Photo by Jonathan Youngblood
Inspired by an Idea
It was over five years ago that we were on a day-trip from Chennai with my wife and another couple, Swami and Kavitha. After a scenic boat ride amidst mangroves at Pichavaram (and some really delicious prawn masala cooked right on the spot), we made our way to Chidambaram, famous (except to me at the time) for its 1,000-year old temple.
What we found there was wonderful – a massive, beautifully-carved stone temple complex that was deserted except for a few folks on siesta, some kids and a couple of stray dogs. We had it all to ourselves – a tourist’s dream come true – and yet we were somehow disappointed. Is there any other country in the world that would let a millennium-old structure be neglected in this manner? What’s worse, there were no signs telling us about the place. All we could tell right there was that it’s an old Shiva temple – and frankly even that was because we were Indian and some of us were Tamil.
We were discussing how such structures are packaged and marketed in the West (audio tours, guidebooks, kiosks, dedicated websites, re-enactments… the list goes on!) when I first had the idea to start a business promoting Indian history and heritage.
Over the next few years, things changed for me personally and professionally. I moved out of Chennai, first to work in Singapore, then Philippines and finally to the US. I dabbled in a variety of roles, gaining in experience and confidence and building up a network of friends and colleagues. Along the way we even had a child.
Finally the time came when I figured I had the experience – and, most important, the savings – to be able to finally start the venture I had been dreaming of for five years!
Inspired by Circumstances
My brother’s story is different. Several years younger than me, he had goals that most of us share at the start of our careers – to find a good job and grow in it. Unlike many of his peers, though, he is motivated by work content, learning and intellectual stimulation; not so much by money.
Having worked in a TV news channel for a few months, he quickly realized that, while the initial learning was great, he would probably stagnate after a point. In addition, the economy was doing poorly and layoffs were round the corner. So he took a severance package and joined me doing what he loves most – reading and researching. And in doing so, he now produces what I think is the best research available to a tourist or a layperson in India.
Other Examples
In the course of our work we come across so many entrepreneurs who are inspired by an idea, a vision or a desire to simply do something different from the usual. Take Vijay or Wribhu, who gave up promising corporate careers to start travel and financial services companies respectively. Or Jonty, who moved from the private sector to an NGO and then gave up both to start a tour company. She’s now planning another new venture!
There’s even Kaushal, fresh out of an MBA, starting an organization with little more than passion and some skeletal funding. And Peter and Noella, who found their calling in doing voice-overs. Peter also finds time to promote a Poker tournament!
These are life-changing examples. But you don’t always need to make a career change or become an entrepreneur to follow your inspiration. Why not emulate Vaibhav, who takes on programming projects while he completes his Masters? Or how about Claire, who participates in fund-raising activities while continuing to have a successful banking career? Rajen is a successful management consultant who has written a Hindi movie script. And finally there is Vishal, who has chucked it all up to backpack across India!
Whatever be your inspiration, act on it now – even if you can only spare 15 mins a day for it. It’s time to start, don’t you think?
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thanks
This is a really great blog. Thx to the auther