Do It For Yourself - Karavi Pattnaik

"In school, I started gaining a lot of weight. People would talk behind my back about my obesity. Their talks didn't bother me, it was only when my friends started teasing me that I realized the pain of body shaming. Words like, Moti, Hippo, Pumpkin, Baby Elephant, were my nicknames. They would also say that I comprise 2 people, not one. 

Through all the teasing and shaming what my friends failed to understand is that I didn't choose to be obese. It's in my genes and there's nothing one can do about it. My parents, too, started telling me to lose weight, which was hurtful. I really wanted to lose weight, but couldn't find the zeal. 

Later, due to a health condition, I was asked to lose weight by my doctor. This time I knew I had to work towards it, not because what other people think or say, but for my own good. I started working out, the zeal was there this time, maybe because I wasn't thinking about people, but myself. I lost a few kilos. I am still chubby and a work in progress; slowly getting to the weight that makes ME happy." - Karavi Pattnaik.

Accepting Myself! - Sanchita Rath

“My story started during my High School, when I gained a lot of weight, and people started body shaming me. I lost all my confidence to speak publicly, because I took to my heart everything that was being spoken about me. I even started losing friends because of this. Although I was good at studies and did well in my 10^th, I scored comparatively low in my 12^th because I had lost my motivation.

After all this, I started reading books, talked to myself and encouraged myself to let all the toxicity out of my life. I slowly gained back my courage, and became really comfortable with my own body, irrespective of what others said about me. I learnt riding a bike, riding a tractor, travelled Odisha on my bike all by myself, tried my hands on art and craft, and played cricket and softball in my college tournaments.

Most importantly, I developed my public speaking skills, hosted college events, and currently, I am a Student RJ in SOA Radio. I also joined the theatrics club, performed Nukkad in villages, and did stand-up comedies too. Since I am an agriculture student, I share gardening ideas and hacks on YouTube as well. All these helped me regain all the confidence that I had lost, and made me gain a completely new perspective in life!

Last year I applied for ‘Miss Plus Size India’, and this year I am a finalist in the 2021 edition of it. I have tried my hands on a lot of different activities that I enjoyed to do, and they made me happy! I want to try out a lot of new things that people say I am not fit enough to do.

My parents, and especially my Mom, support me completely. My Mom was the biker of her time, and I’m glad I inherited her genes. I feel like this is the first step towards change, and there’s a lot more to achieve in life. We cannot stop people from assuming things about us, the best we can do is make ourselves happy and let our works speak for themselves.” – Sanchita Rath

A Poetic Heart! - Biswajit Dash

"Hello! I am a student who passed his boards, without any exams(sweet!). In Class 7, our school held a literary competition. I attempted to write a poem and after completion, I realized that I was the only one to do so. For the next 3-4 days, my nervousness was at it's peak. I was waiting for the results, but later, our school decided to call off the competition. 

I was upset about it, but I decided to keep on writing poems, as I had developed an affinity towards it. Even during games period, I used to sit under a tree and write poems. Once, I wrote a poem about my school and all my teachers appreciated it so much that they published it on our official website. This was a huge morale boost for me. My school principal also gave me 100 rupees for one of my poems.

Later, I wrote some poems for the school magazine, but none of them were published. On discussion with the school management, I realized that they were only giving preference to toppers. My heart broke, but in that moment, I decided to make my own platform for posting my poems. 

I opened an Instagram account. In the beginning, followers, comments and support from friends was negligible. Out of frustration, I quit. The fact that my friends were commenting under adult memes, but not under my posts made me feel down. 

Now, after 6 months, I am back at it. I have grown as a person and I am not letting the numbers affect me. With what I receive, I am happy and my heart is warm." - Biswajit Dash.

 

Get To Your Calling - Aryan Brahmin

TW: Suicide

"In school, I was into sports. I tried doing better in my academics, but I just couldn't. I devoted a major part of my day to studies, while only 2 hours went into sports. However, I was much better at the latter than the former. Due to poor academic performance, my tuition teacher used to torture me a lot. He used to beat me and that pushed me to develop suicidal tendency. I drove to Puri with the thought of committing suicide, but I was caught and brought back home. Soon after, I started hookah and it became my breakfast, lunch and dinner.

