Live Your Dreams

Things to do before turning 25

2011-12-30T02:22:00.000-08:00

I do have a wish list/bucket list that I have been building, working upon since past 3 years now. It was always up there on my hostel wall. I have managed to tick off a good number of things and keep adding new ones to the list. More about that later.

This November I turned 25. To be honest, no quarter life crisis here. I have had good promising 25 years and the future canvas keeps growing bigger. Around April this year, my friend who was also turning 25 suggested an idea of working with a shorter timeline on a list of things to do before turning 25 and thus I created the following list:

A road trip (This was supposed to be a warm up for the bigger 'all India road trip' on my wish list)
Start my own youtube channel
Write more poetry (Later I linked this to the youtube channel idea)
Record an original song
Hot Air Balloon Ride (Inspired by reading about Richard Branson)
Learn Swimming
Run the half marathon (This was the first attempt)

So, I finally decided to evaluate this list and given below is how it went (thanks to facebook timeline i can revisit my thoughts during the course of these events and add them here) :

Road Trip: Took a week off and went on an awesomely fun road trip. The route was Delhi-Chandigarh-Mcleodganj-Palampur-Old Manali-Delhi. Some random observations from the Roadtrip:
o Chilled bear is easier to find than Pepsi/Coke on Punjab Highways.
o Google Maps go crazy on the hills.
o 'The Real Dabang' on roads is Haryana Roadways. All vehicles give them the due respect and space on road.
o The best road trip music is and will remain Lucky Ali :)

Some more pics : Road Trip Pics

Hot Air Balloon Ride: Though I had planned it differently and evaluated options in Gurgaon but the opportunity presented itself much earlier. On our roadtrip, while travelling to Manali we saw hot air balloon rides being offered in a large open field area on our way. That very moment we kind of agreed, to do this before leaving Manali. Finally, being on the balloon an interesting thing is the sound of the burners which is a great roar as the balloon ascends and ofcourse the magnificent view of the surrounding hills. It was an interesting experience, one which presented itself without any planning :)!

Write more poetry: This was a wish to revive the poet in me. So I started writing again, strangely in a manner and pattern I had never written before and was able to write a surprising number of poems in this year. In fact my personal maximum number for any given year. And I am glad that some of my writings got encouraging feedback.

Link to the posts: Some of my poems

Youtube Channel: The idea of having my own youtube channel sounded random enough to be worked upon. The idea sounded easier than the work that was to follow. I decided to further use my writings and voice record them and create channel uploads. So I had to write more consistently (which becomes a tough task as forced creativity doesn't flow), then record my voice, do some bit of editing and then upload. I managed to get started on it lately and hope to upload more as I continue writing :)

Link to my youtube channel: aazaadiyaan

Half Marathon: The target of running a marathon came from the idea that it will act as a measure of high fitness levels and well also as a tough challenge to keep one entertained. I did prepare with some random runs for around a month and a half before the marathon and running did become fun. But a marathon takes a lot out of you. All the more when you have never ever run even half the distance required at one go. But it gives you back. Way more :-)! In my first half marathon attempt I managed to go all the way (21 kms) in a time span of 2 Hours 53 Minutes. It was an awesome feeling to cross the finish line and a painful one while the body took good two days to recover from it :)!

Learn Swimming: This is still in process. More due to laziness and inconsistency :). I along with my friends have been trying to learn swimming without an instructor. For the past 2 summer seasons we have been going to a pool nearby but end up creating a lot of bhasad there. Though I sense we aren't too far from learning as well. This might happen in the coming summer :)
Record an original song: This was again a random thought that came to my mind. I haven't been able to work much on this. Though I am writing a lot of original stuff and lately managed to do some bit of singing in front of a crowd as well : Pankhon Ko (shabby recording in the office basement). Learning an instrument is also on my future list so an original recording might happen sometime in the future.

It has been a really interesting year which presented some more amazing experiences than the ones on that list such as being a part of a people's movement, a great mountain flight circling Mt Everest, first making an effort to locate and then meeting a role model/someone special after 11 years, the hills being very kind to me calling me again and again.

The above list and a bigger 'my wish list' for life gives me an interesting opportunity to keep having great new experiences and also giving my life a sense of direction, while enjoying each wish/to do item on the list. On my wish list there are bigger crazy things such as buying my own island, all India road trip, being the front story of the Entrepreneur Magazine and many more.

