Phase 1.
I am fortunate to have had the chance to meet and interact with so many people throughout my life. I was born into a large family, surrounded by an extended network of relatives, in a small village where relationships were personal and interactions were wonderfully down to earth. There was very little distance between people. You knew everyone, and everyone knew you.
As a child, I received an incredible amount of love and affection. Looking back, I often think of myself as a piece of clay, shaped by the people around me. Perhaps the clay was good too, because they shaped me well. 🙂
Until middle school, my world was largely my family and the people in our immediate surroundings. They gave me my first lessons in relationships, kindness, responsibility, and simply being a good human being. I cannot thank enough all those who showered me with love and affection during those formative years. I am still in touch with some of them, and even after all these years, those connections remain special.
- What I learnt from Grandfather who never went school
- My mom who was the first girl to go to school in the whole region and that to a different village
- Sisters who were talented and always on top ranks – they were also the first ones to go to undergrad college and living in dorm/hostel
- Brilliant brothers with different mindsets – one who has always been supportive, sacrificed everything and is more a friend than brother
It’s another story that even after being such a wonderful family – it all fall apart…and that’s where the life gets complicated
Here are some names in no special order, I am just noting them down as they come to my mind. Time permitting, I will write about them –
Respectfully – Radhakishan A, Satendra A, Sharad A, Basant A, Sanjay J, Suman A, Uma A, Ajay A, Shiv A, Prahlad (Tinku), Shyama, Kranti (Kachroo), Raghunandan, Shyam, Durgesh, Madan, Kamlesh, Bajrang (Bantu), Tikrapara Family
In all this, there was one person who I knew since I came to senses and he was not in extended family. In fact he was from different religion altogether but he is the one who had unwavering faith, commitment and support throughout – Imran. Then came along Manoj. Two of my best buddies of life.
Phase 2.
The world gets bigger
As I entered high school, my world began to expand—and so did my role in it. Leadership came somewhat naturally to me. By my junior year, I was leading the school and found myself interacting not just with fellow students and teachers, but also with school officials and people outside the school. I started organizing and participating in larger events, bringing people together and learning how to navigate different personalities and perspectives.
It was probably my first glimpse of what would become a recurring theme in my life: people and connections open doors that you don’t even know exist.
Phase 3.
Beyond the four walls
College expanded that world even further. Whether it was pre-engineering, engineering, or later my MBA, I seemed to naturally find my way into different groups and build friendships and connections.
Jaipur and Indore were no longer just the places where I studied. They became communities of people—classmates, seniors, juniors, professors, friends, acquaintances, and eventually people connected through those people. I began spreading my wings beyond the four walls of the classroom and college campus.
Somehow, wherever I went, a network seemed to form around me. I never consciously set out to build one. Friendships happened. Conversations happened. Opportunities to help someone, or be helped by someone, happened.
And many of those people stayed.
Looking back, I realize that much of who I am today is not just a result of what I learned in classrooms or at work. It is also a reflection of the people I encountered along the way, their kindness, their expectations, their encouragement, their criticism, and sometimes simply their presence at the right moment.
People have been one of the greatest influences on my journey.