One day, I was watching London Olympics with my Dad. The game that we were watching was new to me. I asked Dad and he said that it's handball. I researched a lot on it, and felt like this is my calling. Messi is my role model(I have even tattoed his name on my wrist) and just like him, I decided to work towards my goals, no matter how hard it gets.

Cut to the present time, I am U-19 Indian Handball Team Captain. I have played various international, national and state level matched and won accolades for the same. Winning the "Best Player Of The Match/Tournament" is a feeling like no other. All of this didn't come easy, a lot of practice, precision and hard work went into it.

When life gives you a tough time, learn to rise above it. Sometimes, it'll feel like hell and resorting to suicide will seem easier, but hold on just a bit more. There's a calling for you too!" - Aryan Brahmin.

Practice Makes A Man Perfect - Ahwaan Nayak

 "I’m an independent State level live-artist. I love to perform live in front of audience. My prime dedication is towards singing semi classical and folk genre songs. Besides being a singer, I’m also an anchor, actor, painter, voice artist, writer, speaker, calligrapher, quiz master and Cultural researcher. I have performed in various State, National and International shows – ‘International music, dance and literary festival’, ‘Utkal Samaj of Bombay’, ‘Ramoji film city’, ‘Baliyatra’, ‘Rath Yatra live’, ‘Akshaya Mohanty Memorial’, ‘Dubai nights’, ‘International Youth Conference, ‘TEDx’ etc. I’ve also been acknowledged by many TV and Radio (AIR) channels and was the Student Ambassador for World Cup Hockey promotion (2018). I feel immensely blessed to be acknowledged by Shree Jagannath Temple Administration, as one of the youngest Jagannath culture researcher.

Awards like ‘Akshaya Mohanty Samman’, ‘Lalit Kala Academy Samman’, ‘Sarala Das Samman’ are my life-time treasures. My father, a senior administrative officer, is an outstanding singer & my mentor. I used to observe him and without any training, I learnt to sing. I could sing Akshaya Mohanty songs perfectly at the age of 7, leaving my class spellbound. Whatever I am today is the result of practise, experience and learning from my mistakes.

I was studying in KV and we didn’t have Odia as a subject so, my grandmother made me read Odia newspapers and now I can read & write Odia much effortlessly than most of the Odias out there.

All credits go to my parents, who always looked up for posters of competitions while driving through the city, and encouraged me to participate. Since then, I’ve participated in many competitions. Eventually, judges & producers started contacting me for shows.

Live artists don’t use auto- tune or retakes, still they don’t get the attention they deserve. I love being a live artist as ‘Mistakes make a man perfect’ and that I get immediate feedback from my audience." -Ahwaan Nayak.

A Mompreneur And A Proud Promoter of Odisha's Timeless Craft! - Samapti Bal

“I am a mother, entrepreneur, and a proud promoter of Handloom and Humanity. My parents always admired Odisha’s Handloom, and I also used to visit several exhibitions, where I came in contact with some weavers. I got to know about how they were being underpaid for their wonderful work. Like most other families, I was also forced to do a job, but I always wanted to be an entrepreneur. I did work in some big and reputed organizations, but I never found self-satisfaction. I came to think of my salary as a drug that was slowly killing my dreams.

Later I got married, and I told my husband what I wanted to do. He supported and encouraged me to work towards my dreams. If I left my job, I had no stable income source. However, no such challenge could stop me from pursuing what I loved. The initial phase was very difficult, because I had to travel to a lot of remote and inaccessible places like the tribal belt of Kalahandi and Koraput in order to learn about the process, technique and background of weaving, and this helped me to establish my own brand, ‘Odisha Hast Tant’.

I quit my job and gave my full time to the startup. Though it has only been 4 years since I started the brand, I have numerous people who have felt the love of handmade products and become like friends after their first purchase. I have received a lot of appreciation and several awards for my brand and my work towards reviving the dying art.

My first aim was to uplift the status of Handloom weavers, who have upheld this authentic craft of Odisha for so many generations. I have never been in search of fame and money, and that encourages me to sell my products at a very feasible price to all who love this art. Currently, I have 42 weavers in my team, whom I treat as my family, and try to make their lives better.

A lot of my weavers are very educated, and few have done fashion designing courses, and even MBA. They can turn traditional designs into exquisite modern ones, such that the designs tell a story of their own.

