Virtual Scientist

Unhone ne kaha, April Fools Day Hum ne samjha, Abey Phool Dey! Phool dene se jo na ho saka, Fool banke usney kiya, our wo Fool ban gaye Phool, jab chahre pe unhoney muskaan la diya! Happy Phools day!

Jan 2017 would mark 8 years of me out of college and about 7 years of following the dream full-time - wanting to connect every institution in the world back to their alumni! That's Awesome!! can be the first reaction. But wait! Is it really? People these days are building startups, raising funding and going places within 2-3 years! “What the hell are you doing?” my best friend taunted me. The question put me in deep thought. As I discovered the connecting dots, I thought it would be good to share them: The journey has been tough, some ups and many downs, but I enjoyed all along the way! When I started, I knew it's not gonna be easy and I was prepared for a long haul. Though I had ideas, I did not have a plan. After spending close to 8 months exploring various thoughts, I decided to work full-time on the idea of Vaave. We started Coherendz in the extra passage space at the guest house of BHUMI (an NGO we volunteered for). The trade off was to manage it for being allowed t...

My friend Arpita asked me to do a one day workshop on Web Development at B.V. Raju Institute of Technology, I obliged. But then came the challenge, I had to teach building websites in a day! Everything I learnt in last 10 years is to be taught in 5 hours! It was tougher than building an awesome website. I realized that being an expert at something also calls for being able to explain it to a newbie in a concise & succinct manner. I took up the challenge and started listing down the skills required to build websites. Technical know-how was definitely required. But for someone who is just starting, the most important skill she needs to know is a different one - The Ability to Copy Code! Copying is a Skill! This realization was very profound! It was how I learnt building websites. In my early undergrad days, I was amused with Javascript, I used to go to Internet Cafe, download source files of various demos from dynamicdrive.com and used to play around with them for hours! Fro...

This is one of most inspiring poems i have come across written by Harivanshrai Bachchan The poems quotes simple examples to tell that those who try they never fail. The Poem लहरों से डर कर नौका पार नहीं होती, कोशिश करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती। नन्हीं चींटी जब दाना लेकर चलती है, चढ़ती दीवारों पर, सौ बार फिसलती है। मन का विश्वास रगों में साहस भरता है, चढ़कर गिरना, गिरकर चढ़ना न अखरता है। आख़िर उसकी मेहनत बेकार नहीं होती, कोशिश करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती। डुबकियां सिंधु में गोताखोर लगाता है, जा जा कर खाली हाथ लौटकर आता है। मिलते नहीं सहज ही मोती गहरे पानी में, बढ़ता दुगना उत्साह इसी हैरानी में। मुट्ठी उसकी खाली हर बार नहीं होती, कोशिश करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती। असफलता एक चुनौती है, इसे स्वीकार करो, क्या कमी रह गई, देखो और सुधार करो। जब तक न सफल हो, नींद चैन को त्यागो तुम, संघर्ष का मैदान छोड़ कर मत भागो तुम। कुछ किये बिना ही जय जय कार नहीं होती, कोशिश करने वालों की कभी हार नहीं होती। Lehron se dar kar nauka paar nahi hoti Koshish karne waalon k...

My friends know that I always claim to be 23 years old :D.  Ok here I admit today,  I am 23 since last 7 years. I formally started the company when I was 23 and ever since my age refused to grow. Today, not sure why, I feel a little old, a little wise. I look into the mirror and see the white hair shouting at me – “Oh Paresh, you entered the Thirties”. That left me wondering – how fast the last 10 years went by? I sat introspecting about my twenties and I could connect the dots looking backwards. I stumbled upon website building Couple of months before I entered 20’s , I stumbled upon a piece of article meant for school kids in a newspaper that showed some basic html code and grabbed my attention. I was introduced to Internet a little earlier by my brother. Net connection at home wasn’t available  those days and so I  saved almost every Html & Javascript tutorial I found and carried them home in Floppy Drive (yes the 1.44 MB ones)...

