1

“Anshul Awasthi”. The teacher called out. No answer. 

“Anshul Awasthi”, the teacher called out again and looked up. She saw Anshul was looking out the class 10 window, day dreaming as usual. The children also followed her gaze. Lakshya, who was sitting next to Anshul pushed him with his elbow, but Anshul was lost in his own world. 

The teacher was used to this. Anshul was caught day dreaming in the class quite often. She yelled his name again. No response. 

Now somewhat furious for this clear lack of attention, she walked to Anshul’s desk with the ruler and rapped him on his knuckles, bringing him out of the chain of thoughts he was lost in. He winced in pain and got up hurriedly, ready to listen to the wise words of his teacher again. 

“Anshul, you need to pay attention here if you have to get anywhere. If you don’t want to learn, then go to some other place to study or sit at home”. She reprimanded him for the fifth time in the same month. 

Maths had always seemed boring to Anshul. In fact, a lot of other subjects also had the same effect on him. What he was thinking of was more fun. As the class went on, Anshul kept going back to his thoughts. 

Once the class ended, he took out his small red notebook and jotted down the things his mind was running with. It was his ‘Observations Book’. 

Anshul had got the idea from one of the recent films that he had watched, where the heroine maintains a diary. He was very enamored by the concept of a personal journal. So he decided to have one for the various observations he kept on making around him or his random thoughts, which also was his favorite pass-time. 

He always had some or the other thoughts running in his mind, which seemed like an untiring machine. Often, in conversations at home or with friends, he would start narrating one of his observations and would get laughed off for wasting his time in trivial pursuits. 

Most of his classmates thought of him as strange. They knew he was mostly lost in his own thoughts rather than being present in the moment and used to make fun of him. Anshul however, ignored most of those conversations and carried on. 

The idea of maintaining a book to jot down his thoughts was a revelation for him. For until then, he found it hard to keep track of the various observations he made from one day to another. 

And with his friends making fun of him, he thought it better to express himself in his notebook rather than to those who couldn’t take him or his thoughts seriously.

2

Anshul’s parents, Vinod and Meenakshi, worked in local government offices in Meerut and they wanted to give him the best education. Therefore, in spite of the convent school’s fees being higher, they had decided to enroll him there. 

They were however disappointed in their only son. Not only was he an average student, a sure fire sign of growing up into a nobody, but also drew the ire of the teachers as he was often lost in his own world.

That day, as they returned from office, a letter was awaiting from Anshul’s maths teacher, directly addressed to Vinod. It mentioned the repeat instances where she had caught Anshul not paying attention in the class and not even showing any remorse after she had caught him. She was absolutely livid about his attitude, as was evident in the letter. 

Vinod was furious. He didn’t know what to do with the boy. He had tried instilling sense in Anshul but things had not improved. 

Meenakshi, sensing his mood, sat down beside him and gave him a glass of water. She knew, she had to step in before Anshul got home to save him from getting a beating. She didn’t want him to be scolded right away without knowing his side of the story. She wanted to give him a fair chance. 

After a few minutes, Anshul not knowing what may be about to hit him, walked in, swooning to a new song that was ruling the charts, “Main koi aisa Geet gaoon…”. As he entered the room filled with tension, the words trailed off.

His father signaled to him with his eyes to come and sit down. Anshul knew him well, so without any delay he went and sat down, trying to search for a clue. 

Vinod wanted to bell the cat straight away, so he just handed over the letter to Anshul. As Anshul read it, Vinod kept staring at him, trying to decipher if he was equally surprised or was he nonchalant about it. 

Trying to diffuse the tension, Meenakshi stepped in, “Anshul, what is this letter about? What happened, tell us in all detail.” 

“It was the maths class, Ma. I was finding it very boring and the teacher was teaching something which I had already assimilated, so I let my mind loose and got lost in my thoughts. My gaze must have shifted to the outside, when she caught me and thought I wasn’t paying attention.” 

