“Experiential learning is the best form of learning. It is also the toughest.”

These are some words my father said to me during my early foundation years. Words that I remember fondly from my past. I often wonder if he stole it from a movie or thought about it during his JNU years. Either way, these are words that stuck with me and got me through my toughest days. Words that bring out the true meaning of my life.

I was born in India and raised in around parts of the world. This included parts of India, a little bit of Africa, and the Middle East for that additional zing. My upbringing was mostly influenced by the fact that I was raised without a screen in my hand. Instead, that screen was replaced with a new musical instrument every year. Probably one of the greatest decisions my parents made, among others.

Another one of those wonders was my foundation in English. It was developed by my mother with Wren and Martin from 4th grade itself. I had scorned nightmares when I was a kid, thinking about that book. I remember hating it so much that I would voluntarily practise playing the piano with sheet music. But now that I look back, Wren & Martin to this day remain my go-to bible.

During my university years, I pursued a bachelor’s in computer science. Not because I wanted an IT job. I just wanted to make games. And I was deeply infatuated with the Unity Engine. During these excursions, I found a charm in two things that led to my current being.

First, the art of articulating a story. Second, how not to crunch data like an idiot? This is also how I was first introduced to the wonders of data science. So, like any other Indian, I did an MBA in data science.

I started my career with an NGO in public sanitation as a graphic designer and moved up to be head of social media. Among the various perks I enjoyed there, my most momentous were when our team worked with the Prime Minister's Office. Because of this, I had the greatest honour of having a chai with Modi.

Following this brief experience, I worked as a data analyst under the mentorship of some of the leading minds in the Indian insurance industry. This was succeeded by a four-year journey aimed solely at elevating my storytelling experience.

After seven years of learning and hating the job struggles and stressful days, I decided to take a gander at entrepreneurship. Sadly, now I have sleepless nights along with stressful days.

In more recent years, I have been involved in one failed startup and am gearing two ventures gunning towards success. In one, I am trying to redesign newspapers. On the other hand, I am trying to fix a problem with dating apps.

This trajectory, strange to say the least, has had its perks and charms. For one, I have developed a rather keen interest in understanding human behaviour and speech—oratory, to be specific. I haven’t been much of an orator. That is what I am working on in my free time.

Either that or sitting beside a guitar, spinning tales with music, trying to make sense of the noise around. Or daydreaming about the next piece I am going to write.