My Story

My Story: ‘I Was Asked To Lose Weight Or No One Will Even Look At Me’

March 16, 2021

Asmi Shah has been challenging societal norms —breaking one at a time. In her thirties, she is an adventure traveller owning a travel company and a delivery kitchen. Asmi, however, had to battle tough times to get rid of self-doubt and to embrace her truer self. Now, she is actively involved in sharing her days of struggle and spread the message of body positivity to inspire many.

My Story: ‘We All Want To Be Heard And Seen In A World Polarizing Itself Each Day’

March 15, 2021

Paromita Bardoloi started listening circles where people would sit across and listen to each other, without judgments. During the COVID lockdown, the initiative moved online with the sole purpose to create a safe space — letting people connect with each other during tough times, foster the act of listening, and thus help build relationships.

My Story: ‘Drag Performer By Night, Human Rights Lawyer By Day’

March 13, 2021

Delhi-based Aishwarya Ayushmaan is a human rights lawyer by day and turns ‘Lush Monsoon’ —a drag queen claiming her own space at night. He had to fight inner battles to embrace his real self and says that one should never ponder over ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ and instead should simply listen to their heart!

My Story: ‘Selling Tender Coconuts On Footpath, Trying To Support My Family Gives Me Immense Satisfaction’

March 12, 2021

The 33-year-old Satyavati who set up her stall to sell tender coconuts in Bengaluru’s Banashankari is a mother of two. She has been balancing her efforts to support her family financially and help her kids get a good education. But like any other businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic hit her day job badly. After one of her customers took her business online recently, it began recovering gradually.

MyStory: “All My Life, I Was Made To Feel That Hair Is An Essential Part Of Physical Appearance”

March 9, 2021

Sravya Manasa decided to donate her hair to cancer survivors after she met some of them while she was on a tour for her dance performance. Being a professional Kuchipudi dancer, it was not easy for her to take this step. However, she wants to break the conventional definitions of beauty by shaving her head, She says that people should accept themselves just the way they are.

MyStory: ‘Make Difference To Someone’s Childhood, All Sacrifices Would Feel Worth It’

March 9, 2021

Rahul Singla has been working on various social causes since he was in college. However, due to personal reasons, he had to stop his work after college finished. But he was determined to build a platform devoted to working towards the prevention of child sexual abuse. He started an organisation named Bachpan. His team conducts workshops on raising awareness about child sexual abuse.

My Story: ‘Never Imagined, In A New City, I Would Share A Bond With Chai Wala For Life’

March 8, 2021

Dharmesh Ba is a post-graduate from the National Institute of Design. He moved to the tech-hub Bengaluru in 2015 and ended up forming a heartwarming bond with a Malayali chai wala near his home. The forged bond that began from the usual catch-up with a cup of chai stayed for six years now even after the man shut down the shop.

My Story: ‘Life Isn’t Bed Of Roses, Have To Take Each Day As It Comes’

March 8, 2021

64-year-old Anil Bhalotia was a teenager when he lost his father. He had to let go of his dream to be an Air Force Pilot, and as a sole breadwinner in family of five, had to overcome the curve balls life threw at him .

My Story: “After Fighting Trauma Of Child Sex Abuse, I Now Raise Awareness About Good Touch-Bad Touch”

March 7, 2021

Nikita Raje was sexually abused when she was a child. It made her depressed and she has to seek therapy and medication to recover. After undergoing such traumatic experiences, she now spreads awareness about the prevention of child sexual abuse.

My Story: ‘Quit My Job To Follow Passion, Planted More Than 12,000 Trees To Conserve Nature’

March 6, 2021

27-year-old Chandan Nayal, from Nai village in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, decided to quit his job, at a very young age, to follow his passion— to protect the green cover in his state and educate people about conserving nature.

My Story: ‘Overcoming Injuries, I Pedalled 1,800 KM To Aid Underprivileged Kids, Rural Women’

February 26, 2021

Sirish Govardhan, a resident of Bengaluru and a cycling enthusiast was advised not to take up cycling due to his past injuries. However, he overcame physical challenges to cover 1,800 kilometres in 15 days and raised funds to help underprivileged children and rural women.

