Lust For Life

spotlightIn the year 2001, my school friend walked inside my IIT hostel looking for me. He had already graduated from T.S.Chanakya as a sailor and had landed with a plum job. He found me sleeping in the common room sofa with a bridge book in my hand. I was wearing worn-out clothes and I was unkempt and dirty. The look in my friend’s eyes was enough to tell me what he was thinking, “What is he doing with his life?” In his contempt and disdain he failed to notice a very important thing:

I was insanely happy.

In fact, I was delerious with happiness. I had been practising for my upcoming bridge tournament and had cracked some intricately complex bridge hands in the bridge book before falling asleep on the sofa. Unfortunately, my friend who had come to spend an evening with me was highly disappointed with what I was doing and left soon. I went back to my book.

Unknown to my friend, I had been traveling in trains without ticket all over the country for the past two years, playing in every major bridge tournament. My friend would have been further shocked to hear that I had not taken any job in the campus placement and I was aspiring to be a professional bridge player after graduation. Well, I did take a job after graduating though, in order to sustain myself. Then I went to Italy for a year. Why? Because Italy was one of the Meccas for bridge players. I played bridge everyday of my life in Italy, earned a lot of money in the tournaments, and came back.

In 2003, I was the youngest player playing in the quarterfinals of Winter Nationals held at Aurangabad. I had two reporters sitting on my either side reporting my every move.

Fast forward to year 2007. A CAT aspirant walked into a two room flat in Srinivaspuri searching for the office of a small website called www.totalgadha.com. He wanted to buy the printed copy of an ebook on number system published by the website. The student was surprised to see that the two founders, a guy and a girl, did not own even a bed or a table and that they were working on a desktop kept on the floor. The founders were Rati and I. We were sustaining TotalGadha and ourselves on my teacher’s salary then, and I couldn’t afford furniture at home. The student left without purchasing the book. But just like my friend, the student also failed to notice that the founders were insanely happy about what they were doing.

In fact, they were having a ball. They loved working on the website.
perseverance
The story did not end there though. One year later, the student was amongst the first to join the classroom program of TotalGadha. And if you do not know it yet, today it is the costliest MBA prep program in the country. And it rocks.

It wasn’t always so rocking though. Here is a true story I narrated to my students on TotalGadha-

When we started our first TathaGat center at Kailash Colony in Delhi in December, 2007, we intended to continue there for a couple of years. But, within a few months, we realized that we should be operating in Connaught Place (CP), the heart of Delhi and one of the costliest places in India. We did not realize how costly CP was until we started searching for an office space in April, 2008. Day after day, we traveled on foot from one building to another, trying to find a less expensive place for our center. We spoke with property brokers, office owners, shopkeepers, janitors and guards. Soon we realized that operating in CP was out of our budget. We had found a lot more empty places for rent in CP than what the property brokers knew about, but we were nowhere near our goal. One day, my partner and I traveled on foot in the middle circle of CP, entering every building and asking the guard or the owners if they had a small place for us to teach students. I do not remember how many kilometers we walked on foot that day but by the end of the day, we found that our dream was impossible. And then we gave up. We decided to open in CP once we had the money to afford it.

That night, after having meal in a restaurant, we went to have coffee at twenty-four seven at Satyam Cineplex, Nehru Place. We were sweaty, tired and full of dust. And we were dejected. When we reached our destination, we were already rejoicing in the car how we have saved some money by not opening at CP. When you know you are beaten and licked, your mind adapts fairly quickly to defeat. At that particular moment, the miracle we have been trying for the last 15 days happened. The moment our car stopped, my partner exclaimed in disbelief; right in front of our car was parked a gleaming new Carrera, a 2- 3 crore car from Porsche. I am not a car fan but partner is, and when he told me the price, I was also impressed. Then the owner of the car, a nondescript chap in simple jeans and a teeshirt, came, sat into the car, and drove away. But our surprise hadn’t ended still. The moment the Carrera started, lights from a car parked behind us turned on. There was an S-class Mercedes parked behind us, inside which were sitting 2-3 bodyguards of the Carrera’s owner. Imagine, a guy traveling in a car worth 2- 3 crores and his bodyguards traveling in a car worth 40- 60 lakh. We sat watching both the cars drive away slowly. The moment they were out of our sight, my partner and I exclaimed simultaneously, β€œYaar, Kholte hain CP Center.” In a matter of minutes, a car had changed our attitude.

