The Startup
"Dude, I'm working on an assignment in the library. I'll call you tomorrow, ok?", said Shardool, in a barely audible voice.
He's busy.
"That's ok, talk to you soon", replied Danta.
He slowly paced around his home, alone and deep in thought. As he poured the warm milk for his cereal, the headline of the article he'd just read came to his mind again- "21 year old, building India's largest hotel network".
Damn.
It wasn't the first such instance. Stories of young entrepreneurs founding startups and raising millions of dollars in funding were commonplace, and every passing article he read, made him feel a bit more asphyxiated.
He continued pacing, ignoring the soaked cereal, as he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling lost.
हे भगवान !
He had decided he won't regret his decision, but it was impossible not to. The opportunity he let slip four years ago, when he was 21, seemed to haunt him now more than ever. It had all the signs of a promising startup - a product both unique and scalable, a mentor from one of India's eminent research institutes, and most importantly, the time he had on his hands, to pursue it relentlessly. The initial demonstrations had been encouraging as well, and all that was needed was a giant leap of faith to walk away from the oft-trodden path.
Why didn't I?
He regretted not having the perspective he had now - of how exciting it would have been to have tried something which his batchmates didn't; of the abundant learning he would have gained, regardless of how big a success or failure it would have been.
His phone started ringing. Urmila.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Hi, I'm stuck in traffic, so thought I'd give you a call. What are you upto?" she said.
"Nothing... Just. Nothing."
"My husband, he hasn't repaired the bike yet, so I have to travel by auto....", she continued. "Traffic is so heavy nowadays...."
His mind was elsewhere. After a while she noticed he wasn't responding.
"Danta, are you there? क्या हुआ ?"
"Nothing, tell me."
"You sound like a dog waiting for it's owner to come home. Is everything alright?"
NO. Everything is NOT alright!
How could he explain what he was going through? That he wouldn't be at peace till he realizes his dream. That nothing else seemed to matter at this point, than to carve out his own destiny, and not lose himself in the deluge of big corporations.
He composed himself. "I'm just occupied with something."
"Oh. अच्छा, I've reached office. Tell me what it is later ok? Bye for now."
"See you."
The cereal was cold by now. He continued pacing. Dreaming big was one thing, making it happen was a whole new proposition. He didn't know what or how. He had to talk to someone, and his best friend was busy. He picked up the phone, and dialed his mother's number.
"Hello"
"Ma, it's me."
"बोल बेटा " she said, sounding instantly cheerful. "What are you doing? Did you have dinner?"
"I will in sometime. What's happening there?"
"Your sister has gone to work, I have taken a day off as I am not well. And to top it off, the maid has taken leave..." , the exasperation showing in her voice.
"You're not well?", he interrupted. "What happened?"
"Oh just the usual back pain, it's a bit more severe today. And there's so much work to do around the house, I have to clean the dishes..."
He was unsure how he was going to explain his predicament to her. How would she react, when she finds out that her son wanted to leave behind a high paying job to pursue a path with a very uncertain future? 90% of startups do end up as failures, after all. She always expects guarantees, and he was in no position to give her one. He didn't even have an idea yet. As he pondered over it her words caught his attention again.
"... she wanted a raise, and I refused. Now she's getting back at me this way. I would fire her, if it wasn't so difficult to find a maid. She knows this as well, and is arm-twisting me for a raise...."
So difficult to find a maid.
It felt like someone had just lit a beacon in his head.
"Ma, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later, sorry" he said, as his mind raced ahead thinking of the possibilities.
"Ok take care, eat well" she replied, sounding confused.
The excitement was too much to handle. The idea took over him. What if he could rid his mother, and a thousand others, of this frustration? What if he could provide a platform for the domestic help and their employers to connect in a more efficient manner, each picking the other according to their preference?
This is it. The mountain he has to conquer.
The cereal remained untouched as he switched on his Macbook, opened the IDE, and started working on his app - Maid in India.