As a woman entrepreneur, I want not just to change my life, but also those of others and inspire them to start a venture of their own. Settling for something less will never satisfy your inner self. I believe that being a mother if I can travel distant places and work overnight, anyone can do it.” – Samapti Bal

When A Doctor Tries Her Hands At Food Vlogging! - Dr. Dibyajyoti Panda

“I started my Instagram page when I was in college, around 2 years ago. In the beginning, I didn't have a clear idea about what I should do. Since I was a kid, I have seen my father cooking delicious food, and everyone in my house being a foodie, thus, I wanted to do something based on the same, and that’s how my journey started.

I don’t cook a lot, but I do love to try out different dishes, and I mostly do vlogs on the food that I try at different places. My parents did not know much about social media and especially Instagram, so they had no idea about my page. Later, when they got to know, they supported me in it, because I managed to handle both my studies and my vlogging.

Not gonna lie, sometimes, it becomes too difficult to manage my studies and work, but the happiness that I find in doing this keeps me going. It never feels like a waste of time because I enjoy the time that I put into it. I am also starting to include travel vlogs in my page, and I hope to continue that as well. I explore the places where I go to, and try to keep creating content. Irrespective of what I try, Cuttack’s Dahibara will always hold a special place in my heart. Also, I will always be a mighty lover of Biriyani, and for me, my Papa makes the best Biriyani of all.

Currently, I am doing my internship after my MBBS, and I wish to continue vlogging along with my mainstream career, because every time I step out to try my hands on something new, I feel the same happiness and excitement as always. I plan to start a restaurant of my own in the future, and hopefully explore a variety of different places and food.” – Dr. Dibyajyoti Panda.

What's Stopping You? - Zenith Kajur

"It all started when I was in the 6th grade. My uncle insisted my father to come and visit him in Kolkata. My father agreed and took us there for the summer. My uncle had a NIKON Coolpix P900. He let me use it after teaching some basics. Randomly, I clicked a few pictures only to discover that I have a deep-rooted affinity for photography.

After I returned, I purchased a smartphone and continued with photography. Before photography, I was just an average kid in school who played football. But, post photography, tables turned for me.

In class 9, my friend and I started building a portfolio by shooting pictures for some automobile shops. Saurav Sinha, a photographer and youtuber, inspired me a lot. While in 10th, I also had the opportunity to do some fashion and wedding photography.

I'm a 16 year old, who just passed his boards and is eyeing to make a career out of his passion. I am going to take up Commerce because I want to start a photography business. I am already at it, what's stopping you?". - Zenith Kajur.

Odisha's Very Own Kapil Sharma! - Debarchan Mishra

"I was born in a village and no education facility was available there. I was sent to my uncle's house in Balasore and there I started my studies. Later, my father got transferred to BBSR and I continued my schooling there.

When I was in class 9, I noticed that my friends used to laugh at whatever I said and they were intrigued by my words. One of my teachers used to make me speak in his free classes and the whole class used to go on a rollercoaster ride. Some of my friends and cousins suggested that I take this seriously. 

I attended one open mic. The room was quite dead till my performance. Even the best performers couldn't do anything about it. Then, I performed one of my sets, Prarthana, and the audience enjoyed it. Satyabrat Mohapatra, founder of Comedy Highway, took notice and insisted that I join the team. Then I got into Comedy Highway. 

Initially, arranging an open mic wasn't an easy task. We had to keep looking for venues regularly. Some of them agreed and some of them didn't. We could hardly conduct 1-2 open mics per month. As the number of open mics were few, it was a challenge for all the comedians to perform well. Gradually, people got aware of us. Different venues called us to perform at their property, the audience grew and we were able to arrange 4 open mics per month.

During my first few open mics, speaking Hindi used to be a nightmare for me. I fumbled numerous times on the stage. Ever since then, I have been working on my Hindi speaking skills vigorously.

My parents propagate my videos in their own circle. Watching my parents while they are watching my videos is the last thing I would want to happen. 

Had I not been a comedian, I would have loved to go into research on snakes. Since childhood, I used to say I want to be a doctor, but by class 10, I realized that humans deserve to live, so I can't be a professional in that.

It's been around 3 years into this noble job. My team is like my second family. Our aim to improve the comedy scene in Odisha seems possible now because of all the love and support that we have been bestowed with. We have a lot of surprises for our dear audience, so watch out for it!" - Debarchan Mishra.