The rest is history. We doubled our efforts to find a center, and we decided not to stop till we found it. On April 26th, 2008, our first batch started at our new CP center.

Well great! Why am I telling you this? Because our CP center’s rent was so high that it squeezed us dry four months later. That month, we did not take our salaries. My partner was buying even cigarettes on credit card. I was buying my ration on credit card. We were completely broke. But students were coming to learn from us. Gradually, we pulled through. But as again, throughout these tough times, not a soul amongst us cared. We never felt remotely miserable.

One and a half year ago, Rati popped a question to me “Should I quit working on my makeup blog?” She had started the blog one month earlier and she loved writing there. If she worked there, she would not be able to devote time to TotalGadha. I had my answer ready. Had it ready for years.

Go Where Your Passion Takes You.

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186 thoughts on “Lust For Life

  1. Wat a truly inspiring article sanjeev ji :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: u followed your dreams, your heart and the rest as they say is history :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: but the most important part in life is to be contented inside. As the saying goes ” Happiness is not having what you want but wanting what you have”.

  2. what an inspirational article! thanks sanjeev! :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

      1. this was very helpful to me Sanjeev πŸ™‚ at this point of time in my life i needed this article very much THANK YOUU!!!! :makeup: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: (rati dont kill me for the pucchis πŸ˜› πŸ˜›

  3. Kudos to you Sanjeev :yes: :yes: :yes: !!! U & Rati, are true inspiration for me. Would like to know more on how you started, hurdles u faced and how u overcome it with confidence, if u don’t mind. Keep up the good work, n keep inspiring us. Not only the makeup n reviews, but these r also some things which keep imbb readers stuck to this lovely site. So keep writing, we all love it :mean:

  4. :handshake: :handshake: :clap: :clap: :clap:

    Always inspired by awesome life stories…..keep it up!

    I have my own small one…..totally my husband’s push though…..

    I started preparing for Masters degree (including TOEFL/GMAT) with a 11 month old baby…..and finished it with 3.8 GPA…..btw, I had no intentions to go further after Bachelors degree…..

    Right now, because of the above, I am supporting 4 of us ( my cute family of 4), since my husband is trying to set up his own business…..may be next year, I will mention his once its on the way to success.

      1. hehe maybe..but it’s a touchy subject for me coz I could not join IITB in spite of having the joining date note πŸ™‚ So I kinda respect all those who could..that’s all πŸ™‚

          1. its a good one.I agree with IIt being over-rated. My bro is a Btech from IIT powai. its the attitude which makes the difference. inspite of all the hurdles he faced he’s pursuing a phd in material science on a full scholarship and 2 months ago he got a patent ! I identify with your article πŸ™‚

            Good luck to you guys πŸ™‚

  5. Ok bachelors degree I got in India (khelte khelte) and Ms. in US ( studying in commerce and then doing it here in a University was a big shift itself, they had choices A,B,C,D,E and last two were – all of the above and none of the above)

  6. there r very few pple as mad as u sanjeev who go this far to fulfil their dreams.. v r used to simpler things- doing/getting..& if not got.. find an easier way for the same…thanxx for this writeup… luved it t bits.. :clap: :clap: :jaiho: :jaiho:

    1. Thank you Nids πŸ™‚

      You may not know this but it is a miracle that you are reading this article in English. When I came from my small town to IIT Delhi, I couldn’t speak a single sentence in English. I was so eager to learn that I memorized the whole dictionary. Took me two years but I finally caught the language by its neck. πŸ™‚

      1. u memorized the whole dictionary… wow.. u hav it in u then, frm tht time itself..cuming frma small town & getting into IIT delhi is itself an accomplishment :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

      2. Wow…..!!! Thats insanely awesome….!!! Sometimes(rather most of the times) we humans dont realize our potential, We tend to be satisfied with little and try to achive what we can with little effort… But your life has always been about following your passion, whatever it takes…….!! Truly inspiring!! :worship: :worship: :worship:
        Love you guys :cute: :cute: :cute:

      3. errrr by any chance did u do it on a bus in shimla
        when i was in school a guy used to be engrossed in his dictionary…
        i used to admire him

  7. Great article Sanjeev :yes: :yes: . I’m down a bit rite now and your article came in at the right time.

    God bless you both for standing by your passion.

