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“To lose balance sometimes for love is part of living a balanced life.”
There are those who find solace between brackets and there are those who prefer to empty their framework of any specifics, choosing instead to exist between parallels, worlds and interests. And somehow, it’s their refusal to lay claim to a singular possibility that makes them doubly (no pun intended) good at everything they do. Considering it’s a similar duality that keeps the flame beneath our feet, Homegrown set out on a mission to uncover other young Indian professionals who, in a certain sense of the term, have mastered the art of living ‘double lives.’
The sheer volume of nominations we received tell us that this dual lot may not be as rare a breed as we once imagined, but they’re certainly still just as intriguing. [For those who missed the previous edition of this series, do read Vol. I, Vol. II and Vol. III] Here’s the fourth volume in the series of stories of an incredible bunch of individuals who have nothing in common besides deciding that they are more than just one person thriving in a state of dual existence.
I. Abhishek Goyal | Passionate. Funny. Dreamer.
DJ/Restaurateur
Who:
25-year-old Abhishek Goyal always had a zeal for entering the food and beverage industry despite having a Master’s degree in Banking and Finance. This drove him to launch a resto-bar with his best friend Yasho Sonthalia. Having spent their university life partying in Singapore, they wanted to bring a high quality international hospitality experience to a place like Mumbai. With extreme hard work, determination and strong synergy, they fulfilled this goal that they now call Boveda.
Having had a keen interest in music, growing up, Abhishek took up the keyboard when he was seven and picked up the guitar in his early teens. His tastes and preferences evolved as he grew and finally took the shape of a DJ. His favoured music choice is progressive house and most recently he has developed a liking for electro swing.
“Duality keeps life interesting and provides a break from the ‘other’ life.”
“How do I balance both? Coffee—lots of it! I use music to start and end my day. It not only has a positive, therapeutic effect but it also helps me expand my playlist. Eating healthy, several power naps and a workout routine keeps me going.”
One line that inspires him:
“You are not of this world. The world is in you.”
II. Alysson Sopher | Daydreamer. Hyper. Believer
Content Executive/Home Baker
Who:
23-year-old Alysson Sopher graduated with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from London and started off her career in advertising with Ogilvy & Mather.
“I set my foot into e-commerce by working with a startup and now I am a Content Executive at CouponDunia. People know me as the affable executive who manages content for the offers and deals on CouponDunia,” she shares.
Since her childhood, Alysson has had a passion for baking and developing recipes. Now, post work hours and over the weekend, she turns into a creative home baker and cook. “My love for baking channelled me into taking orders for brownies and granola under the name Leela’s Love. I specialise in low-fat protein and regular brownies, as well as granola. I love experimenting with flavours and I find inspiration almost everywhere. Leela’s Love is a tribute to my grandmother Leela, whose love for cooking and baking has been my biggest inspiration,” she confides.
“Duality is following your heart along with your mind.”
“I work on developing recipes and baking in the early hours of the day, before work and in the evenings, after work. I believe it is imperative to manage time to do all what you love doing,” she says.
One line that inspires her:
“As Long as you are going to be thinking anyway, think big.”
Follow Alysson and her work on Twitter and Instagram.
III. Andrea Pinto | Adrenaline-junkie. Wanderer. Chocolate-finder.
Copywriter/Salsa dancer/Horse Rider
Who:
23-year-old Andrea Pinto works as copywriter for an ‘incredibly fun, pet-friendly, meat-loving’ advertising agency called MagikBox Media in Pune. However on weekends and before the sun rises on Tuesdays and Thursdays, she is a salsa dancer.
She joined Pune’s advertising work force immediately after graduating with a BMM degree from Sophia College, Mumbai. However, her first job caused her to lose faith in the advertising world and so she took a six-month break. It was during this break that she realised that she couldn’t be only one person. Soon enough, she joined another company, but this time she didn’t let go of the things she loves—dancing, horse riding and travelling.
“I dance with a company called Salsamania India. We’re a little over a year old but we are a band of ordinary people who are insanely passionate about what we do. In a job where my mind is constantly at work and there’s the pressure of deadlines to meet, having a salsa routine play in my head occasionally always helps,” she shares.