These are times to dream.. and live some as well :)!

14 Again!

2011-06-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening while walking alone on my way to Sairam Mandir, I had a strong feeling of Deja Vu. I felt that I was thinking in the same pattern that I used to think a decade ago. The introvert compulsive thinker that i was then, observing things, patterns closely. Thinking about the smallest of things and getting lost in thoughts, connections, drawing analogies from anything with everything.

This has been happening for days now. Yesterday evening while crossing the road I just stood there noticing the patterns being created by lights from the cars passing by with even the deadly Delhi buses looking artsy. Then looking at a father holding his son's hand and helping him cross the road while the little kid was busy happily jumping and playing on the road under the sense of security that the symbolic gesture of holding his hand by somebody that he could trust his life with provided him.

A couple of days earlier, while on the terrace early morning I was feeding pigeons that come there each morning. I have been doing this as a habit since a long time now. But that day looking at the pigeons I was lost in my thoughts drawing analogies with our own world. The way pigeons know that there would be somebody who would feed them every morning based on a relationship of trust. How our own expectations get based on a continuous basis on the various relationships of trusts that we have in life.

Some thoughts above and a countless number of similar other thoughts that are just occurring in the same patterns as at an earlier point in my life. Weird! :)

Celebrating a dream :)

2011-04-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

And i begin this post with the song on my mind 'bavra mann dekhne chala ek sapna'...

Its been a dream.. it still is a dream.. just walking on an unknown path wherever your heart guides you.. It is the first anniversary of incorporation of Discover Life :) and I feel like a happy parent to see it grow.. while learning to walk, it fell and got up.. time and again.. but its here and walking on its feet now :) Maybe my role as a parent was tougher.. i fell each time with it and had to rise earlier to make it rise again... and i learnt to walk again.....

Some random thoughts:

The first step: What looked like the toughest (signing out of placements) at hindsight was the easiest part :)
The objective: To teach everything about life.. in schools.. which is not taught.. which is the most important.. which is the most needed at this stage..
The response: Overwhelming :) both students and educators.. anybody who has seen a Discover Life workshop in action has felt a connect..
The young minds: They learnt from us and we did more.. from them.. they teach us everyday.. the freshness is infectious :).. we feel young again..
The love: Its been a humbling experience to receive so much love and adulation not only from students but from everyone who heard about Discover Life..
The satisfaction: The joy, the cheer, the applause, the tears, the change... seen it all in a lot of young lives.. its been a deeply satisfying experience..
The Co-Founder: I and Amit have created things before Discover Life together.. The journeys continues with Discover Life.. He is the backbone of the system, the perfect 'go-to' guy.. A street smart entrepreneur.. sharp and adaptive.. more than work, creating things together has always been great fun :)
The business side: 'Most startups fail within the first two years'.. we have survived one.. and done well :).. we are here to stay and grow.. BIG TIME :)
The journey ahead: Its gonna be crazy.. some things getting steady.. some great things building up in the background.. the ride has just begun :)
The hope: Discover Life creating impact on millions of young lives..

A heartfelt thank you to everybody who has wished, prayed, applauded, criticized, been there for Discover Life.

Chaitanya Jha

C0-Founder

Discover Life

Some dreams are here to stay........ :)

Ek khel sa tha woh bachpan ka..

2010-12-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

Ek khel sa tha woh bachpan ka

Jab chupa karte the apne kahin

Tab kisi baat ki fiqr kahan thi

Kuch sochne ka waqt nahi

Umar badhi aur khel naye

Duniya se kiye mel naye

Mel reh gaya e-mail tak

Kabhi mahol nahi kabhi waqt nahi

Ek khel sa tha who bachpan ka

Jab chupa karte the apne kahin

Aaj bhi ek khel hai

Khel hai woh bachpan sa

Par chupe hue hain raaz kayi

Muddaton tak humne khoja

Waqt ki ret phisalti rahi

Apne jo mil jaate the khel mein

Woh khel rahe hain khel kayi

Har khel ek paheli hai

Har paheli ke jawab kayi

Ek khel sa tha who bachpan ka

Jab chupa karte the apne kahin

Aao phir jee lein us khel ko

Woh bachpan ke us mel ko

Jab khelna jeewan tha

Aur jeewan ek khel nahi

Phir banayein woh kahaniyan

Woh bachpan ki hairaniyan

Apne phir se dhoondein bhi

Baarish ki woh boondein si

Bachpan ki woh baatein

Phir samente woh yaadein

Jab khelna jeewan tha

Aur jeewan ek khel nahi

Ek khel sa tha woh bachpan ka

Jab chupa karte the apne kahin

My first year as an Entrepreneur :)