        1. Yep, I loved Will Smith in this movie πŸ™‚ By the way, I was waiting for you to comment on the title of the post. Thought that you would have certainly read the book πŸ™‚

  8. Very inspiring story Sanjeevji, :thumbsup: :thumbsup: you truly deserve what you got :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship:

  9. WoW! Thanks a zillion for writing this Sanjeev, its very inspiring. I find it hard to take risks, but its true that when you are doing what you love, you’ll be happy no matter what. :thanks:

  10. Truly motivational, and inspiring :clap: Infact I had myself bought the book in Feb 2008 πŸ™‚ and it still remains as the sole guide for Number system for me πŸ™‚

    God bless you guys ….

  11. Wow…..!!! Thats insanely awesome….!!! Sometimes(rather most of the times) we humans dont realize our potential, We tend to be satisfied with little and try to achive what we can with little effort… But your life has always been about following your passion, whatever it takes…….!! Truly inspiring!! :worship: :worship: :worship:
    Love you guys :cute: :cute: :cute:

  12. :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: kudos to u both!!! im inspired to truly fllow my passion no matter what! :)) :)) :))

  13. I got out of the bed almost sobbing,things have been so miserable and unpredictable lately..but you know your article has given me hope..a big hope..and I really want to thank you for that ! Amazing article at an amazing time πŸ™‚

    PS : Do you mind if I share this link on facebook ? :toothygrin: :toothygrin:

  14. I really have no words except that I really love u guys πŸ˜€ even though I dont know when I’ll meet you. the last time also I was having a low time and your article gave me strength and today also when I was just thinking how am I going to study and finish my goals and I saw this πŸ˜€
    ure the mercedes for me πŸ˜€
    hugggggggggssss

  15. Amazing journey Sanjeev …..I always wondered y u have tht total gadha’s logo in ur display pic !!!! Trust me number system book is a holy grail for a lot of MBA aspirants …..Kudos to u and Rati

    1. Lol Shikhs, I have a legally registered copyright of this logo in my name :toothygrin:

      I never thought that book would become famous as it did. On every forums related to number system discussion students always told others to solve this book. Matter of pride for me. πŸ™‚

      1. U definitely underestimated the book……In fact u wont believe in my another window TG’s TSD is opened and I am on page no. 8. For a break I switched to IMBB and Voila here it is!!!!
        I m also an MBA aspirant and staying far far away from my hubby darling just to focus better…..I can say this is one of our “times” that we will definitely look back in future

      1. yeah :toothygrin: I dropped it cuz dad wanted me to concentrate on studies :yawn: But it doesn’t suit me :tremble:

          1. Yeah I was contemplating the idea and after reading ur article Am definitely gng back :party: :party: and u read the whole dictionary :yikes: :yikes: :specs: :jaiho: I couldn’t study the barrons lists :toothygrin:

            1. Hehe, I took 2 years to do it..5 pages everyday. πŸ™‚ Dictionary is much more fun than a word list..You find out lots of interesting stuff πŸ™‚

  16. :thumbsup: @ Sanjeev ji,
    This is a truly inspiring story. I am in pune now , far away from my home in Kolkata for my job. Life seems to be a struggle at times. N I was not in the best of moods today due to a squable with my boss. But this artcle totally gave me the guts to sustain. N Sanjeev , both u and Rati di are so so lucky to have each other as soulmates. God bless u both. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

  17. aweosom awesom awesom sanjeev…….
    :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
    loved every bit of it……
    i have all the respect in this world for u n rati :victory2: :victory2: :victory2: :victory2: :victory2:
    radhika often tells me , that u all have worked realllllly hard for this…..
    I am so so so proud that i know u both πŸ™‚
    n i mean it, that any day u need me/my support in life , i ll be just a call away……..
    cheeerssss to IMBB & tathagat
    :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