yes the same seagull in the book “ Jonathan Livingston Seagull ” by Richard Bach that inspires all of us It’s been little more than 5 years since I moved out of college to choose entrepreneurship over placement @ NITIE. I came back to Hyderabad in Jan 2009 with the “Guru” style thought “mai biginess karunga”. Though there were many ideas shortlisted to work on and a little prize money from b-plan competitions, I had no plan laid out. Coherendz was started while in campus and had completed more than 15 projects by then. The idea of alumni portals existed back then, but I wasn’t very particular about choosing a sector. I knew, whatever I work on would be a first step that would prepare me for a long haul, so I started! After 6 months of experimenting with various ideas and decided to pursue building our product – vaave, we setup our fulltime office in November 2009. The first 10 months were so good that made me sometimes wonder why people said: “entrepreneurship is toug...

Disclaimer: I know my this piece of scribbling will spark a debate about my personal life, i am writing this post as a continuation of the post on yourstory.in a few days ago http://yourstory.in/2013/03/ys-lounge-10-reasons-why-dating-an-entrepreneur-is-a-bad-idea/  Date in the context is looking forward for long term relationship. Everything said in the post was true, however I felt it presented a half picture so here i go... (replace "he" with "she" and vice versa to match your preference, am not a female chauvinist) Knows the value of time, can create time for you : Prioritizes time differently, an entrepreneur values time so much that feels 24 hrs a day is very less, he has so many ideas and so many things to do that family gatherings or parties do not fall into his priority list, however when you need his time, he has the ability to put aside everything for you. He does not worry about losses while making choices. He has the ability to create time for yo...

dar se lagta hai darr, dar se lagta hai darr, dar pe jeet na pane ka lagta hai darr. nidar na hone ka lagta hai darr haar ka darr nahi to ....jeet kaise paaunga jeet ka darr ho to .... haar hi to paaunga darr bura hai, acha bhi hai,   khota nahi kabhi, woh to sacha hai.. buzdil nahi, kaayar nahi, kamzoor bhi main nahi... nadaan tha to darr na tha, samajh se to badhti gayi.. raat se bhi darr nahi, dil ke andhere se lagta hai darr. khudaa se to darr nahi, mazhab se lagta hai darr... dushmani se darr nahi, nadeem ko khone ka hai samajh se lagta hai dar...  samajh se lagta hai dar...  is jeev buddhi se lagta hai darr... haar se nahi, jeeth se nahi nidar na hone ka lagta hai darr nidar na hone ka lagta hai darr PURPORT: I fear of fear, I fear of not winning over fear, not able to be fearless.... I How will i win if i do not have fear of failure, if i have fear of winning, i am sure to fail ... II fear is bad, good as well, but never a...

A small snippet of a young boy questioning the love. Kaise mai izhaar karu, Ye jo hai dil ki baat Kahu to mai kya kahu,  Ye jo hai dil ki baat Dil ne dil se kah to diya.. Aakhon ney bhi to ishaara kiya... Bas in labon ko ab kehna hai... Par lafzo mey ab kyon kehna hai... Pyaar hi to hai is dil mey... Tum bhi to ho is dil mey,  Tum hi to meri himmat ho.. Phir kehne se kyon darta ye dil... Pyaar to tumhe bhi hai Isey hubahu samajhta hai dil..  Ye jo hai dil ki baat...  Ab labon ko kyon kahna hai. PURPORT How should i convey, what should i convey, these are words of the heart.. Hearts have spoken, Eyes have Spoken, Just need to say in words (lips should speak), why should i say in words.. Its love filled in this heart, you are also in this heart, your are my courage, why do i fear (to say)... You love me as well, heart knows it very well, these words of heart, why should i say it in words...