2010-12-21T04:53:00.000-08:00

Technically, its not the first year as i have been involved in entrepreneurial projects for over 3 years now. Also there are still 3 months before 'Discover Life' completes its first year.
But yes, this year i have been working full time post completing my MBA as an Entrepreneur. It has been one awesome ride all along. Reflecting back at some of my experiences this year i would like to share some insights particularly for all the young budding entrepreneurs who undergo our entrepreneurship program in schools and well for anyone who reads this blog post :)

Some random thoughts..

The good and the bad : Everyday at some point of time as an entrepreneur there comes a feeling 'You own the world' and almost everyday there are moments when you feel like 'Leave everything and run away'. Thats the crazy life, the life of an entrepreneur :)
The journey: It is not going to be easy.Your worst nightmares will come true. Learn to move on and get up every time you fall.
Big bad world: There is nothing called big bad world of business. Most grey areas are due to people. You find dark shaded in people everywhere whether it be job or business.
Does an MBA help? : Indian education system or for that matter any other education system in the traditional form does not prepare people to become entrepreneurs. But yes awareness and knowledge through education helps an entrepreneurial mind.
The biggest challenge in early days: Cash :)
How to overcome it: Patience, Persistence and Belief. Biggest of all- 'Jugaad'.
Believe. You can change the world.
Become humble when you become Great. Till then love what you do and take pride in whatever you do. 'Jo khud se ishq nahi kar sakta, woh kisi aur se kya ishq karega'.
The best day to start is today. Age old belief works. Verified.
Be crazy. It helps :)
Have plans and work hard. Harder than you would in a full time job. Smart work sounds cool but for all great things in life you need to sweat it out.
Failure is cool. Believe in this or else as an entrepreneur you would go nuts.
Patience and persistence are hell important and what is more important is knowing when to use which of the two.
It is not rocket science. You figure out once in water.
Entrepreneurs don't die hungry.

Cheers to one rocking year :) Wishing everyone a great year ahead :)

The 4:00am drive! :)

2010-10-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

This post is a sequel to the post i had written in a very similar mood 1.5 years back while i was driving at 3:30am coming back to campus after my first year MBA:

http://liveyourdreamstruely.blogspot.com/2009/06/330am-drive.html

Its something about the early morning drives that refreshes your mind, makes your thoughts deep and reflective. Like the earlier 3:30 am drive in my previous post, even today i was driving to drop somebody. I had to drop Amit, my friend and co-founder of Discover Life to a bus stand so that he could catch a bus for meetings in schools in Chandigarh scheduled later in the day.

Since the last 3:30 am drive things have changed. I have passed out of MDI Gurgaon and now pursuing my entrepreneurial aspirations. The second year was all the more eventful at MDI :). Will miss those days always. But the amazing thing is that some of my best friends for life are working in gurgaon itself and i can anytime go and re-live our memories :)

Also in my earlier post i had talked about not joining a corporate. I have been lucky enough and crazy enough to actually do that after 1.5 years :) Life has been an exciting ride. Working on something new everyday, the highs and lows, adventures and lots of misadventures :). But enjoying these moments to the full. Staying at home, eating ghar ka khana and playing badminton with friends daily. Priceless! :)

And as i drive back home singing out loud with the car radio 'chal chalein apne ghar', I feel liberated :)

No food in belly..but dreams in their eyes..

2010-10-18T00:12:00.000-07:00

Amongst all the shame, chaos, fear and hatred for things happening around, the young sporting talent from India has won hearts worldwide. With their fairytale stories, these young Indians represent the new India to the world. No food, education, training and environment to win, they still managed to shine with dreams in their eyes, putting blood and sweat in their efforts, having a crazy level of belief in themselves, breaking the chains around them to stamp their presence on the world.