But Vinod wasn’t impressed. “Looks like you haven’t been paying much attention in the class for a long time Anshul. We did discuss about it last month, right? What’s happening?” 

Anshul, aware that he was being grilled, chose to come out straight. “Dad, I find maths to be the most boring subject. I rather find it interesting to observe other things and people, which draw me out. Unfortunately, that’s the class I get caught the most. But I am paying enough attention to pass with good marks”. 

Vinod thundered, “I don’t understand what’s boring about maths. Every person needs to be good at maths to get somewhere in life! We have sent you to study there, son. And what you have done is not at all acceptable. I don’t want a repeat of this, ever.” 

The conversation ended with that statement from Vinod. He went over to the school the next day and apologized to the teacher, convincing her yet again that he had counseled Anshul and asked him to concentrate in the class. The teacher, appeased at having got a listening ear, gave some more advice to him and the matter was closed. 

Anshul however, had silently resolved to himself that he will not give up on going down the rabbit hole of observations. He however became smarter after this incidence and while in between a class, went into his thoughts without looking out the window but jotting down random things in his notebook. He was never caught again! 

3

A few months passed. Exams had finished off for Anshul and he was whiling away time in the summer break, reading a lot of books, watching some of his favorite movies, and spending a lot of time in the evenings staring at the sky. 

His parents on the other hand, were anxious. After all, it was time for Anshul to choose major and minor subjects in a couple of months’ time. 

Anshul knew that most of his friends were going for Science & Maths, so that they could prepare well and appear for the top engineering colleges. He however, had no such interest. He was enamored by people and psychology – how they thought, behaved, reacted. 

He also knew that his parents would want him to follow the tried and tested path. He had already had a couple of discussions with them and understood their inclination. 

Even his elder cousins, who stayed in the same town, had counseled him to chose Science & Maths because that kept all options open as per them! They described it such that if he took up other subjects, it would make him inferior to his friends and one of the few odd ones out. Anshul however didn’t agree with their advise and remarks. 

The day the result came, Vinod and Meenakshi decided they must discuss with Anshul. He had passed with average marks so they didn’t have much hope for him. But even then, they felt it was their duty to advise him correctly. As they sat around for the evening tea, Meenakshi broached the topic. 

Anshul was prepared for the chat. He began, rather uncharacteristically in a sure tone. “Dad, Mom, I have been thinking a lot about what I want to do in my life and I have realized that I will like to study Arts, Literature and Psychology over the next few years. It is something that is very exciting to me.” 

Meenakshi questioned, “Why do you want to do Arts, Literature and Psychology? What ambitions do you have? Don’t you want to also lead a life of comfort when you grow up instead of taking up a random profession?” 

“It’s not about ambitions, Ma. I haven’t thought about what I want to do eventually. I just want to study subjects which I am interested in, rather than studying something which I won’t enjoy”. 

Vinod cut in, “But Science & Maths are foundation subjects, Anshul. They will allow you to enter into any field you want to at a later date. Besides, career prospects are better there, as Ma just said”. 

Anshul was prepared for this question. “I know that Dad. But it’s not something I am cut out for. I have studied them till now but that doesn’t mean I must continue doing the same boring stuff. I am not ready to take up Science and Maths”. 

Miffed at his direct approach, Vinod quipped, “Anyways, with your marks, it will be difficult to get Science & Maths in your or any other decent school. I am telling you Meenakshi, it won’t be possible in his school at least”. 

The conversation went on for over an hour but without any conclusion. In the end, Meenakshi and Vinod gave up and agreed with Anshul. Meenakshi cautioned him, “Ok Anshul, we will be fine with you choosing your line. But what we don’t want is these constant complaints from your teachers. If you want to take Arts, Literature and Psychology, you better be sincere about it”. 

Anshul was finally relieved he got a go-ahead from his parents. He went out immediately to tell his best friend Lakshya. Lakshya was the class topper in Science & Maths and was naturally inclined to choose those subjects. Knowing Anshul, he was happy that Anshul was doing what he wanted to rather than following the herd. 

