Different From The Crowd - Darshan Mehta

“Coming from a typical Gujarati family, I, the only son to my parents, was expected to continue with the family business. But, when I turned 18, I disclosed before my parents that I wanted to pursue photography. I didn’t shun their expectations from me completely, but I simply asked for the freedom to achieve my goals.

No one in our family had ever decided upon being an artist, of any kind. They were all into business. But, when my parents got to know about my “different” ambition, they were welcoming. Even my extended family in Gujarat, embraced the fact that business was not on my mind.

I decided to work hard enough that my whole family may see the scope that I see for myself in this field. My sister was instrumental in her own way in convincing my parents of my capabilities.

During Covid, I am constantly moving around with my friend for clicking pictures (I am super grateful to him for that) and coming back home to sit at the shop. With regular efforts, I am trying to give my parents a reason to believe that I will use my freedom only to my advantage and their welfare.” – Darshan Mehta.

Compassion For The Helpless - Eureka Apta

“Joanna and I wanted a very simple wedding, and the planning started just 3 months before the wedding day. My wife being a dentist and I being a filmmaker, we both are very active socially. We wanted to contribute something to the society on our special day, thus instead of doing a grand reception or anything, we decided to feed stray animals.

Everyday during the lockdown we used to feed the stray dogs around our street, because during that time, their condition was pathetic. But, for our wedding, we wanted to do something better for them.

With the help of Purvi Patra, the owner of AWTE, we planned the entire thing. On our wedding day, we not only fed the animals of the shelter, but we also did a BBSR feeding drive for stray dogs and animals. Around 500 such animals were fed, and that became the highlight of the town.

I aim to make people aware of illegal animal breeding. Most people try to purchase a dog from a breeder rather than adopting strays, and this encourages the breeders to continue further with animal abuse. People should also be made aware of phone numbers and hospitals, because they usually do not know whom to reach to in case of an animal accident.

Kids, these days, should be taught to care for animals from their very childhood. I believe that when children learn to care for creatures who can’t speak for themselves, they also start to care for their fellow humans even more dearly. I have been sponsoring my cousin’s study, and I believe that people do become more compassionate universally when they are compassionate towards these little creatures.” – Eureka Apta

A Win-Win Situation! - Suryalipsa

"In KV, we have a lot of curricular activities. Once, my name was forcefully put in the poem recitation competition. I was worried because I didn't have the courage to stand in front of a mic and recite a poem. 

I am not a mug up and release kind of person, so I tried writing one of my own. I still remember the first poem that I wrote, which had a lot of mistakes, random rhyme patterns, and a lot more errors. Still then, I stood 2nd, and the appreciations that I got for it made me believe that I can do something in this field. Cuttack introduced to open mics, and now, my life revolves around them.

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I started performing in various open mics, travelled to different colleges to perform, got featured in YourQuote's official poetry page, and worked as a co-author of some anthologies too. In October 2019, I got shortlisted to perform and represent India at the 39th World Congress of Poets.

I can't thank my stars enough, as they took me from a no-one to a newspaper headline. Being 4'11", I also got special attraction for being the tiniest among the representatives.

Though I loved Arts more than Science, I got 10 CGPA in my 10th. I wasn't fond of Science, but my father wanted me to get into it. I didn’t like the fact that I was being pushed where I never wanted to be. Everything felt unfair, and I thought of giving up on everything, even poetry. More than upset, I was angry about my condition. My health deteriorated and I started believing that whatever bad happened to me, it was because of me being in science stream. I got very low scores in academics.

Days passed, nothing changed. Then I started embracing life as it was, and things started to fall into place. I got 78% in 12th, which was beyond my reach, considering my condition in 11th. On one hand, I was fulfilling my father's will by studying science and on the other hand, I was pursuing my own love for poetry. For me, it was a win-win situation indeed. Eventually, my parents accepted my love for poetry and let me do my thing.

Once when I wrote a piece on menstruation, people criticized me for talking about it publicly and said that I should behave more maturely. Because apparently, such things need to be ‘whispered’. Nevertheless, I realized that such judgmental comments are going to come your way, no matter how good you try to be. But, as long as, your parents and you yourself are happy, nothing else matters." - Suryalipsa.

Never Stop Fighting For What's Yours : Your Life - Anuja Mohanty

“My parents were told that I had asthma, because I used to cough often. Slowly, my coughing grew intense and I used to cough for nearly 18-20 hours continuously everyday, so much that I ended up coughing out blood. Then, it was discovered that I had a hole in my heart, which no doctor was able to detect till then.

At that time, anyone with VSD had to get operated before turning a year old. In my case, it was detected when I was 7, and even SCB gave up hope. I was taken to AIIMS, Delhi, and even they said that nothing can be done, and that I would die soon. My Mom was devastated. I was the youngest child, and my other two siblings had to be left back at Odisha. My father had to exhaust a lot of his savings to spend on our travel and my treatment. 

A young Dr. Naresh Trehan, who is now a Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awardee, asked if he could take a chance, because anyhow I was going to die. After much thought, my parents agreed. I was kept under observation for 8-9 months, and with a leap of faith I was operated in 1998. I remember my father collapsing when he was asked to sign the consent form.