      1. hahhahha…. surely, :victory2: :victory2: :victory2: :victory2: :victory2:
        waise QBA daaru k liye hi theek hai….khaanaa bakwas :yuck: :yuck: ……
        khana rads ko bol denge wo bnaa k bhej degi…..central parak mai baith k khaa lenge……khihkhihki ……. :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin:

        1. khikhihkhi, reminds me of something
          i got a frend request today on fb , some1 from IMBB probbly, she asked me ru d same nuuuffuuurrr khikhihkki 😐 😐 😐 😐 😐 😐
          :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

            1. koi mera naam.,,,,,,,,mera wajoodddddd mujhe lauta do….. :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep: :weep:
              n nupur……
              sirf
              nupur 😐 😐 😐 😐 😐 😐

                1. passport n driving license dono hi nhi hain mujh gareeb k pass…. :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin:
                  chahheee yahan sab jitni bhi caanspiracy kar lein.mai apna naam nhi badloongi…… :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug:
                  haan ji :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug:

            1. i guess she s sleeping abhi tk, coz she didnt sleep much last night :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin:

            1. m sure she s sleeping, i pinged her twice n told jomol just sent me soooo many pictures today n she hasnt replied…… :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin:

  18. :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship:
    both of u guys, may god make ur bond stronger by the day and double ur success by the year…
    sanjeev, it because of ppl like u that the earth is an interesting planet…
    after reading it i was “insanely happy”

    many ppl fail to fin d their passion tho in the flow of life

  19. Couldn’t help but comment. What a beautiful message & an amazing life experience, it helped me more than you will ever know. This touched me so deeply, words cannot explain. Love you guys.

  20. Hawww never knew this, I mean hats off to you for starting from scratch,having faith in yourself and your determination paid you what you are today!! I feel like giving standing ovation! :)) :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :jaiho: :jaiho:

  21. Awesome is the word :yes: :yes: …… its so related… :))
    I am an IT graduate but developing softwares is something I never wanted to do… I wanted to make jewelry.. I even worked as an IT technical writer.. but then that is not I wanted to do in life… so, here I am fulfilling my dream… no matter how big or small it is..I am happy :)) :)) ..n you and Rati have helped me in fulfilling the dream… Iam so so happy to know u guys…. :)) :))

    1. hey deepika, m sorry i forgot to appreciate wht fab jewellery u make,,,, really cool….
      way to go girl……. :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo:

  22. Very inspiring , beautiful message and experience to convey. :yes:
    Very few people know what their actual passion is and what they actually want to do in life. It requires a lot of self motivation and junoon to pursue one’s passion.
    I have a big confession to make and I really mean it. IMBB has played a big role into steering my life and giving it a new sense of direction and above all to discover within myself what my passion is. I owe it big time to you guys. I can go on and on but all I have to say is I get all the energy I need to pursue it from here. And ever since i have taken the step to pursue my passion, there has been no looking back and more than anything else I have never been so happy and content with what I am doing now. All credit goes to both of you. Thank you for everything.

    Love you guys πŸ™‚

  23. Thank you, Sanjeev and Rati. Sometimes I don’t have an identity of my own, especially now. I don’t know who I am. but I know one thing, even if everyone sees me as a failure, i love my life and the decisions i have made till now.It may not be enough to have cars and the luxuries or even basic stuff in this world, but I am who I am. and passion is everything πŸ™‚ i really loved coming onto your blog every day, it makes me happy πŸ™‚

  24. ok i really dont know what to say..
    this was such an inspiration esp right now when m stuck with my pg choices.
    i have immense respect for the both of you and the choices you have made. i wish you success in all your journeys..

