around slowly made the climb easier and with another break for a call just 2 kms before Chail, I quickly made up.

As Abhishek had already left for Kufri, we decided to make our way to Theog that day and I did not stop at Chail. Kanav who was coming behind immediately saddled up at Chail to enjoy the downhill. But after a 10-12 Kms from Chail, in which merely 2 kms were downhill, I was feeling exhausted and went to sleep on the roadside. Preeti came with some sweets and momos which I savoured and attended a quick call with Shruti and gave her the required data while working from the forest of Chail.

In a few more kms which were more-or-less uphill only, we reached Kothi where we had a cup of tea and a few biscuits. Here Jay’s love of Dogs was quite evident when 6-7 dogs surrounded Jay and Jay was playing with them. He took a full packet of Biscuits and distributed them to his new friends.

Just 2 kms from Kothi, Kanav had a severe pressure to answer nature's call where he was stung by the Itching plant. He immediately gave up the ride and sat in the car. 

Around 12 kms from Kufri, Abhishek called up, telling us that the last 6 kms climb to Chini Bungla was a killer one and I had an option to come via Car. And he was not wrong at all. The climb came after I had done 90+ Kms for the day and was a really steep one. I took one break in between but by the time I reached Chini Bungla, it was already night.

Jay had been demanding to do some downhill the whole day, and with no traffic on the road, I obliged him. He rode very safely on the downhill to Kufri and I gave him another Km to ride towards Fagu. By the time we reached fagu, It was past 8pm and Abhishek was waiting for us with Dinner.

After a quick dinner we planned out not to ride to jeebhi instead of taking the route to Spiti. Preeti was apprehensive but was with us. Again deciding to follow the same schedule, we went back to sleep at around 10:30 while preeti was still washing our clothes and ensuring that we don’t run out of athletic wear soon.

 

An accidental Journey Part 2 - Day 1 Ride to Kasauli

Cycling Starting Point - Command Hospital, Chandimandir

Destination - Kasauli

Route - Panchkula - Pinjore - Kalka - Parwanoo - Mashobra - Kasauli

Cycling Distance - 53Kms

Car Driving - 70 Kms

Elevation Gained - 2550 mtrs.

Preeti waited for us at the Kalka Devi temple where she was surprised by the priest who suddenly called her out and blessed her by putting a tilak on her forehead (even though it wasn’t allowed under covid guidelines for the temple). Preeti’s happiness knew no bounds as she considered this as a sign of a safe and successful trip. And thus began our adventure on an auspicious note.

Abhishek is a really strong rider. It was evident on the climb from Parwanoo to Kasauli on which he effortlessly pedaled through. Kanav, as usual was in his full form, chattering all the way.

 

Being my first day, I was in a rush to reach the Breakfast point which was a small restaurant around 11 Kms from Parwanoo.

The ride steadily went into the clouds and we were all just ecstatic because the weather was just outstanding. Riding through the clouds was a first time experience for Abhishek and he was simply enjoying it.

But the ride was suddenly halted when Abhishek’s cycle got punctured. We quickly changed the tube and rode up to the restaurant where I prepared and attended my meetings. The first day of office on the road made me realize that I had been attending some meetings where my requirement was minimal and could be avoided till the point I had something to contribute. So, I and Preeti decided on a plan. Instead of not attending such meetings, I decided to be a mute spectator while I kept riding the bike. Only where I thought my contribution was necessary, I intervened otherwise we just kept riding.

Preeti told me to ride quickly because the weather was getting bad and it was raining. I pointed out that weather was not bad, we were just riding through the clouds. This is where she said that - For people like us, it is raining. Whether you call it the melting of the clouds or riding through the clouds, it's simply raining.

This is how she brings us down from the clouds to reality. A trait which kept us sane throughout the trip.

Simultaneously, her outgoing nature also meant that we did not miss out most of the fun during the trip. On the ride to Kasauli, she suddenly came across a Fig Tree dangling over a ditch with fresh fruits hanging from it. Neither she nor, I had the courage to pluck the fruit. But she asked out help from a stranger from the nearby shop helped us gather at least 3 Kgs of Fresh Fig which we savoured over the trip. For the stranger, it was a simple task but for us it was a gesture to remember and repay to others throughout life.

By evening, I had attended most of my meetings and we had also reached Kasauli. Abhishek and Preeti had already reached there before us and we waited at the intersection of the Dharampur and the Parwanoo road. Around 2 kms downhill from there, they found a comfortable hotel (Hotel Kasauli Woods) in the village called Garkhal.

While I quickly dove into the meetings after a quick bite in the nearby dhaba, Abhishek, Preeti and Kids went to Kasauli. Preeti on her Window Shopping spree while Abhishek trekked into the nearby mountains.

The most difficult part here was taking care of Sultan, as while we were eating at the Dhaba, the street dogs from the villages gathered making it tough to control Sultan. He is a quick learner and has steadily become aggressive. Even in the evening when I and Abhishek took him to the nearby mountain, he met an aggressive Alsatian pet Dog whom he simply overpowered (by barking and eye contact) and made way to the mountain.

