Stalwarts from their respective fields share their days of struggle and challenges, how they emerged victorious and how it was worth it all
It starts early morning. Inspirational quotes on WhatsApp that tell you to be kind, urge you to be yourself, and bullet-point the differences between a boss and a leader. Facebook comes close, what with its shared articles on “Five ways to live your life to the fullest”, “How to eat healthy”, posts from “Humans of New York”, “Humans of Humza”, and sponsored posts on “How to find the divinity in you”. Initially, people like you and me would click on links, read these words of wisdom religiously and also quote it at social gatherings. They would get you noticed and made you look “deep”. However, so often are these “inspirational” nuggets thrust on us now that they have become blind spots. For those looking for a chance to weave it into their small talk, it doesn’t work anymore, since nearly everyone’s seen and maybe even read them.
In this saturated sea of inspirational content, Prachi Raturi’s I Did It stands apart. Published by The Times Group, Raturi’s book is a collection of stories recounting the trials and tribulations of accomplished men and women from all walks of life – sports, dance, business, social enterprise, art and literature, and so on. What also makes it stand out is the detailed, humane treatment of stories that brings to the reader tales of the indomitable human spirit in life’s struggle and the dark days. Financial insecurity, physical disability, victimised due to one’s caste or sex were just some of the hurdles that these achievers overcame in the course of their lives. Not only did they overcome them, today they are forces to reckon with in their respective fields.
So, you have Goonj’s Magsaysay award winner Anshu Gupta, who established an organisation that has transformed the culture of giving, in India. Bindeshwar Pathak formed the Sulabh Sanitation Movement, which has done crucial work of liberating human scavengers and rehabilitating them. Ace archer Deepa Kumari not only overcame extreme poverty, she has made it to world number five in archery and has been awarded the Arjuna Award and the Padma Shri. Two-time Paralympic gold champion in javelin throws, Devendra Jhajharia overcame physical disability and self-doubt. Entrepreneur Captain Gopinath, who changed the Indian skies with Air Deccan, comes from a humble background.
There is also the celebrated comedian Johnny Lever, who did odd jobs to support his family, including grinding chutney in a dhaba. USbased entrepreneur Jyothy Reddy once worked as a daily wage earner in the rice fields of Andra Pradesh. Before becoming known as the software giant Quick Heal, Kailash Katkar was a merely a radio and computer repair person. Famous playback singer Kailash Kher’s first salary was a mere Rs 700. Industrialist Kalpana Saroj not only fought against patriarchy and was married away at the age of 12, she stands tall to inspire countless others. Nitin Godse, who did everything from selling vegetables to working as a daily wager, runs Excel Gas and Equipment, which has an annual turnover of Rs 50 crore. Restaurateur Patricia Narayan put an abusive relationship behind her to head Sandheepa Group of Industries.
Rapper and producer Raftaar could have been that wayward hyperactive child who lost his way, but turned his life into something positive; today he is a well-known lyricist, producer, composer, singer, rapper and dancer. Ramesh Babu lost his father when he was just seven and did odd jobs and got his first salary as a plumber’s assistant. Today he has a luxury car rental business. Famous choreographer Remo D’Souza has seen many dark days of struggle but didn’t give in. Ruskin Bond, our very own writer from the hills kept chipping away and has made a mark for himself in English writing the world over. PR Shreejesh turned to national hockey and has made a mark for himself in the sport.
Last but not the least, there is Sridhar Vembu, who came from humble beginnings and today heads Zoho Corporation, which is based in Chennai.
Apart from the various personalities that feature in the book, what will also appeal to the reader is the easy breezy writing style that doesn’t miss any of the emotions and details, but doesn’t make the book a heavy, dense reading either. There are several ways to approach it as well. You can read I Did It from start to finish in a day. Or you can opt to read one story at a time and savour it like dessert on a cheat day. But one thing you must always do, read a chapter or two when you are feeling a little unsure of your accomplishments, the road ahead, or the crisis at hand. The book will make you realise you aren’t the only one. After all, isn’t hardship a synonym for life? But like these people, we all can rise above our struggles
Ready for any challenge
She can still recall the sticky mud and water slush under her feet that went right up to her knees. And when she would finally straighten up after hours of bending to plant paddy, it would be a while before she felt the numbness transform to pain. Severely malnourished – one of the five siblings of her farmer parents, married at 16 and a mother by 18 – Jyothi Reddy was just another contractual labourer in the fields of Warangal in Andhra Pradesh. That she got Rs 5 after a hard day’s labour of 10 hours, made every ache worth it.