  25. Castor here.. :toothygrin: :toothygrin: :toothygrin: ….I was trying to get something useful done by evening and sleep peacefully kinds…so didnt come online for a while πŸ™‚ From what I know of Rati and you, everything you have you have really earned it…with a lot of hardwork and struggling through so much difficulty. Tons of respect for that :worship: :worship: and it just makes it very easy for me not to be jealous :tongue:

    What I really find amazing about the two of you, though, is you just just cannnnnot say no to helping anyone and I really admire you for that. Not admire..wrong word..is more like I am fascinated!! I don’t know if I could ever be that generous 😐 😐 😐 Nope…I think I need to spoil the two of you, so you all become grumpy grouchy greenies and then there will be 3 of us πŸ˜€

    And for Rati – sometimes..just teeeny bit sometimes…me very proud I have such an awesome friend like Rati…. just sometimes…not always…most times I just cant stand her :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug: :smug:

    Said wayyy too many nice things…me feeling not so well :stars: :stars: :stars: :stars: :stars: :stars: Oh and btw…I am quite happy tooo…hmmmmmmmmmmph :smug:

    1. Castor, I think not saying no is part and parcel of being a teacher. We both were helping students online for three years, and I have been teaching for seven years now. In this time we realized that you cannot go down by helping others.

      You are happy eh, koi good news? :toothygrin: :toothygrin: Jomol ki daughter-in-law types? :toothygrin:

        1. Errr… and I thought you would be the one to bear the Jhaansi ki raani who would take panga with Jomol in her house. It is an honour Castor, think about it πŸ˜›

            1. Sanjeevji…I also changed my daughter in law to Sim’s daughter….Roopa’s daughter is also there….I am looking for more dowry……Rad’s daughter’s on hold for now because of her mother’s unpardonable and unacceptable behaviour :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :sarcasm: :specs: :specs: :specs: :specs: :specs: :specs:

              1. On second thoughts, I would take up Rads daughter as my daughter in law…..ha ha……I will do late night tak-taks on her door to press my aching legs :preen: :preen: :preen: :preen: :preen: :preen:

                1. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…press your legs ….she will do just that only … πŸ˜› πŸ˜› πŸ˜› πŸ˜› :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil: :devil:

                  1. oh…and I will do away with the grinder….I will bring the old stone grinder for making batter for dosa because it tastes better that way…..and I will make your daughter make dosa batter all night in that stone……..

                    and I will wake her up at 4 AM to do jaado pocha..

                    and I will not allow her to talk to Aarohan, I will tap her phone.

                    and I will add excess salt in the special food she prepares for Aarohan……

                    buhaha buhaha :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance: :happydance:

  26. i needed to read all this :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: :worship: .lovely write up :jaiho: :jaiho:

  27. wow…. u both are really awesome…. very inspiring read in the morning….. πŸ™‚ i’m bookmarking it to read whenever i feel down ….. πŸ™‚
    Sanjeev…. write an auto biography sometime…… i’ll definitely want to read and i’m sure there will be a lot more interested πŸ™‚

  28. Sanjeev,
    The article is truely inspiring… this jan i has having quite a low professional life… that made me feel that this is the end of the world… by boyfriend helped to cope with that and slowly i could finally change my attidute towards the problems… it was then that i wanted something nice and fun as a passion… while googling one day, i stumbled upon IMBB one day… i liked one article… and after that, within next few days i read all the articles, all the comments here… and now i am a makeup-addict (makeupholic :drunk: )
    and it feels so nice, a website with no negativity, no spamming…. just fun nice comments…
    i know it must take a huge effort to keep this so nice and clean…
    but i really appriciate both of your effort!!! kudos to you two

    another thing… i myself am never an MBA aspirant, never tried for that… but still i know the name of TG… u know how? :secret2: coz many many many people in my office are chup chup ke MBA aspirants, who keep a small window of TG opened in their desktop :secret2: :secret2: :secret2:

      1. Through Facebook and Orkut is banned here too… but abhi tak TG is not banned… still the company is thinking itni atrition rate kyon hai? sab koi MBA kyon parne ja raha hai? :methinks: :methinks: :methinks:

  29. Sanjeevji……….. :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: you always come up with snippets from your life which are so inspiring and motivating. Besides the fact that you are a hardworking and dedicated person, you are lucky enough to have a wife like Rati who stood by you….it’s very easy for people to buckle under pressure….really commendable and awe-worthy how you have grown and with such humility…. πŸ™‚

    1. I don’t think there’s an inch of buckling inside us. Rati and I often discuss how we’ve never got one thing, even the simplest of things, in life without struggling for it. And now we both are fighters. πŸ™‚

      1. Truly said…..my husband and I also say same…….that nothing just falls into our lap….we always get after “much seeking” and doing loads of mehnat…..sometimes even if we get it…we think ok….no big deal….but seriously when I think about it, we always pave our own way to fight and then onwards its easier to do it again.