“I’m one of those self-confessed horse-crazy people, as well. Horse riding is a sport which has been one of my closest passions since I was a kid. I competed for a few years in the national circuit in show jumping and now I do it just because I love it. If I go a few months without just hanging out with these gorgeous animals I get withdrawal symptoms. I pretty much thrive on adventure, I got my scuba license last year and diving has become another great love,” she confides.
“Duality is realising you can be so much greater than just one person. Why stop with duality? You can be one, two, three shades of awesome in one!”
“There have been times when I feel like I’m losing my mind because there are so many different thoughts flying through my head. But at the end of the day, my dancing, my horses and the time I spend just crashing in front of the TV is what keeps me sane, and quite honestly, makes me who I am. I make sure that there’s at least one day in the week when I can just unwind, detox and think about nothing.”
One line that inspires her:
“Bash on regardless” - Lt. Gen. WAG Pinto, my grandfather—it is pretty much my family motto
IV. Dipna Daryanani | Optimist. Creator. Unpunctual.
Educator/Dancer/Movement Artist
Who:
29-year-old Dipna shuffles between her jobs as an educator, dancer/movement artist who also runs her own clothing label.
“I run a sustainable clothing label for children called Love the World Today along with my sister Dipti Ahuja. We started about four months ago. It was completely different searches from both our ends that led us here. For Dipti, it was about finding clothes for her baby daughter that were made in India, and that focussed on design details and were made with fabric that was non synthetic. For me, on the other hand, it was a simple question of where does all the trash go? We found a simple solution together—design clothes for little ones making sure that the people involved were taken care of and the processes did not harm anyone. We just want our little ones to care for the little big things in life,” she shares.
For the past eight years, she has been working as a preschool teacher. “Eventually I moved into the space of arts in education. At the moment I work part time for Theatre Professionals’ ‘Drama in School’ programme. Sometimes I feel when I grow old, I’ll probably just go back to teaching pre-schoolers,” she shares.
Apart from this, she has been working as an independent movement artist for the past three years. She has performed across the country for several improvised performances and at present, she is working with a Chennai based dance artist, Preethi Athreya, on a piece titled ‘Conditions of Carriage’ along with nine other dancers/actors.
“I do whatever catches my fancy. During my graduation, I was so fascinated by everything that I didn’t know which path to take. After contemplating for a while, I decided that I wasn’t going to chalk out a career plan for myself. For me it was always important to focus on what I make of myself as a person than as a professional. Your work is only an extension of who you are. That’s how I became a preschool teacher at 21, studied dance at 25 and started my own business at 28,” she muses.
“Duality is who we are, for even when we are still, there is movement in our breath.”
“Every time I feel empty and like I have nothing left to give, I take out the time to fill myself. Usually travelling or being a student again by picking up a new activity helps me.”
One line that inspires her:
‘Remember, if Christmas is not found in your heart, you won’t find it under a tree.’ - Charlotte Carpenter
V. Harpreet Vir Baweja | Entrepreneur, Adventurer, Dreamer
Spa Co-Founder/Event Manager
Who:
34-year-old Harpreet Baweja is one of the co-founders of AromaThai Spas Pvt Ltd. He spends his day as the Managing Director of the Operations and Business Development on AromaThai Spas in Mumbai and Pune. “It has been almost eight years and we have 25 spas in almost 10 cities.”
When he is not involved with the spa-related work, he is busy with Butter Events. “It came up quite organically with two of my close friends Mona Juneja and Acquin Pais. We started doing these small-scale private events for like-minded individuals, providing good music and a fun setting. It grew into something really amazing and now we do some of the biggest events in the city, including brand launches, brand management, and fashion shows. Life is busy as our calendars for events are booked months in advance and each event requires meticulous planning. I have met some amazing individuals in the past four years with Butter and I continue to do so at every occasion. I love meeting people and hearing about their stories and perspectives. It’s quite humbling in many ways,” he shares.
