Let's get talking!

Have you observed a Banyan tree closely? As a fig, it starts its life rather small but with time, it branches out into areas which you’d normally think was inaccessible. If an analogy be drawn – nature with human relationships, then my deep acquaintance with Vijay Sekhar Sharma(VSS), be expressed such. We go a long way back.

My son(Ekansh) was born in the year 2000, a Millennium baby and I was inclined to do something different to make it a memorable moment in time. Something, which he would look back as an adult and appreciate that his papa did for him. Something, which was close to his father and a form of expression which would emanate from it. With this thought, I struck upon the idea of getting a domain name registered and hosted in the name of Ekansh (the Dot com Kid)– my son. But, as is the case with most things in life, nobility of thought needs to be backed by execution to make it worthwhile. It is in execution, that I faced an uphill task. At this juncture, VSS came in to my life like a gentle breeze and has been ventilating it ever since. He helped me in registering the domain and subsequently hosting it on the web server. Ekansh is a growing boy of 12 and on the threshold of his teens. His, is a generation that is steeped in technology, but one day I am sure, and when he is old enough, he will appreciate this gesture. Not only what his I did for him, but that a close associate of papa actually helped him in process.

In the early days, One97 operated out of its office in Siri Fort Road in Delhi and we would occasionally bump into each other. There were social interactions and professional ones too and over the years we had several opportunities to strike a friendship. Usual tidbits which at that point in time seemed trivial but only went on to cement this bond, which eventually opened a whole new door for me. At a professional level, in 2009-2010 he addressed the41st EMERGE Friday’s 2.0 sessions and I can tell you, it was simply invigorating. The obvious passion came out so well, that it moved the participants. That passion also reflects the way he runs One97. He was also part of the Mentorship program that NASSCOM has been conducting over the past few years. Vijay was being mentored by a panel of very experienced professionals in the industry. I was there. For me, being a neutral bystander, it was an experience of sorts. It was one of those rare occasions when I realized that mentors were sitting on both sides of the table. At times, it became difficult to make a distinction.

Clichéd as it may sound, but all good things do come to an end. How else, does one grow otherwise. After spending a decade at NASSCOM and having witnessed the winds of change several times, I will be going back to working for an “organization.” The third in my life so far. The earlier two – Trisoft Systems and DSF Internet taught me the ropes and NASSCOM of course made me who I am today. I will be joining One97 and looking after their Corporate Development function, as well as the start-up eco system initiative, that Vijay is very passionate about.

Let me reiterate, the Banyan tree (human relationships) does branch out in more ways than one, imaginable.

I really like this quote which shows up on the One97 site: Once in a lifetime, God gives us an opportunity to create a dent in the universe, This is Ours.