Our first product - The Lollypop!

The Lollypop!

Hi fellas!

Here is the first product! And (being willfully ignorant of how small a development this is) my heart swells with joy whenever I see it :)

You notice that? The name (rather, the liberty to call it what you want!), the shape, the colour, and it all :) Sheer joy! Sheer pleasure!

Okay. Let's ground me now. This is a small Atmega  based development board (similar to Arduino) which has a motor control IC added to it. So basically, students can write their small robot code on this, and see their bot zip around :)

So this basically is a "robotics starter board". And we've made it to give out free to our students who attend our three days robotics workshops.

Why do I write it here? Well, to tell you that if you have your own company, you can "do what you please"!!! (ok, on a second note, we'll wait till the workshops are over, and we know the feedback of students on this one. This might as well be a waste of money!)

Jodhpur - the land of Entrepreneurs

This came as a startling surprise to me - and I think same might go with you too - but it seems that every other person I meet here is an entrepreneur. I've met all kinds - working in numerous fields, and of all the age groups - the count of entrepreneurs I've met in the last month exceeds that I met in the rest of my life combined!

Then, the revealation came - Jodhpur is the hub of Marwar region. And it indeed is the home of marwaris. Now anyone who knows Indian demography will know that these two communities run the Indian economy - the Marwaris and the Gujratis. So that's what's at work with all the business going around here :)

However, being one of them now, I've starting to realize the ethical face of business. Nobody really overcharges you (one of the myths I used to have) - he simply has to charge more than what might seem right to a salaried person because he has an infrastructure and salaries to take care of. Now I'm sure this sounds cliched, but well, this is coming from realization.

Another thing - when I came here, it was like I'd make sure I don't take time out from spending evenings with family. Well, unfortunately, the mechanism which busts this one also has become apparent. The more critical the work is, the higher the people want to pay you. Sometimes, they'll even beg you to charge all that you want, and finish off the work in a given deadline. And then the translations start in your mind - this much money - that means you can pay salaries to your staff for this many months - and on and on - and you end up saying 'yes'. And there goes your quiet family evening! And not just that, you end up doing night-outs before you know it. (as it happens, I'm in the middle of a night out. The sixth in this month). Enlightenment. The tough way.

The other day we (me and TT) were joking - back in our jobs, we were one in a thousand to leave our job to make a path of our own. And here, we're a part of the crowd of entrepeneurs again :)

Until next time!

Affectionately,
Aakash

In support of Anna

Yesteday was a big day - we called off our evening work and attended the candle light protest to Support the fight against corruption.

It was the first public procession I attended in my life. Truly felt like the first useful thing I did for the nation.

Another realization - supporting in cyberspace is nothing as compared to supporting on the streets. For one, it benefits self - yesterday's feeling was a million times more intense than all the mails taken together I've sent on behalf of greenpeace and avaaz.org. Then, the magnitude of the message communicated is of an entirely different scale - only the vast visible protests from all over India forced the Govt. to bend down yesterday.

This spark should not die out. Let's give our hundred percent and do our part - voicing ourselves on the streets, not just on cyberspace!!!

Been two weeks

Lots and lots of opportunities, and nobody to take them!

...feelings after taking an unbiased view around, after all these days.

Also felt at times if I'm actually worthy of the responsibility I'm here to shoulder, but then, the realization that I am actually here, doing all this, and nature has set up all these conditions gives the conviction that this all is meant to be; and my part is just to keep giving it my one hundred percent.

Then, there've been those times when the mind goes bonkers trying to process all that's happening... when I'd wake up at night 3 AM and keep awake till 5.30, wishing that the mind shuts down and I can go back to sleep... and a constant, mild headache for days together because of mind's habit to splash about in its own uneducated way, among all that's happening. I can almost realize why some people take sleeping pills and other intoxicants... fortunately I have the priceless art of vipassana with me.

Will continue the monologue soon :)

Links etc.

I just realized I haven't shared the URL of our company:

http://www.mindfield.co.in

As of date, its about educating students in Embedded Electronics. TT has been working for this for last one year. Let's see how it goes!

Today was mostly about looking at the magnitude of the task. Briefly, its not small. But definitely its not daunting; this is one thing I knew will be there to welcome me :)

As they say:
See-saw sacradown
which is the way to london town
one foot up and the other foot down
that is the way to london town :)

"one foot up and the other foot down". An easy enough job!

AT Jodhpur!

Reached here this Saturday. And dude, what a refreshing change after spending six years at Gurgaon! Neat roads, no traffic, no pollution, courteous people, and all that should be there.

Then it was a marathon run of finding a home for rent. Property prices have really risen throughout India! We have _almost_ finalized a 1 BHK home for 5K.

Also, started working like an owner for the first time, we (me and TT) set the first round of targets of next three months.

I don't know how rich I'm going to be two years from now. But I know very precisely how smart I'm going to be :) Here starts my learning!!!


Cheerio!

Edit (9 aug 2011): We finally got a house for 6K. The other one didn't work out. And people are crazy here when it comes to renting out houses. In case you need a house in Jodhpur, contact me for live experience stories!

Packing up from Delhi!

Did a marathon round of electronics components' shopping at Delhi's Lajpat Rai Market... the luggage moves for Jodhpur tomorrow, and we shall follow this weekend!

Taking the leap

Hi!

This blog is from a regular guy who has set out on the path of entrepreneurship.

Well, basically.

This blog is an effort to share my journey, as it happens, with people. With my friends and well-wishers, who're interested in my whereabouts, and with the rest of the world (in case hopefully if I make it good, to help future entrepreneurs realize their potential). Here I go.

The regular life I think of a guy who comes from a middle class family (when father holds a govt. job) goes somewhat like this:

1. Get good marks in school, and get admission to a good engineering (or other vocational) college
2. Complete your engineering and find a job
3. Live as a bachelor, have fun for 3~4 years (or imagine you're having fun, anyway) while working hard for your employer. Basically trying to postpone marriage all the time.
4. Get married.
5. Spend another 2 years, trying to postpone having children.
6. Have a kid.
7. Get a home loan and buy a home.
8. Live happily ever after. Or rather, live pseudo-happily ever after. And keep doing everything you should be doing.

And all through, have an underlying desire of doing what you really want to do.

Well, so that's basically my intro. I've jumped out of the sequence above after number 6. And into "what I really want to do". Which happens to be working towards having my own product company.

Today, as it stands, I'm spending the last of my days as a full-time employee with VNL. And it's been a great experience working here. 22nd July 2011 is when I finally go on-my-own :)

I consider myself lucky in that I got all the support from my family to take the jump. And of-course from TT, my partner in this journey!

See you around!