“Duality is two sides of a coin, each one with an important part to play. It is is understanding the varied facets of your nature and striking the right balance.”
“It’s not easy to maintain a balance, but I manage it with some level of discipline. I have a schedule for work and I do my best to stick to it. Of course, a lot of my life is spontaneous, but I need the semblance of structure around it and that definitely helps me balance these two extreme aspects.”
One line that inspires him:
“Life is either a great adventure, or nothing” - Helen Keller
Follow AromaThai on their website and Facebook. Also follow Butter Events on Facebook and Instagram.
VI. Maanas Singh
Graphic Designer/Photographer
Who:
23-year-old Maanas Singh is a graphic designer at a multi-disciplinary strategic design studio based out of Delhi called Lopez Design. “I am currently in the last year of my college at MIT Institute of Design, Pune. For the past five or six years, I have been shooting live music and concert. I started off by attending and shooting local pub gigs when I was in school and over the years I have shot multiple festivals. I have had the chance to closely work with promoters and brands for their festivals. My work has featured in publications such as Rolling Stone, NME, The Sunday Guardian, Indian Express, to name a few,” he shares.
Over the past three years he has also been working on backstage portraits of artists before their performances. Apart from this, he has also been working on an experimental down tempo electric album.
“Duality is you being aware of one-ness.”
“I have no weekends—but, that’s fun, it keeps me active. My nights are shorter. I’m either shooting some gig or processing images, learning and re-learning, or just jamming post work. I get restless if I don’t do and balance both, design cannot exist without photography and vice versa.”
One line that inspires him:
“The trick is to combine your waking rational abilities with the infinite possibilities of your dreams. Because, if you can do that, you can do anything.” - Guy Forsyth, The Waking Life
VII. Rohit Pereira | Belter. Thulper. Sender.
Digital Media Man/Musican/EMCEE/
Who:
36-year-old Rohit ‘P-Man’ Pereira works with the video production team at Flarepath, a digital media agency by day, and most nights, as well. His team produces the Vh1 Music Diaries, a weekly music magazine show on Vh1 India. He is also the host of the show.
“Getting out of college and being in a band, I only wanted take jobs that would give me time for music. My first job was at OML— I was the first employee there. I went on to work as trainer/quality analyst in a KPO for 6 years. The pay was shit, but gave me time for music. Hell, I was broke all of my twenties,” he recollects. For three years now he has been with Flarepath and he is happy. “I have a career, I make enough to sustain myself and my musical ambitions in this big bad city of Mumbai. Add to this, a kickass boss who understands why I do this and has been totally supportive.”
He also moonlights as the vocalist of ViceVersa, a hip hop-electronica act, and the bass player for Shaa’ir + Func. He had been part of couple of metal bands, such as, Pin Drop Violence and Exhumation, earlier on. He also dabbles with emceeing— “I host the Rollingstone Metal Awards and have hosted couple of other concerts and events in the past such as Jack Daniels Rock Awards, MTV Extreme, Emerge Festival, the Converse Rubber Tracks Band Hunt, to name a few.”
“Duality is allowing your Hyde to tell jokes while the Jekyll in you smokes weed.”
“You can say I am somewhat kickass at this extremely fine and horrid art of time management. It’s gets crazy at times but I have some wonderful colleagues and band members who make this balancing act that much more less stressful and fun too.”
One line that inspires him:
“This labyrinth is only one straight line” - Mike Patton, Peeping Tom - ‘Five Seconds’
Follow Rohit and his work in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Soundcloud
VIII. Samron Jude | Passionate. Optimistic. Persevering
Advertising Entrepreneur/Musician
Who:
“Feels like 18,” he replies when asked about his age, and then goes on to explain his journey of how he became the director of Mediastinct by day and a musician by night. An advertising entrepreneur with around 10 years of work experience under his belt, Samron co-founded the blog network iDiscern Media in 2009, so that he would have time to focus on his music. In 2012, he co-founded a global ad network Mediastinct, which acquired iDiscern Media, the local search agency SEMP.com, leading content marketplace DotWriter.com as well as a premium domain portfolio. Mediastinct is now a global entity with its reach not only in India, but also in the USA and Hong Kong.