Does any of the parents today aspire their kids to start a kiraana store? Most would answer with a NO!! Leave alone kiraana, they do not want their to take up any kind of business!! When i was working on an idea for quick service food chain (in simple words: selling food on cart), i faced stiff resistance from my dad, it was an idea that won me 2 business plan competitions. He rather, then allowed me to pursue setting up a software firm. Reason: they feel it is a dignified profession!!  In India, these professions, Grocery / Provisional Store or to that matter any shop, is considered as income source for those who cannot secure a job! Even parents already in these professions want their educated kids to look out for a "White Collar" Job. Are these professions risky? No, they will run as long as we use soap/ toothpaste or till we stop eating!  Do they require heavy investments? No! A kiraana store can be setup with a max of 50k in hand. Are the revenues le...

I was at my campus (NITIE) couple of days ago, had a small session with juniors who were interested in starting business. There was a nice metaphor that struck me when questions were asked - how do I get funding?, how do I find a co-founder? Which idea is the best? I am making an attempt to jot down the insights, like any other metaphor request to take this in its spirit. This post is intended to my young friends who are planning to start business. Entrepreneurship like a sport, is a passion, and sportsmen across the globe, do not take it up for fame or money, they do for they love the game, also most of the sportsmen do not choose the game looking how popular it is, they just try it, feel they are good at it and take it up seriously. How to start? Once you decide to take it up, regular exercise is a critical part of it. So, say the exercise you choose is jogging. Jogging everyday is like starting a small business that gives you revenue. You start with probably a mile for first we...

Aawaara main naa ban paaya... deewana tune ban'ne na diya... Bhul main naa paaya tujhe... Yaad tune karne naa diya... Pyaar tujhse naa karu, khud ko... rokh taa raha! Is ajeeb dil ko, humesha... kos' taa raha! Ijaazat to hai nahi, mann ko... tok taa raha! Parr tere hi khayaalo mey, main... doob taa raha! Tere binaa jiney ki tamanna naa thi.. Tere yaadon ko mitaane ki chahat na thi! Un beeete hue lamho ke saath jee taa raha... Tere judaai ki aadh me mai pee ta raha.. Jaam ne bhi, kabhi mera saath naa diya Tere chahat ney nasheko chadhne naa diya Zahar ne bhi ... is zindagi ko kabhi dhoka naa diya Saans ko kabhi tere bin rukhne naa diya.. Milne ki tamanna liye mai jeeta raha... Saraab mey hi mai tumhe dekh ta rahaa Tere khayaalo mey main... doob taa raha! Zindagi ka saath mai nibhaataa raha Aawaara main naa ban paaya... deewana tune ban'ne na diya... Bhul main naa paaya tujhe... Yaad tune karne naa diya...

Reposted from article written for our alumni magazine I was wondering on what I should write about. The alum team approached me to write about my entrepreneurial journey straight after NITIE, however I felt it would be nice if I write something that is of interest to many. I decided to write about my learning's during the attempts in building an organization. It’s been just about 30 months of bootstrapping experience and fewer attempts to build an organization, which is far negligible compared to magnanimity of this subject. I am just trying to pen my thoughts and understanding of what it is. For a quick intro, I moved out of NITIE to take up fulltime job as the business that I had started while I was a student. During early 2009, recession came as an omen for me to take up the entrepreneurial journey, and I got my winter internship papers ready and moved out of campus without informing Pundir sir, our placement dean (frankly I did not have courage to tell this to him). It’...

Satya Sai Baba! People who believe him call him GOD! Few tag him as fake... Few others Say, he did good despite controversies.. Some say he did no harm... I am not sure, i probably was never got a chance to get closer to peep into his life even... so wish to restrain and play safe! What struck me when I was going through newspapers was... he built an empire of Rs. 40,000 crore! I don't know why, i quickly relate things to business and here are a few thoughts i could collect... Entrepreneur solves  "needs"  of people, and creates a market..... for me he is no less than an entrepreneur who capitalized on the innate need of people -  "Belief" . We often fall short of belief in ourself and seek external support to reinforce it... More often its either GOD or people whom we feel are near to GOD! Trusting someone you feel is more powerful as it removes fear and gives us power! So this (holy) man  "May"  have used various techniques to...