With a really good day, I and Abhishek decided to avoid the crowded Shimla and go to Chail, We created a new route from Jibhi to Manali in the evening before going to sleep.

An accidental Journey Part 1 - At the Beginning

 The Genesis

RAAM Qualifier - Romantika Uz Beas was scheduled for 13th June 2021. This grueling Cycling race was 615 Kms from Hoshiarpur to Manali and Back. But Covid’s second wave ruined the event and was now delayed by a year.

But the hard work I had put in the preparation of the event could not go waste so I decided to do the Chandigarh to Shimla ride with Kanav during the same time. Abhishek Yadav, a colleague at Grofers when heard about the plan, decided to ride down from Gurgaon to join us.

The Preparation

Kanav was really excited to do the trip to Shimla and had pushed himself hard by exercising most of the days in the month of May. I was quite sure that he would make a good headway to Shimla if not able to complete it.

But as the plan’s were undergoing a change, Kanav and Jay were even more excited to do camping during the trip and so Preeti contacted Shankar who helped her prepare a list of important things needed for the camping trip. He even gave his some favourite possessions like a Korean Stove, an Emergency light for the trip. Tried to go as light as possible but still had a car trunk full of bags, tent and cycling gear.

Luckily, I got my car insurance renewed in time and preeti got a quick service of the car done along with the change of windshield from the Motor Market.

The trip was going to be long and Sultan, our pet dog couldn’t be left anywhere so he was definitely going along. 

Just a day before, we realized that we had missed a very important component of our ride - the entry pass into Himachal. I immediately applied on the Himachal website for the pass and voila, in 30 minutes, I had the pass to enter Kasauli. This is when I first realized that the Luck was on our side as Himachal had opened its borders just 3 days before we had planned the ride. (This was our Lucky Break 1 during the ride)

But any preparation is not enough and one only comes to know about it on the road. For I had already left my cycle’s front lights back at home.

The Start

Abhishek had reached Chandigarh by 11th June and wanted to start early. I was a bit hesitant because I had not taken leave and wanted to do it on the weekend so that I don’t have to take more than a day’s leave.

But Abhishek’s persistence made me think out of the box and I decided to work while we rode the cycle. So we agreed to leave on 16th June, Wednesday morning for Kasauli. With this out of the box plan, I decided to elongate the journey and we jointly decided to see if we can push ourselves to go to Manali from Shimla and back to Hoshiarpur. 

With almost no plan in mind but with just an idea, we left our home at 4:30am in the car to reach the Rendezvous point, Command Hospital, Chandimandir and we finally started at 5:30am.

All in, Just a year!

 My father used to recite me some very powerful quotes and stories when I was a Kid. One of them was the Edison’s famous story where he brushed aside his failure by saying that he knows over 1000 ways in which the Light Bulb cannot be made. In retrospect now I can understand the impact these stories had as they kept on playing in my still developing brain again and again.

Over the years, I have failed many times but have never kept a tab on the failures or successes. Somehow we are also wired to remember our successful life changing moments and forget the role failures have played.

I am not sure how the next 10 years of my life are going to play out but I found the last one year one of the most challenging ones in my adult life. For I have failed multiple times in just a year. So I thought let me just recount what really happened?

1. My venture into building a O2O e-ccommerce company, Pumpkart failed and I had to leave the project. And this was happening while we were entering into a lockdown due to Coorona (which no one in the country was aware of).
2. Planned out to work as a seller to the government organizations for certain set of products and took licence to a software providing tender details. Could not work this out because of the requirement of the tenders were too high and money was to be paid upfront as safety deposit which we were already running short. On top of it Corona happened and everything started shutting down.
3. With the advent of Corona, I tried to do some trading in medical wear like surgical masks. Got stuck with over 2500 masks as we could not sell them out even to the local suppliers as the prices fell very sharply.
4. Tried to work towards monetizing my knowledge through online speeches and lectures but was not able to build audience due to lack of proper social media strategy.
5. Tried my hand at Digital Advertising but could not move beyond a single customer as was running short of funds and was afraid to borrow more in times of Corona.
6. Started ed-tech venture along with Vikram but failed badly after a minor beginner’s luck in a few programs.
7. Tried buying leads from Indiamart to sell them or tade a few products but all the 7-8 leads failed. Could not invest any further.
8. Tried doing some consultancy with a local person Parminder Singh and help a few small MSME players get government loans. But the process was too slow and had to leave it mid way.
9. Tried some consultancy for RCED by helping one of their service providers to start selling their products online on Amazon. But again the process was too slow and had to again abandon midway.
10. Even tried to do online tutions and built a facebook profile of a company by the name MERITO. But could not generate enquiries as did not have sufficient money to invest in digital adds.

In a different time, probably my approach would have been different but in the time of Corona, I wanted instant results. I got them through Digital Advertising which helped me put some food on the table. But these flurry of failures have finally taught me that building anything would take time and is not an instant thing.

Also as I write this, we have already laid out the plan to close down our Pre-Schools to whom we gave ample time. But the idea had an execution flaw which couldn’t be overcome even with time.

So an idea needs time as well as constant improvement in the execution to remain relevant and grow. With this learning of 5 and a half year, I patiently accept my failures to now focus on building something better.