THE END
He's busy.
"That's ok, talk to you soon", replied Danta.
He slowly paced around his home, alone and deep in thought. As he poured the warm milk for his cereal, the headline of the article he'd just read came to his mind again- "21 year old, building India's largest hotel network".
Damn.
It wasn't the first such instance. Stories of young entrepreneurs founding startups and raising millions of dollars in funding were commonplace, and every passing article he read, made him feel a bit more asphyxiated.
He continued pacing, ignoring the soaked cereal, as he ran his fingers through his hair, feeling lost.
हे भगवान !
He had decided he won't regret his decision, but it was impossible not to. The opportunity he let slip four years ago, when he was 21, seemed to haunt him now more than ever. It had all the signs of a promising startup - a product both unique and scalable, a mentor from one of India's eminent research institutes, and most importantly, the time he had on his hands, to pursue it relentlessly. The initial demonstrations had been encouraging as well, and all that was needed was a giant leap of faith to walk away from the oft-trodden path.
Why didn't I?
He regretted not having the perspective he had now - of how exciting it would have been to have tried something which his batchmates didn't; of the abundant learning he would have gained, regardless of how big a success or failure it would have been.
His phone started ringing. Urmila.
"Hey, what's up?"
"Hi, I'm stuck in traffic, so thought I'd give you a call. What are you upto?" she said.
"Nothing... Just. Nothing."
"My husband, he hasn't repaired the bike yet, so I have to travel by auto....", she continued. "Traffic is so heavy nowadays...."
His mind was elsewhere. After a while she noticed he wasn't responding.
"Danta, are you there? क्या हुआ ?"
"Nothing, tell me."
"You sound like a dog waiting for it's owner to come home. Is everything alright?"
NO. Everything is NOT alright!
How could he explain what he was going through? That he wouldn't be at peace till he realizes his dream. That nothing else seemed to matter at this point, than to carve out his own destiny, and not lose himself in the deluge of big corporations.
He composed himself. "I'm just occupied with something."
"Oh. अच्छा, I've reached office. Tell me what it is later ok? Bye for now."
"See you."
The cereal was cold by now. He continued pacing. Dreaming big was one thing, making it happen was a whole new proposition. He didn't know what or how. He had to talk to someone, and his best friend was busy. He picked up the phone, and dialed his mother's number.
"Hello"
"Ma, it's me."
"बोल बेटा " she said, sounding instantly cheerful. "What are you doing? Did you have dinner?"
"I will in sometime. What's happening there?"
"Your sister has gone to work, I have taken a day off as I am not well. And to top it off, the maid has taken leave..." , the exasperation showing in her voice.
"You're not well?", he interrupted. "What happened?"
"Oh just the usual back pain, it's a bit more severe today. And there's so much work to do around the house, I have to clean the dishes..."
He was unsure how he was going to explain his predicament to her. How would she react, when she finds out that her son wanted to leave behind a high paying job to pursue a path with a very uncertain future? 90% of startups do end up as failures, after all. She always expects guarantees, and he was in no position to give her one. He didn't even have an idea yet. As he pondered over it her words caught his attention again.
"... she wanted a raise, and I refused. Now she's getting back at me this way. I would fire her, if it wasn't so difficult to find a maid. She knows this as well, and is arm-twisting me for a raise...."
So difficult to find a maid.
It felt like someone had just lit a beacon in his head.
"Ma, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later, sorry" he said, as his mind raced ahead thinking of the possibilities.
"Ok take care, eat well" she replied, sounding confused.
The excitement was too much to handle. The idea took over him. What if he could rid his mother, and a thousand others, of this frustration? What if he could provide a platform for the domestic help and their employers to connect in a more efficient manner, each picking the other according to their preference?
This is it. The mountain he has to conquer.
The cereal remained untouched as he switched on his Macbook, opened the IDE, and started working on his app - Maid in India.
THE END
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