“Most of my work includes acquiring new businesses and products, building and establishing business strategies, meeting and networking with business partners at advertising conferences across the world,” he says.
Having been a musician for over 15 years, he has been a part of several bands— he is the vocalist of Mumbai groove metal band, SystemHouse33; guitarist of progressive band, Paratra and the former vocalist of thrash metal band Sceptre.
“I founded SystemHouse33 in 2003 to make original music and we started off in Nagpur (we are the first heavy metal band to emerge from Nagpur) before shifting base to Mumbai. The band went on to perform for and win several band competitions across India. There have been four albums released so far with our fifth album Regression set for an early 2016 release. The year 2015 saw the band break into the international scene by becoming the first metal band from India to tour with a legendary international band Six Feet Under on their very own Xmas in Hell tour in Europe. It was a great experience to finally take our music to a newer level with our European tour after completing 12 years as a band,” he shares.
“Duality keeps me enthusiastic to do things at its best; doing one thing can get monotonous at times, but doing two things that you love makes life a lot more fulfilling.”
“Following a schedule and a plan is extremely important in ensuring that I give justice to both my advertising company and music bands. There are sleepless nights spent at work and even in making music, but the key is to have the passion and dedication,” he adds.
One line that inspires him:
“Try and fail, but fail not to try!”
Follow Samron and SystemHouse33 on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. You can also follow his work with Mediastinct on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
IX. Suchin Mehrotra | Writer. Cinephile. Batman
Analyst/Blogger/Film Critic
Who:
Suchin Mehrotra has been working as an analyst in payment strategy for a global bank for almost two years now. “I’m the guy who always played it safe because that made sense to me. When I went to University in the UK I studied Economics, and then applied for a banking job which was the natural progression. It’s always worked for me and I’ve never really questioned it,” he confesses.
Having always been captivated by movies and the big screen, about a year ago, he decided to start a blog with the sole aim of writing about film, and giving movie reviews. Over time the blog flourished into a full-fledged website, Magicofbollywood.com. “We do movie reviews, music reviews, and even have our own series of podcasts to discuss different topics around Hindi cinema. The site gives me a platform to share my views with the world, but also serves as an avenue through which I can learn more about film. It allows me to devote time to something I truly love, and I hope to someday write about film full time as a writer and critic. My inspiration is Anupama Chopra, not purely for her talent or ability as a critic, but because of her fundamental love of cinema and fascination about everything that goes into it, which I can relate to on every level,” he shares.
“Duality is accepting both sides of yourself and trying to find a balance.”
“It is impossible to truly balance both. All you can really do is pick and choose your battles. There’s always a new article I want to write, or a podcast I want to record, without having the time due to my job. Similarly there could be a big opportunity at work which I lose out on because my focus is on my website. You just have to pick and choose your battles every day and hope that you progress in some way with both,” he muses.
One line that inspires him:
“If you’re not scared then you’re not taking a chance. If you’re not taking a chance then what the hell are you doing anyway?” – Ted Mosby
Follow his work with Magic of Bollywood on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
X. Sumit Jagdale | Caffeinated. Adrenaline Junkie. Creative.
Photographer/Fitness Enthusiast/MMA Junkie
Who:
32-year-old Sumit Jagdale is a fashion and advertising photographer and when he is not clicking away, you will find him working out.
“I have been working as a photographer for the last five years, out of both Bombay and Pune specializing in fashion and advertising on the commercial end and portraiture from a more personal and fine art perspective,” he explains. He started out his career as an editorial automotive photographer, working for Car India, Bike India and Commercial Vehicle—all magazines under the same parent company, Nextgen Publishing. After quitting, he did a yearlong photography course at Light and Life Academy in Ooty, where he trained under some of the best photographers in the business. Once he was back in town, he set up Sumit Jagdale Photography, moving to fashion and advertising work.