The reaction of his other friends wasn’t as welcoming though. A lot of them asked him about why he would rather choose something so out of the box when there weren’t enough good students who chose those subjects and career options were limited. 

A few of them even joked that Anshul had chosen to take Arts, Literature, and Psychology as he was anyways day dreaming a lot and could probably convert some of those dreams into words. Some teased him that he didn’t want to fail going forward and that was the real reason why he was choosing the easy way out. Anshul certainly didn’t agree with what they all said but decided to take it in his stride and continue on his chosen path, ignoring their ramblings. 

4

As Anshul got into the Arts and Psychology section on his first day in grade 11, he could see many familiar faces but there was no one whom he had been good friends with. 

Yes, there were acquaintances but most of the people in the class seemed to have chosen the subject because they probably couldn’t get into the Science & Maths group! Just as some of his ‘friends’ had mentioned. 

Some of the voices from his conversations with his cousins and friends echoed in his mind. He momentarily questioned himself if it was indeed the right thing to do. But he knew deep within his heart that this is what he wanted to study and had chosen for himself. He strode in. 

He saw the first bench on the far right corner was empty, so settled down there. As he raised his head, he saw her for the first time. She was beaming like a bright ray of sunshine, talking to another classmate animatedly on the other end of the class. 

Anshul had not seen this girl in school before. He wanted to go and introduce himself, but the school time had started and a teacher walked in just as he was contemplating what to do.

When Pranjal introduced herself to the class, Anshul learnt that she was a rank holder in her previous school and had chosen Arts and Literature because she was in love with it ever since her childhood.   

The class went on without any particular incident but Anshul got a vibe from Pranjal that he could associate with a good friend. Once the class ended and the students took a break, he mustered the courage and walked up to Pranjal. 

He must have approached her really silently because as he reached nearby, she was taken by surprise. Seeing this, he couldn’t stop but smile. As she smiled back, he extended her hand, “Hi, I am Anshul”. She replied “Hey Anshul, I am Pranjal”. And so the friendship began. 

As the year progressed, Anshul realized his reputation had proceeded him. Some of his current classmates, who knew him from before, used to call him ‘The Lost Child’ and steered clear of him. Anshul knew about the names he was called, but ignored those instances, not wanting to worry about something he had no control over. 

He rather chose to focus his mind and energy on all the new things that he was doing, absorbing as much as possible. 

And he chose to spend more and more time with Pranjal. Anshul and Pranjal had soon become good buddies and started hanging out together. 

While study was the common fulcrum for most of their discussions, they also had common interests, which they could spend hours talking about. Anshul was an avid reader and so was Pranjal. Pranjal loved poetry and so did Anshul. And both of them wanted to understand people better and delve into psychology like no one else in their class. 

5

Those two years were the most interesting in Anshul’s school life. 

His interest in what he was learning was just what he needed to get more involved in the class. With everything about the subjects of art and psychology interesting him, he always had his entire attention in the class. Some of the things that he was learning were deeply connected to his thoughts and observations. It was as if he was finding answers to some of his thoughts over the years.

With all this interest, he started faring better in the class. He had always been fascinated by psychology and became engrossed in various books to learn more. He also found all the literature he had to read quite fascinating and started spending a lot of time in the library. The library offered him a space to spend hours, shifting between what he was reading and what he was thinking about. 

So, while his classmates enjoyed hanging out together and playing a lot of games, Anshul spent a lot of time in the library. They continued to view him as a nerd, someone who was always lost in his own world. 

It wasn’t that all this deep attention in the school robbed Anshul of his thoughtful observation trips. Every now and then, he would venture off into those, specially in some of the subjects which were more academic in nature and didn’t excite him. 

He continued with his practice of jotting down his observations in his red notebooks over those two years. The teachers were more relaxed with this bunch of students, knowing that most of them had landed in the Arts, Literature and Psychology section because they couldn’t make it anywhere else. And so, his digressions in the classes were tolerated more and he mostly got away with them.