My doctors and my parents say that I wasn’t afraid when I was taken into the OT. After a 14-hour long operation, I became one of the first survivors of a VSD operation being conducted at a later age.

My family never treated me as a special child, and once the operation was done with, they never raised that topic. I was punished on doing something wrong, I was given a bicycle, I went into extreme sports and have now done almost everything that a weak hearted person would not do.

The mental strain that this operation made me go through, was that I had to start my life all over again. People could never comprehend that a girl who could dance so well for hours at a stretch could have such a heart issue, and even now they throw judging eyeballs at my scar.

I am honestly proud of my scar, and I did not agree to remove it surgically, because it’s my natural tattoo. It’s a symbol of my victory over not one, but two rare and major problems.

However, that was not everything life had in store for me. When I was in the 2nd year of my MBA, I started having a lot of pain in my abdomen. I started skipping classes due to the same. For the second time in two decades, I was detected with another rare condition. This time I was outside, working, and only my siblings and my closest friends knew about it. Again, the doctors were unable to detect it. There were times when I would be vomiting and bleeding, and still be presenting in the office. I would go back, take injections, come back and present, sleep in the office bunker for 1-2 hours, come back again and work for 7-8 hours. Through all this, I did not give up on my career. During this while, I volunteered in a rehabilitation center and an orphanage and it gave me strength, because I realized that there are people who are going through lot worse than I am. 

During my second disease, as a side effect of the medication, I used to lose my temper. At that time, my best friends (from Birla- Jasmit, Ankita, Aniruddh, Jai)  used to call me and ask me to take out my frustration on them and then go to work. They’ve even travelled and come over to my place to help me during that time. 

I never let my diseases stop me from travelling, dancing, painting, debating, or anything else that because I know I am capable of doing them. The operation and life, in general, has taught and prepared me well.

Lastly, I would ask people to stop seeing someone’s disease as his weakness. It’s never the fault of the patient that he was detected with cancer, or a hole in his heart.  You should always fight back for your life. At least that's what Dr. Iyer (the one who did the Operation) said. My current doctor, Dr.Roohee is another bad-ass! I hope to be surrounded by such people. Like the Avengers, or my own Dumbledore's Army. It helps me fight. No?” – Anuja Mohanty

Rise And Shine, Girl! - Shaista Shireen

“While a kid, I had a strong affinity towards fashion designing. But, since the nearest college where I could pursue my dream was in Kolkata and my family, being conservative, didn’t let me go, my affinity met with a dead end.

In school, I used to sell handmade Rakhi and friendship bands to my classmates as I loved being financially independent. When I grew up and started looking for jobs with an eagerness to possess hard-earned money, my family wasn’t supportive. To all my willingness to stand up on my own feet, they just had one question, ‘’Why do you have to earn?’’.

Later, I took their permission and joined a tailoring and embroidery institute because that’s the closest I could get to my dream of fashion designing. Once, we had an order that required quick delivery so, I sat 4 hours straight to get it done. The next day, I had immense pain in my knees and the doctor asked me to stop tailoring, cause if I did, the situation would worsen. Thus, embroidery came to an end.

Later, I decided to apply for a job in Metto which was going to open near my house. I knew what it felt like to not have a job and just sit at home. I didn’t want to put myself through that again. In Metto, I did my duties diligently. It was a new spectrum for me to explore, but I did well and got promoted.

During my tenure in Metto, I decided to open, “Cravings”, just outside the mall. I loved making Chaat and Cravings helped me to convert my hobby into a business. With a table and a garden umbrella, began the tale of Cravings. Eventually, I quit my job to follow my passion and opened my own cafe, "Cravings By Shireen", which has become a favorite for Cuttack youngsters.

Situations are not promising all the time. Fani and Covid really tossed my businesses up and down, but I keep at it. Today, along with Cravings, I have another venture of meat delivery, "Meatboxco", which is doing equally well. While at home, people completely depended on Meatboxco for their non-veg grocery. Financially, it not only helped me through the pandemic, but also was a ray of hope in the life of three unemployed boys. During the lockdown, people genuinely thanked us for reviving the service. 

My family didn't trust me initially, but now they support me in all my endeavors. From my experience, I can vouch that being independent is the best thing you can do for yourself.” – Shaista Shireen. 

Turning Negative Emotions Into Positive Outcomes - Sai Shankar

“When I was in college, the jealousy in me, seeing the artwork of my seniors, turned out quite productive for me. It pushed me to better my game and polish my passion for art. During an art competition in college, we were asked to draw the portrait of Swami Vivekananda. While others carried numerous instruments, I was holding only a pencil in my hand. I got intimidated initially, but went in to do my job later.

When the results came out, I had stood first. My comrades thought there was some mistake as the portrait made by others looked colorful, hence, prettier. Seeing their reaction, I felt rejected. But, later, Sir came and said, ‘’Its not about the color, its about perfection; the perfect reflection of Swami Vivekananda’s actual face onto a piece of paper”. His words made others and myself believe in my art.