        I love the book “Alchemist”……its so true that when you set out to do something, world makes it happen for you. Touchwood. :teddy:

  30. I know Sanjeevji…especially I have been here for more than one year I think….I know how Rati works incessantly…how each of the comment is replied and how frequently the site was updated even before guest posts were invited…….it’s not easy for a person like me to work in the same way, that’s why I have such an immense respect for you people :nerd:

  31. As soon as I reached office this morning I read this article , very very inspiring article Sanjeev. Pls keep posting inspiring articles on IMBB. :thanks: :thanks: :thanks: :thanks:

  32. Morning morning…such a lovely post to read Sanjeev!! :thanks: so much for sharing it here….I am gonna read it again in few minutes!! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

    1. I totally loved reading every bit of this article Sanjeev… I can totally relate to the fact that a burning passion to do something you love to do can keep you live and happy even while having a tough struggling time. I’ve my own snippets from my life which I do keep on writing and I feel so happy to read yours now. It feels great to emerge victoriously out of tough times, and what makes me feel proud is not the achievement but the willingness to achieve what you’ve got. The persistence, the strong will and never-say-die attitude is something worth bowing down to. :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho:

      Kudos to both of you and many many many best wishes !! πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

          1. Cali, will do. πŸ™‚ Only thing is, posts like these come from the heart and usually I write such posts on days when I am suddenly overwhelmed with and emotional about something. πŸ™‚

            1. he he he….I can understand that..I usually get the urge to write such stuffs at night, while I lie on bed and go into flashback….weird feeling it gives..and goes off only once I’ve jotted down everything rushing inside the brain!! πŸ˜›

              I think I’ll write my next post the day I’d quit this job! 😐 he he he….thats what I think!! πŸ˜›

              1. I was born in a small village-town of Himachal and brought up in villages only because of my dad’s nature of job..The first time I came to Bangalore, I was all alone, literally scared of everything…..Didn’t know what to say to anyone and it was difficult to take a stand of my own decisions.

                It usually makes tougher for girls to stay decisive, as I’ve experienced loads of criticism on all my decisions from everyone around, just because me being a girl. I used to listen to everyone and follow what they’d want me to do. But, I experimented once by sticking to one decision and passionately working on it. I truly believed that I was right, despite all people inducing doubts and fear in me. And I persisted till I came out of the struggle with success..That experience seriously gave me a new life. You just have to believe in yourself and continue doing what your heart and passion says.

                I think I’ll go and read “The Alchemist” now!! πŸ˜›

  33. I dont know what more to add when everything is already been said what i wanted to say…
    well….sometimes God makes some special people who do some special things that somehow touches others life in a big way…Rati and Sanjeev ji u both r special….u have touched so many lives through this IMBB…. O:) O:) O:) O:)
    Wish u loads of success…!!!

  34. :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: lovely post sanjeev…thanks for sharing it with everyone and inspiring to move ahead with their passions and dreams.
    Hopefully some day me and my husband can share a story which is full of fulfilling ones dreams. 2 years back both of us left our plum job to start something of our own…he his and me mine…2 very different paths but nevertheless OURS. After a year we realised that its not possible for both parents to quit and start from scratch so i joined back while he has somewhere made some headway. Its not easy and i can completely understand the struggle….but am extremely happy that i have friends who inspire to move ahead and make dreams possible……
    ok that was a long story….rati and sanjeev….. :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: :puchhi: and hugssss

  35. Thanks Sanjeev and Rati for following your dreams. In many many ways you have inspired us and made us a lot more confident of who we are and that is no mean achievement. The positiveness and the attitude on this list is there for everyone to see. When the first time I put up a post I was shocked at how many responded and frankly I have never recd that kinda attention before. it just reaffirmed my confidence in myself. i sound like a sad sack but my point being that whatever you guys did, you did right and I thank you both for it (the others too). :jaiho: :jaiho:

  36. am immensely impressed..u deserve a standing ovation sanjeevji… :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: !!
    excellent….i mean its too inspiring O:) O:) O:)

  37. Sirji, You have the right attitude and with that, nothing is impossible, as they say, your attitude decides your altitude. Way to go….All the very best for life :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo: :waytogo:

  38. A very inspiring article sanjeev. you and rati should post
    such true life stories often. people need some role models
    like you.
    continue the good work.
    all the best.
    @rati – you really complement sanjeev!!!!