The other good thing that happened was that after a long time, Anshul had found a true friend in Pranjal. 

After 10^th, Lakshya had moved out of town due to his father’s transfer. Lakshya had been his friend since middle school and he completely understood Anshul. They used to sit together in class and he was one person Anshul used to share everything with. When Lakshya moved out, Anshul thought that he would be without a friend. 

Pranjal’s friendship was therefore all the more special to him. As their friendship grew, both Anshul and Pranjal knew they were made for each other. It was a match made in heaven. 

The transition from just friends to being in a relationship happened naturally, during the break between the 11^th and 12^th grades. With nothing to do, Anshul often used to call upon Pranjal and meet up with her during that break. As they spent more and more time together, he realized that she was the perfect partner for him. 

The following week, while they were sitting together and talking animatedly about something in the nearby coffee shop, Anshul looked straight at Pranjal and uttered an “I Love You”, telling her about his feelings. She smiled and just held his hands in the most assuring manner. Anshul didn’t need any other confirmation. 

6

As they finished their 12^th exams and waited for their results, both Anshul and Pranjal made up their mind that they would go to the same university. They of course wanted to spend as much time together and as both were clear about pursuing a course in psychology, it was the most natural thing in their minds. 

Luckily, both scored good marks and got through the University of Delhi, in one of the best colleges. They shifted to Delhi from Meerut and took up accommodation in the hostel, close to each other. It took them some time to adjust to the big city life but with each other for company, it became easier. 

Anshul told his parents about Pranjal in his first year’s break and Pranjal also ensured that her parents were aware about her relationship status with Anshul. With both set of parents also being aware now, they felt liberated and with more freedom, Anshul and Pranjal grew closer to each other over those years. 

With Anshul continuing to be treated as a nerd and mostly lost in observing things or in his thoughts, he didn’t make many new friends in college. He anyways had Pranjal and didn’t worry too much about it. Pranjal on the other hand, though more effervescent, knew that Anshul was her best friend and hence chose to spend more time with him than anyone else in the class.  

After finishing their graduation and post graduation, both decided to take up different careers in psychology. While Pranjal was passionate about behavioral psychology and wanted to teach in the university, Anshul decided to delve into clinical psychology.

His parents weren’t quite convinced, asking him to reconsider his decision. They wanted him to choose a more established field of work. But Pranjal knowing his inclination for observations and deep diving into thoughts, encouraged him to go ahead. 

Anshul took up a research assistant role with a leading institute, although it didn’t pay very well initially. His desire to observe intricately what was happening around him was the driving factor. And clinical psychology provided him with ample opportunities to learn more. 

Over the next five years, Anshul did well in his chosen field. He always had a keen eye for observing things, and combined with his ability to dive deeper into someone’s life empathetically, he was able to significantly contribute towards making things comfortable for most patients at the institute. 

He was one of the more successful interns and after his probation period, rose quickly to become one of the most trusted hands at the institute. 

In this interim, he and Pranjal also got married. She had settled down into her role as a Professor and was a rising star in the department of psychology in the university. Among his friends, he had invited only Lakshya to the wedding, who luckily could come over from the US for that fortnight, where he was working with a big technology corporation. 

With life now settled, it seemed all was going well. Anshul’s parents and other family members and friends were finally starting to believe that everything was alright.

However, Anshul had other ideas. Inspired by the work Lakshya was doing in technology, he had already thought about plans for his next sojourn. 

7

True to his character, soon after marriage, Anshul decided to quit his job at the institute and instead chose to take a break from work to study more. 

The break wasn’t a small one. He planned to devote the next four years of his life to learning new skills. When he told Pranjal about his plans, she was quite surprised. But as she understood more about what he wanted to do, she encouraged him to continue on his chosen path.  

It was baffling for most other people though. Those who knew him believed he was already well qualified to continue excelling in his job. The management at his institute tried to drill some sense into him, as did his colleagues, and other friends. Anshul however didn’t budge from his decision.

Sure about what he wanted to do, he proceeded with his plan. 