For last couple of weeks… I was caught up in much of a debate with my fellow mates at BHUMI  and few others who knew about Freedom Under Construction . The discussions was mainly around points raised by my dearest friend Rakesh Dubbudu , An ardent RTI Activist (you read about his work in newspapers once almost every couple of months) and one of founding members of BHUMI. He raised simple and most valid questions that every citizen need to think on...Plenty of discussions already on the facebook page ). One question that struck me was… Why are we doing things that Govt. is supposed to do?  Here is my attempt NOT to answer the question… but just wish to express my thoughts on them... Are we supposed to do them? Govt. is supposed to do in first place; we need to remind the responsible authority and get things done. NGO’s just do all the work that Govt. is supposed to do… (NGO’s I mean all those emphatic people who take up activities feeling sorry about the situation) Th...

Jis mahobat mein nafrath nahi hoti, us pyar mein kya maza ... Jis raah mein rukhawat nahi hoti, uspe chalne ka kya maza ... (extended by Ravi Balgi) woh manzill hi kya, joh nazarane see mil jaayein woh kashtee hi kya , joh khamosh samandar mein raj karein andaaz ho toh ho us parwane jaisaa, joh shamaa ki raaah chal, khudeeko jalaa detaa hain...

I go to bed with her every night! And sometimes when the sun’s shining all bright! She teases me, by trying to clasp … Every time I have to work whole night! Teases again when I am obsessed with her Moving away like the mirage in a desert! She used to come along in every class, And played the game of hide and seek After a hard day, I reach home from the work, She quickly embraces me and relieves all the stress. She does not leave me a single day, And I cannot live without her. I know she loves me the most, And I love her more than anyone on earth! My girlfriend envies her, but loves her more than I do, for she too cannot leave without the "Sleep" ------------- I was inspired to write this when Kiran  asked a question of FB - "What is your relationship with Sleep?"

Dil to bachcha hai ji is a wonderful song from the movie ISHQIA... Lyrics penned by Gulzar ... brought into life with the music of Vishal Bharadwaj through the voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. It was my frnd who wanted to understand the song.. and i am trying to translate it... few of the words and meanings are borrowed.. but its my perception of the song... if you have some other words please help to translate better... my urdu is not very good... but here is my attempt... ============================= Aisi uljhi nazar unse hatt ti nahi These knotty eyes does not stop staring at her... Daant se reshmi dor katt ti nahi Teeth are not able to cut the silk thread... Umar kab ki baras ke safaid ho gayi Age long ago got whitened... {contributed by reader:see comments below} Kaari badari jawani ki chatt ti nahi but the dark clouds of youth are not fading away... Walla ye dhadkan bhadne lagi hai Walla {exclamation}... these heart beats are raising... ...

I am revisiting my blog post on AIDS on this day Dec 1st. 2009 :) Two years ago on this day i wrote a post " Fight Against AIDS " as an attempt for spreading awareness. I sent it out as a mailer, and was most happy when 2 months later I received the same mailer forwarded by one of my friend. Here i am today to just with the thought of what actually causes AIDS... I did not get answers, but more questions came to mind... is it really the virus that causes AIDS? or is it our personality that spreads AIDS? If we look at evolution, The virus was just created for what it was meant to do... and it is doing its duty. Though there are several technical reasons on how the virus spreads and a campaign is on, for creating awareness, what i realized is, they are mostly the emotions and attitudes that cause the spread of HIV, and there is a need for awareness campaign on emotions and attitudes that spread it... I just listed a few I got to my mind, please comment o...

ittefaq se pyaar nahi hota, na ittefaq se hoti hai koi mulaquaat. bakht ho ya badnaseeb, taqdeer kabhi ittefaq se nahi badal jaati, humey jo ittefaq lagta hai, wo bas khuda ki tarkeeb hoti hai.