But within the depths of this dark, frail woman burnt a fire, a fire that touched her at 10, and egged her to believe that no matter how hard the situation, she would be the master of her destiny. It was on one of these days at the field when she heard an aeroplane fly past. ‘I instinctively freed my hands of the paddy in my hands, put my muddy hands on my forehead to cut out the scorching sun and get a better look at the aeroplane. And, then, I blurted almost instinctively, “One day I am going to sit in one of these and fly,”’ recalls Reddy.Another labourer, her mentor of sorts in the fields, rebuked her to stop dreaming big and focus on the plantation. ‘I still remember telling her, “Sapna dekne ko paisa nakko (You don’t need money to dream).” This was 1988. Twelve years later when I was buying my ticket to the US, handing over the hard-earned ` 48,000 in cash, I remembered this instance and smiled to myself.’
This woman of substance is Anil Jyothi Reddy, the owner of Key Software Solutions in Phoenix, USA, which had a turnover of $15 million in 2015-16. She has certainly made her life large. She makes several trips a year to India to focus on the charities where she donates ` 50-60 lakh a year – mostly to orphans and women – and to hold talks and seminars to encourage many others like her to fight their situation and realize their potential. ‘I live by three simple formulas: no compromise (on your dreams and achievements); no condition is permanent by birth; and nothing is impossible,’ she says, with a confident smile
It is not surprising that she went through some extremely tough situations to develop her formulas. In fact, when Reddy opens up, it is not uncommon for her to break down. Yet, when she is done with her crying, she looks radiant, as though the tears have helped her wash away the deep-rooted pain. And deep it sure is. ‘I still remember the pain of hunger. It is so intense that after a while you just feel a hollow in the pit of your being. What made it worse is the fact that as children you are so much hungrier.’ Neither can she forget the agony when abject poverty forced her parents to send her to an orphanage along with her younger sister. ‘I was 13, my sister 12. Our father warned me not to tell anyone that we had a mother, otherwise we would be thrown out of the hostel orphanage. I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother, the warmth of her skin, the comfort of her hug.’
As years trickled away, the pain only grew with her. Yet, she clung on to hope – hope of a better future. ‘And you know what I wanted most to begin with?’ she asks. ‘A pair of shoes and a school bag. I hadn’t, until I was 15, ever worn anything on my feet.’ Those two dreams came true when she cleared her Class X exam. ‘The superintendent of the orphanage gifted those to me.
I felt I owned the world!’
Sadly, her world came crashing down when her father decided to marry her off to a distant cousin, a poor farmer, when she was 16. ‘I can’t recall all the instances of mental I and physical abuse but I still have some marks that remind me of those horrors,’ she says.
She became a mother at 17 but what she hated most was working in her husband’s fields; that meant no money as they lived off those fields. What added to her woes was a second pregnancy barely a few months after she had had her first daughter. ‘I was severely malnourished. My husband’s brother would bring with him beer or cold drink bottles when he visited us. I would wait for him to leave. After he left, I would quietly gather the bottles, hide them in my sari pallu, go to a shop to sell those, so that I could buy milk for my daughter,’ her voice choking with emotion.
After her second daughter was born, something within her snapped. Money from the fields was severely limited,and she took a spine-chilling decision. ‘I saw no hope. It was the dead of night. Picking up both my daughters, I walked to the closest well. I kept the older one down so I could throw the younger one in the well first, then my elder one and finally I would jump in. Suddenly my elder daughter called out to me: “Amma.” That was a life changing moment. Here I was, a mother, with my child calling out to me and I was thinking of ending their lives! How could I not take care of my babies? As I walked back, tears streaming down my cheek, my two girls held tight to my bosom, I decided I will rewrite our destinies, I will do whatever it takes.