Diwali is a festival we all wait for and the first thing that comes to our mind is Diyas and gifts. It is in our DNA to exchange gifts on this occasion and decorate our houses.
Why am I talking about Diwali here?
I was in school when I started realising my inclination towards art and craft. Since I could not get any training, I was not very confident talking and showcasing it. But I remember it was Diwali and I wanted to decorate my house with something which I had created – a DIY. I thought upon it a lot and decided to create Diyas; no wonder.
That was also the time my house was not fully constructed, so we had a lot UltraTech cement sacks stored. The cement stored was like a treasure for me, using which I created different varieties of diyas. My house was full of cement diyas created by me and my heart was pumping with happiness. The first feeling of seeing all of them lit around still remains with me.
A lot of my relatives also wanted the same diyas for themselves and I gifted some of them right there out of joy. This also gave me an idea of starting my own small business of customised diyas. I did it during Diwali every year till 2017.
This helped me gain confidence to realise my dream of creating craft out of waste, which is one of the most integral part of my expression of creativity and commitment.
This episode also reminds me of one of the most challenging phase of my life till now. After graduating from school one thing that every student has to deal with is choosing what they want to pursue. And we are also made to believe that it is “The Deciding Moment” for us. You either make it or break it.
I was no exception and I had decided that I wanted to study engineering at one of the IITs. Before even I could start my preparation in 2012, I was hit by Abdominal Tuberculosis and my dreams were shattered. I could not study for around 1.5 years and was not allowed to move to other city for further education.
I had to change my career and I choose to do BBA being from a college in my city. The problem was that the colleges in my city were not up to date with the latest pedagogic systems and it was a big compromise that I had to do. I thought I had lost the game.
I did not achieve anything great during my college except one (for which I don’t have any certificate or medal as proof). We all know about the earthquake that hit Nepal during 2015. India was helping Nepal recover from the loss. There were some people from Nepal living in my city and they formed a small community with the help of a local registered NGO to collect relief fund. They wanted to do the collection drive at my college. However, they were denied permission. I somehow met them on the gate of my college. After talking to them I knew one thing that I really wanted to help them.
I tried my level best to convince the authorities but I failed. This did not stop me and I started the drive just outside my college. We all distributed ourselves, made posters and recited small stories of the earthquake to gain the attention of people passing. After around 2hours of hard work, not just the students but also the people passing by and the street food vendors around the place started donating. We also took the drive to the local market and by evening we had a collection of around 30k. This incident made me realise the power of determination and empathy. It was the moment when I gained my lost confidence.
After completing my graduation, I got a job as a Research Associate in one of the leading B-Schools of India. It was a big success for me; from being a nobody I was at a place where my opinion mattered, my ideas were encouraged and I was a given a chance to explore my strengths.