  39. Have been going through a traumatic time in life as well…and Im grateful cos it taught me not to take life for granted. The community here makes life lighter for me πŸ™‚

    Very inspiring… let me raise a toast to you and and the missus… and to pore old Van Gogh too πŸ™‚

      1. so true Gini..like in the other post abt controlling anger, i just said whats on my mind and it was just a relief to not have someone say ‘you should not be like this types’..there were just more ppl who were the same way. basically this site is so cool it does make ‘life a little lighter’

  40. awesme..so inspirational.. :jaiho: :jaiho: i luved d last line..Go Where Your Passion Takes You..i ll remeber dis for whole of ma life…bt smetimes i finad it so hard to knw wat i really want..bt right nw its cat….tnx fr sch an inspiring article… :thanks:

  41. awesme..so inspirational.. :jaiho: :jaiho: i luved d last line..Go Where Your Passion Takes You..i ll remeber dis for whole of ma life…bt smetimes i find it so hard to knw wat i really want..bt right nw its cat….tnx fr sch an inspiring article… :thanks:

  42. wow!!!! what an inspiring article…….. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: me IMPRESSED & salute :jaiho: to both of u…….
    Both of u deserve a HUG from me….. :balle:
    God bless…
    love
    sush :thumbsup: :love:

  43. Only one word “Beautiful”
    you guys rock :heart: Must say :bully: The Best Couple Award goes to you guys!! :puchhi:
    :heart: :heart: :heart:

  44. awesome post sanjeev…glad u dint give up and took a place in CP..HUGE RISK…bt as it goes no risk no return..difficult to take risks in life..bt den dos r required for success…
    hats off to u… :jaiho: :jaiho: :jaiho: n rati for always being der wit u inspite of so many pressures incdng family :jaiho: :drunk:

  45. I generally don’t comment here at all but today the articles just demands it, you know? I have read about the both of you both here at IMBB and at the TG site and blogs and have always been in absolute awe of you guys. Sanjeev bhaiyya, your story is inspiring for every 20 something and I am no different. And bridge! Wow! I know very very few people who even know about the game, let alone play it. We used to call it our ‘family game’ πŸ˜›

    This last month I had been very busy with both work and the toughest exam of my life and yet everyday IMBB was the only site I used to visit more than once because it made me feel happy or took off pressure for a while. A hearty thanks to you guys for making so many of us so happy πŸ™‚

  46. Sir, you rock!!1 more thing I want to share with IMBB readers: Through totalgadha.com, the couple has actually enabled many aspirants by making obscure things approachable to them for free. God bless you both:)

    1. Hmmmm πŸ™‚ It has always been the philosophy of TG Nidhi πŸ™‚ Share knowledge for free πŸ™‚ Whenever we discover something new, we post it on TG. There has never been a question of ‘Shouldn’t we make students pay for it?’

  47. Truly Inspirational Sanjeev ji, Even me & fiance have always got things through stuggle & I’m happy about it.
    After reading this I have decided I’ll support him for whatever he is passionate about & never ever would I discourage him by talking about the risks involved.

    You & Rati are great soul mates Touchwood! :yes:

  48. Wonderful article.. Amazing.. I loved the last line..
    Hats off to Sanjeev and Rati… :star:

    Hard times are tougher but they are better experiences..
    Thanks for sharing this blog :thanks:

  49. Hi Sanjeev,

    Have been a silent follower of IMBB from last one year and was going through the posts randomly today when i read this thought piece of yours.

    My eyes are wet. *silence*
    One of the few moments when you realize something you already knew, but had forgotten in the busy run of life.
    Thanks to you for reminding me of something i had forgotten. *thankyou*

    All the best for all your future plans and Kudos for all that you have achieved.

    Loads of love to both you and Rati. πŸ™‚ πŸ™‚

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