This is the young India. Fearless in its approach, creating their own path moving beyond the conventional, taking risks, full of pride, taking on the world. They live dreams. In the form of young athletes, students, entrepreneurs, professionals we have a breed of young heroes ready to take the nation forward.

The red carpet is laid and the young restless dreamy eyed Indians are ready to walk and dance on the world stage like never seen before.

Jai Hind

'HINDI' Hai Hum Watan Hai Hindustan Hamara

2010-10-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Did revolutionary poet, Iqbal, use 'Hindi' in context of a language, we would never know. But we know one thing for sure, that the beautiful poem 'Saare Jahan Se Accha Hindustan Hamara' talks about the importance of our cultural heritage, things that are our own, being proud of our identity and the amazing things about our nation which truly give us the feeling of national pride.

One such thing is our language 'Hindi'. All languages are great. I wish I could learn more of them and still plan to do so sometime. But being born and brought up in Delhi, Hindi was a language in which I grew up and have my memories itched(had this random conversation with a friend about thoughts and memories running in our minds in a certain language).

'Jungle jungle baat chali hai' was a kids anthem. The hindi comics of nagraj and bankelaal were my most eagerly awaited reads :D. I did read a lot of English books too, but Hindi as a language has its own charm. The poems I used to read in 'Hindi' such as 'Satpura ke ghane jungle, neend mein doobe hue se, undhte anmane jungle' at school time still echo in my mind and those simple yet true to life stories of Premchand made what my childhood imagination was.

These days we observe children at very young age talking to their parents in English and parents feel proud to showcase their kids' English verbal skills. It is nice to see kids learn so much at such young age but then it feels sad to see them lose connect with certain things that are essential to building the national pride in their hearts and minds. Somewhere we are weakening the very foundation of building up our nation.

Now its difficult to imagine losing connect with one's roots through non usage of a particular language. I can give my own example where due to being born and brought up in Delhi, I never really considered learning 'Maithili' which is my native language during my childhood. Now I regret not knowing the beautiful language and its nuances which also gives me a great sense of disconnect with the entire culture in which my ancestors were brought up.

I hope this disconnect does not happen with our nation and its young people on the basis of treating 'Hindi' as a secondary or an obsolete language.

Our hopes rest on a poetic line again by Muhammad Iqbal:

KUCH BAAT HAI KI HASTI MITATI NAHIN HUMARI..

Jai Hind

10 reasons why working from home rocks :) A Startup Insight :)

2010-10-01T23:12:00.000-07:00

For many startups the first office is that extra room/basement in the house where the crazy entrepreneurial ideas take shape. Let me give you my 10 reasons why working from home truly rocks :)

Unlimited supply of tea and coffee: Custom made from mom's kitchen at any time of the day to lift your spirits :)
Take a bath at any time of day: Don't have to wake up early morning and get ready for work. Taking bath at 1:00pm works great
Work attire: Tshirts and Pyjamas rock
Freedom of sleep: Take a nap at any time of the day and well you can sleep all day as well
Music: Be it random FM music, Ghazals, Rock or the regular Bollywood music. You are allowed to play all day at the volume levels you like
Work Life balance : You don't have parents complaining that you don't spend time at home. Although sometimes they do wish you stay out for peace ;)
Travel: Having worked for one year in Gurgaon and travelling 4 hours everyday from home to work, not travelling to office is a luxury. Though drives are still there but just for fun :)
Home cooked food: My friends staying away from home would really support me on this point. Home cooked food totally rocks
Watch all you want: Be it movies or TV Series, its all available on the TV next room or on your laptop or better still go to the movie hall in the middle of the day any time on the week to catch the latest flick
MASTI: With entrepreneurial friends around, we gang up any time, create a lot of bhasad, play badminton, drive around, roam around in markets and have awesome masti :)

PS: Entrepreneurship involves crazy levels of hard work, but well for all this fun, its worth it :)

Are we dead within, I hope we are not..

2010-08-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

These are few lines i wrote to address the audience beginning the Social Week at MDI last year:

Our bodies look alive,

But are we dead within, i hope we are not..

Murders and killings don't affect us but cough and cold freaks us out,