My Story: “I Was Jobless For Around Five Months Due To Pandemic And Felt Like I Had Hit Rock Bottom”

February 23, 2021

Niket Sharma started preparing for civil services exams during his third year in college. However, he was not supported by his parents for his career choice and was soon diagnosed with depression. He was jobless after the pandemic struck which made him feel directionless in life. Then, he decided to purchase a domain and start a digital marketing blog on it. It helped him to establish his freelancing career and now he wants to work passionately in this field.

My Story

Real-life, first-person accounts that remind us every human has a story to tell, experiences to share, and actions to inspire.

My Story: ‘Lost Both My Parents At 8, Lived In Basement & Struggled To Make Ends Meet’

Vikas Raghav, who comes from Gurgaon, lost both of his parents at an early age. His uncle supported his primary schooling and other expenses. He lived in a basement, slept on a brick bed, and ate biscuits in many meals to survive.

My Story: ‘Opportunities Just Don’t Happen, We Need To Create Them’

Meena Vishwanath shifted to Indonesia with her husband and noticed Indonesians crave Indian food. She began her venture and started serving Indian snacks to the people. After struggling with her career in India, she created an opportunity.

My Story: ‘Accept Your Disability The Way It Is’

Varsha Kewalramani (35) has been living with a rare skin disorder with which very few people survive beyond 30 years of age. Learning to love her condition the way it is, she has now been spreading the message to a lot more like her around the world.

My Story: ‘People Call Me A Cancer Survivor, But I’m Just A Mom Who Battled With Life For Her Baby’

Deepika Patil Gopnarayan married Sugat Gopnarayan in 2015 after five years of relationship, which started during her college days. In 2020, she was diagnosed with cancer in the phase of pregnancy and survived the disease with all her positivity.

My Story: ‘ I Would Draw Portraits While Working In Sabzi Mandis Which Eventually Came To People’s Notice’

I have been through thick and thin and dwelt in the slum locality till 2019, when I completed college. To avoid such circumstances in the lives of the children living in poverty, I took the initiative to create Maqaam Foundation.

My Story: ‘I Want To Be An Independent Artist And Create An Identity In The Field Of Music’

Being visually impaired, some challenges come up, for instance having my studio meant learning to work with the software needed to make cover songs and operate a laptop.

Meet Sundeep, A Visually Impaired Spotify Host & A Stand-Up Comedian

My eyesight was affected when I was in class 3. I still remember that day I was scared to even address this problem. And as anticipated, I had to deal with several problems while growing up

My Story: ‘By Qualification I’m A Chartered Accountant, By Profession An Artist’

Born and brought up in Indore, Shweta Ektare is a qualified CA who decided to become an artist over solving figures and numbers. She chose to become an artist to live a satisfying life as it gives her space to express emotions, feelings, and other instincts.

My Story: ‘I Have Only Seen Losses In My Life & Beating Challenges Have Been My Journey’

Shatakshi Dwivedi, who comes from Lucknow, has always seen losses since childhood as her grandfather, grandmother, and father passed away in a very short period. Defeating challenges, she came out stronger and achieved her goals.

My Story: ‘Everyone Expected Me To Become Doctor, But I Came Out As An Entrepreneur Based In Bihar’

Akriti Verma comes from a small town in Bihar where her society expected her to become a doctor without asking her choice. Akriti chose to go on an uncertain path of Entrepreneurship, which was difficult in the male-dominated market.

My Story: ‘Born And Raised In A Small-Town With No Women Role-Models To Look Up To, I Persevered And Became One’

Shipra Jain, a software engineer in Bangalore made her way up to the STEM field and the multinational company Amazon despite having hailed from a small town in Rajasthan which lacked even a proper English-medium school during her times.