Over the next four years, Anshul taught himself coding, building web portals and data analytics. He also enrolled into a part-time management course from one of the top institutes and focused on building his management skills. He simultaneously did a lot of market research about mental health in different cities and towns. 

To others, it seemed as if he had lost his way after a brief flash of promise and was doing things which were unconnected and being undertaken without any outcomes. He had never listened to most people and they thought that by being in his own shell, he was on a road that led to nowhere. 

Anshul however knew what he was doing. He had first hand seen the sufferings of many of the patients that came to the institute and knew that while this was a nascent field in India, there was immense potential. However, with lack of doctors and reluctance to come out or openly discuss such issues, Indians were not turning to professional help in time. 

Building upon his observations and thoughts, and based on his market research, Anshul got numerous and extremely important insights from across cities and towns. Speaking to various people helped him identify the most difficult gaps that he must address around mental health, as well as what kind of services people were willing to take and pay for.

By now, he had developed a good working knowledge of technology and had received business training. With his understanding of the market, he decided to build an online platform to help people with mental health issues. 

Coupled with his experience of handling such patients and his base knowledge, the idea seemed feasible and scalable. All the roads that he had walked on were converging to help him design, build, and operate such a business.

Most people around him were not convinced though. They thought it was risky and wasn’t worth pursuing. Some relatives advised him to open a clinic instead, with a much more stable job and income. Others suggested that he join another institute or hospital and get back into the regular, stable rhythm of life. 

8

Unfazed by the lack of clarity, and disregarding most of that advise, Anshul dived in. 

Bootstrapped with some of his own savings, the initial days were focused on building the base product and launching it in the market. Anshul decided to keep the team lean and only hired two interns to help out with regular operational stuff to begin with. He also kept the various kinds of services available on the portal simple and ensured that patients could anonymously discuss their problems with experts, if they so chose to. 

It was a patchy start. With most people not really aware of mental health issues or not ready to recognize and seek professional help, he initially had trouble finding customers. And with the business being bootstrapped, it wasn’t easy for him to connect to the right investors or influencers to seek advise and build the brand. 

Anshul however kept at it. Over the next year, he made the website much more user friendly, doubled up on creating awareness about mental health issues through organic content and blogs, treated each and every customer personally with greatest care and precaution, and always ensured the operations were seamlessly run to provide a good customer experience. 

In that time frame, as his own savings got exhausted, Pranjal continued to support the setup, willing to bet on Anshul’s passion to pull them through the scrappy times. She was his angel investor in the literal sense!

Slowly the tide started turning. Drawn with his understanding of the subject and operational excellence, the platform started getting word of mouth publicity. The patients who came once, referred others. As the user base increased, so did Anshul’s engagement to improve the services further. 

He hired more people in his team and built out the complete organizational structure that he had in mind to support the operations. While there were many who questioned his decision to expand and asked him to instead look for investors, he continued unhindered, convinced that he could build the business on his own.

By the third year, the business started seeing a steady stream of customers and bring in some profits. However, even then, he was barely able to turn even on the investments. It was only in the 4^th year that things changed completely. 

Impressed by the track record of service and the word of mouth publicity, Anshul’s startup got recognized at a national level as the most innovative startup in the healthcare space. This got the venture a lot of publicity with the right narrative to take to the market. Anshul’s team took full advantage of this breakthrough and spent additional capital to create a higher brand awareness of his platform.

The platform already had a loyal customer base and with word of mouth referrals and higher awareness, the user base increased significantly. It became one of the most sought after startups in its space, garnering attraction from investors and customers alike and breaking all boundaries of what solutions were possible in the mental health space in the country.

It was a great validation of all that Anshul had pursued in his life and the bets he had taken to chart his own course. The dots had connected!!!

Those dots that were forming a path that most couldn’t understand or at best viewed as leading to nowhere. Until they found it was built on a foundation nurtured with a lot of purpose. Nurtured not by someone who was called the lost child, but one who was highly self-aware and focused on his goals…