I was quite distant from art before lockdown because my busy schedule didn’t allow me to invest time in it. But, during this lockdown, when we all had time to scroll through the Gram, I came across some art pages. One of my seniors had opened an account and her sketches blew my mind away. I asked her how she had done it, with the sole motive of learning. But, somehow, she misunderstood me and thought I was trying to steal her work. Later, when I tried visiting her page, I realized that I was blocked!

My ego was hurt. But, I tried using it productively. I decided to work even harder so that one day, I will be in a position to gift her a portrait, while saying, ‘’Thank you for blocking me. It only made me better”.

Since this incident, I have not stopped pursuing art with all I got. I kept making portraits and also started my business with it. Once, I made a portrait of a Mirzapur actor. Miraculously, the actor came across his portrait, applauded me, liked all my other works and even followed me! My eyes couldn’t believe it.

I am grateful that I used negative traits, like jealousy and ego, for my growth and not vengeance. If a color blind like me can come this far in a field that is mostly about colors, then what’s stopping you from chasing your dreams?” – Sai Shankar.

Growth Cannot Be Diminished By Hurdles If You Are Determined To Grow - Shiva Pragya

 

“Being brought up in a small village in Bihar, I had no easy access to the market, hospital, or any sort of essential facilities. I did my primary education from a rural school. Then my father sent me to my Uncle’s place, which again, was a small town in Bihar. There I did all the household chores, along with my studies. Since the school there was an English medium one, I had to put in a lot of hard work towards the transition. After completing my 10th, my mother had to send me to her parents’ home to pursue my higher education, where I completed my 12th.

I had to face a lot of challenges during my 10th and 12th boards, and seeing the situation getting worse, my mother had to work to earn something to support my education. My father also bought a cow, so that he could earn something extra from selling its milk. With that money, I did my graduation. 

After my graduation, my mother fell ill, and became mentally challenged. I sank into depression, and could not figure out what to do next. From an early age, I had to take a lot of crucial decisions, and that felt extremely burdensome. However, I was a bright student, and I got a scholarship of 2.5 lacs, and with that I headed to Odisha. After innumerable hardships, I did my MBA here and got a job.

While I was doing my graduation, I came across the Nationalist President of Youth from NCP. He has been supporting me a lot, and I am fortunate to be marrying him within a month or two. God always sends someone into your life who stands by you and I can say that where I am now, I would not have been, without his support.

Hope is a big thing, and that should never be lost. Growth cannot be crippled by worldly hurdles if you are looking for a way to grow. We all are fighting our own fights, and till the end of life there will not be an end to this.” – Shiva Pragya

Baking Cakes For Smiles - Sushma Mantry

 

“Starting “Cake Me Away” was as random as anything can be. I was with my friends, talking about career and life, and out of the blue, my friends suggested that I should start baking as a profession, since I was into it. 

Randomly, I began sending out pictures of my cakes and other desserts. But, just this little step of mine led people to place orders for their various occasions and thus, began my journey as a home baker.

As a budding entrepreneur, my greatest lesson till date has been that you need to go with the flow and look at the brighter side of things. Once, a client had asked me to make a three-layer cake. They had a lot of suggestions as to how the cake should be. Even during the last minute, they kept making changes. Finally, when the delivery date came, they went on airplane mode. They rejected my calls and ignored my texts. I was devastated. I felt like all my efforts had gone in vain.

Just then, Dad suggested an idea. He asked me to give the cake to an orphanage. The children were full of glee. They danced and celebrated with utmost joy. Maybe, my client wouldn’t have enjoyed the cake the way these innocent souls did. Seeing them, I absolutely forgot about my bitter experience. Though things didn’t turn out the way I wanted, but, they turned out even better.” – Sushma Mantry.

The Peace Of Writing - Aradhi Aradhana

“Till my teenage, little did I know that I could write well. When I started discovering myself during my high school, I recognized the talent that I already possessed. Having been a good anchor in my school, I used to participate in speech and debate competitions as well. During my 11th summer vacations, I came across the “YourQuote” app and I started writing on it.

When I started, I felt like I wasn’t good enough because my writing was quite simple. After my 12th, I opened my Instagram account and I started posting my quotes there. My family and friends continued to support me immensely through everything. In fact, my sister, who herself is good at English, used to read my content and give her feedback, and that was really valuable. Eventually, I got into some writers' group, learnt and imbibed from there, and then the quality of my posts grew better.

Recently, I have been working on a non-fictional book that is aimed towards motivation. In my personal Instagram account also, I’ve been posting my pictures with some content, and that is doing good as well. Though I’m pursuing my educational degree in Integrated B.Ed, Economics Honors, and preparing for Government jobs as well, I aim to write many books in the future.

When I write, its not just the things in my own life that I draw my inspiration from, but also from my surroundings and from the lives of those around me. Everything that I write, I write with a purpose, and with a thought that originates from the reality of this world. I write mostly during the night when I’m alone, because the solitude of the night really helps me produce some good ideas. Once I start writing, the peace of it cannot be fathomed.” – Aradhi Aradhana