My Story: ‘Being Born In Middle-Class Family, Dream To Study In Foreign Was Scary But I Never Lost Hope’

Sindhumathi Ramalingam comes from a small town near Chennai, where she was born and raised. Since childhood, she dreamed of pursuing higher education in a foreign country, but her financial situation made it challenging.

My Story: ‘Can Auto Driver Dream To Become Artist? I Did So & Now Have My Own Band’

Sameer Khan, from Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, had a dream to become a performing artist. He is an auto-driver by profession, but his passion for singing took him miles ahead. Recently, he started his band ‘The New Day.’

My Story: ‘I Survived Through Many Health Issues, But Never Lost Hope Being Single-Woman’

Heera Nawaz, a 61-year-old single woman, living in Bengaluru, fought a long battle with health problems. She almost lost her life due to several diseases that dominated her health. She now wishes to inspire many through her journey of survival.

My Story: ‘I Am A Model With Down Syndrome, I Work At A Café & Break Stereotypes’

Ashrita was diagnosed with Down Syndrome when she was born. Although she and her family did not loose hope. Her interest in modelling continued despite all challenges and she walked the ramp finally. She joined a café later and now works

‘Turning Sympathy Into Empathy’: Here’s How An Edupreneur Suffering From 70% Disability Changed How Disabilities Are Viewed

Despite suffering from 70% locomotive disability, Ajay Gupta built a chain of educational institutions, a diagnostic centre, and an NGO to create an inclusive space he was denied for most of his life.

My Story: ‘Despite Challenges, I Decided To Dedicate My Life For Indigenous Community In Northeast’

Ananya Paul Dodmani is a Tribal Rights Activist and Educator who is inspired to work for the indigenous community of Northeastern India. She was awarded the Karamveer Chakra in 2019 for her efforts to bring change to the tribal communities.

My Story: ‘As Kid I Was Ashamed Of My Father, Now I Realise How Much He Defended Me’

Prachi Thakur, 25, from the small town of Supaul in Bihar, was ashamed of her father as a kid as he fixed stoves. Over time, she realised how much he defended her from society.

My Story: ‘Not Getting Into IIT Is Not End To Life, Many Doors Open When One Closes’

Ujjwal Gupta, 21, from the small town of UP, has always been a topper during his school times. As a topper, he was inclined towards engineering and wanted to make it into IIT. For the same, he moved to Kota and started preparing.

My Story: ‘Despite Being 80% Disabled, I Decided To Fulfil Purpose Of Life’

Devji Buchiya, 42, comes from a small village in the Kutch district of Gujarat and studied in a multi-disability organisation of Christian Missionaries. Despite being 80 per cent disabled, he aims to stay independent and fulfil the purpose of his life.

My Story: ‘As I Was Born To A Muslim Family, It’s Natural That My Name Would Carry Its Identity’

Masidur Rahaman came from a small town in West Bengal and is 22 now. He recalls how difficult it was to survive with his religious identity. He was always asked to prove his love for the country, making him feel like he belonged to an ‘other’ entity.

My Story: ‘I Fought Fierce Battle With Cancer At 11, I Was Very Young For The Fight’

Rohit Khanna is a resident of Hyderabad, Telangana. At age 11, he fought a fierce battle with Cancer and defeated Osteosarcoma (a type of bone cancer). After which, he pledged to raise awareness and burst the myth around the disease that 'it can't be cured.'

My Story: ‘I Started Podcasting In 2020 & Want To Tell How It Became A Life-Changing Decision’

The Kolkata-based 23-year-old podcaster, Jivraj Singh Sachar, started his career in 2020. Throughout his journey, he never missed a Sunday and executed over 100 podcasts under the title of 'Indian Silicon Valley.'

My Story: ‘My Mother Used To Work For 8 Hours Barefoot In Factory, She Couldn’t Even Afford A Footwear’

Santosh's mother has always been a guardian angel to her family and has made immense sacrifices since her teenage years. She worked in a biscuit factory for a mere ₹75, left her education and even skipped her meals to give a better life to them.