People say ‘women can’t do business’. There is a saying ‘Bengalis can’t do business’. Many left Kolkata saying ‘You can’t run a Startup in Kolkata’. Stop, stop, stop! Who cares what people say? Rather let me introduce you to a person, who has dispelled all these myths, and growing a Startup in Kolkata, inspite of being a Bengali woman. Meet Somrwita Guha, the coolest boss and young owner of Papercup.
I’m back with another very inspiring interview in your favorite #IconsAround series. And this is very special for me. Because I met this person during a Kolkata Tweetup in 2010 when I first started using Social Media. Since then I am blessed to have this person as a friend. Though I couldn’t meet this person face-to-face in all these years, but following him online daily. I’ve observed closely over the years how that law student I had met over coffee, has grown into an inspiring Entrepreneur spreading legal education among masses. Beyond legal education, his posts inspire people to do what they love. But above all, if you get to talk to this person, you’ll learn what humility is all about. Keep reading.
Why most people are afraid to dream big? Because they are scared – ‘what if I dream big but fail to achieve that?’. Why most people are settling for a life less than what they deserve? Because they are afraid to encounter the inevitable failures that actually are the stepping-stones towards their best lives – their success. Let me introduce a person to you today, who’ll not only inspire you to dream big, but also will give you the courage to handle failure with a smile. Sandeep Kedia – the guy who started as an Entrepreneur at the tender age of 17, inspired millions (including me), touched pinnacle of success; but most importantly he handled failure with equal grace. I met this guy more than 5 years back. We worked in the same mission. I learned a lot from him. I don’t know exactly when he became a great friend of mine. Long wanted to share his story. Luckily he agreed to share his experience with you today. So let me just hand over it to him.
Do you think that your college education determines your career? Do you believe that it’s impossible to balance personal and professional life? I am sure you will think differently after you read Saptarshi Roy Chaudhury’s story. Born and brought up in Kolkata, average student, studied Hotel Management & BBA, didn’t get good placement from college, struggled to get first job … Today? One of the leading digital marketing professionals in the country with more than 12 years of experience in the field; he not only worked for various types of businesses, from startups to multinationals in various roles, as a consultant, he has a stellar reputation with clients across the globe. And above all, as much as he loves the world of Internet, he loves and takes care of his family too! In spite of being busy in work and family, he takes time to guide & inspire others (specially youth) who wants to step into the world of social media and digital marketing. Read on to know the whole story.
You must have heard the saying that “You don’t become a human just after you are born. You need to develop certain qualities to be called ‘human’ unlike other living species”. I think same is true for being a ‘Social Networker’. One can not be called ‘Social Networker’ just because they use some social networking sites. One need to understand the true meaning of the terms ‘social’ and ‘networker’ to be qualified for that. Honestly I am learning & practicing being more social and a better Networker for quite a few years. And today I will introduce to you one of my teachers in this subject – Shilpadi (she is too humble to admit, but I’m always learning from her). She is among the very few persons I’ve met, who regularly meets new people, maintains good relationship with them, connects people with each other, takes the online relationship to real life meetings. And trust me, it’s easier said that done.
Thank God my friend Anand Brian sent me to this video! This young guy Varun Agarwal is a real inspiration. When most of the children in our country are being brainwashed by their parents and society to become an Engineer (remember the movie 3 Idiots?), no matter whether they have any interest or not, Varun’s story will be a ray of hope and source of strength for youngsters who want to follow their heart instead.
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I can’t exactly remember how, but one day suddenly I found an article on the internet about a college kid, who invented a mobile shoe charger that can convert the mechanical energy of walking into electrical energy. I got so fascinated. I read that at such young age he is running a company in renewable energy sector, also has been awarded by many respected institutions and organizations. I wanted to connect to this person. I hesitated a bit at first, but when I sent him a message on Facebook, I got real humble & warm reply. Like most successful Entrepreneurs, Mandar is also very much down to earth and open to learning. I feel myself blessed to be connected with him for last 5 months. And I’m so grateful to him that he took his time to share his story for you all. So let’s learn about his story together.
Today I’ll share a very fascinating story of another friend cum brother of mine – Anirban Saha. I met him on Twitter around 2009 I guess. We met face-to-face first time in a Kolkata Tweetup at 2009 year ending. And for last few years he has been one of the best friends I found online. Over the years, I observed him closely online. I am really astonished to see the way he has grown! From the day he started working in TCS, he became a mystery to me. How can one person do so many things? He is devoted about his job, he takes amazing photographs, his works are used by renounced people/ organizations/ events, he gets featured as a model in Sananda magazine, he blogs, he writes valuable Facebook notes, he always interacts on Social Media, he learns Rabindrasangeet, he attends networking events, he takes time to photograph his cute niece… lots more! Aren’t you wondering like me “How???”. That’s why I so wanted to know his story. Let’s discover Anirban together. Keep reading.