Fitness has been an integral part of his everyday life, for the past seven years. “I have always believed in functional workouts, and training for strength, agility, and endurance rather than bulk up like body builders. Luckily these traits come in very handy when you want to train as a mixed martial artist. I started MMA training about 18 months ago, which is a heady mix of Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ), the occasional inputs from Kalaripayattu and a whole lot of Yoga. I still have a lot to learn and my motivation remains fitness and self-defence. I missed my chance at turning pro fighter by a decade, but it doesn’t stop me from training like I would one day walk into the Octagon. Maybe, they would let me in as a referee,” he shares.
“The biggest irony in this is that the more you learn to fight, the less you will actually want to. I love sparring sessions, where the fights are in controlled settings, but one of the best advantages of training is that you develop a calm, level headed approach to every aspect of your life,” he adds.
Last year, he conducted a Bodyweight bootcamp at a sports and fitness festival oganized by SportsJig in Bandra.
“Duality is just the beginning. I have a lot to explore and I don’t have to be the same person I was yesterday.”
“Photography and martial arts are both lifelong journeys and I discover new things about myself and the world through both. Art without insight is meaningless and I can’t think of a better way to go through life.”
One line that inspires him:
“Help me make the most of freedom...and of pleasure...nothing ever lasts for ever...” - Tears For Fear, from Everybody Wants to Rule the World.
XI. Varun Jaitly | Change is good
Technology Journalist/Product Marketing/DJ
Who:
29-year-old Varun Jaitley started working with PCQuest as a technology journalist soon after he completed his engineering degree in 2008. “I had always been passionate about technology and working for a magazine was a way for me try something different. In 2009, I shifted from Gurgaon to Bangalore and worked here with companies like AMD and Intel. Currently, I am working as a product marketing manager at a leading cloud services company for its Asia Pacific and Japan region,” he says.
While he is not at work, you will find him spinning some sick tunes at clubs and performance venues around the city. “Growing up, I listened to a lot of electronic music. It was only while working in Bangalore that I converted this casual interest into a serious hobby and taught myself to DJ. I go by the stage name ‘AWKWRD’ and have been lucky so far,” he shares.
“Duality is escaping a linear narrative and embracing change, new adventures and experiences.”
“Thankfully, there is no free time anymore. I have my hands full with things I truly enjoy doing. I guess balance has a way of finding its way into life, once you commit to your choices.”
One line that inspires him:
“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric” - Bertrand Russell
XII. Vish Sambaiah | Dreamer. Technologist. Wanderlust.
Software Engineer/Motorcyclist
Who:
39-year-old Vish Sambaiah’s fascination for software engineering stemmed from his affinity towards being creative. “Hailing from a small town called Hassan in Karnataka, I always dreamt of making a difference in whatever I do,” he shares. For over 17 years, he built software and at present, he manages critical global function software applications as a Sr. Vice President, Technology, Citigroup, USA.
“This job takes up most of time of the day but I am as passionate about technology as I am with riding,” he says. Throughout his teen years, he used to save enough petrol to ‘steal’ his father’s scooter and slip away to remote places not too far away from home.
“Hassan is like the gateway to the Western Ghats and there are numerous awe inspiring remote destinations. Like all introverts, small talk, crowds and flamboyant lifestyle never interested me. I vividly remember the experience of riding to these places filled with a sense of freedom, adrenaline rush, solitude and serenity. It is an experience that no money can buy and you can’t even explain it to someone else. To this day, I find time to slip away in quest of those experiences, regardless of whether I am in the US or India. Having ridden long distance touring motorcycles like BMW GS 1200 here in the US, I longed for similar set of wheels back in India which didn’t exist,” he recollects. He decided to start Beaux Adventures in 2014 with the simple vision of making touring motorcycles like Triumph Tiger available for wanderlusts like himself who wish to explore in and around India at an affordable price tag.
“Duality is a myth. Dreams and passion to pursue them can’t be compartmentalised.”
“When what you do is a passion there is no reason or necessity to balance. If you really have your heart into something, you can’t allocate a time slot to do it. It’s always on your mind and you always are thinking about doing things differently,” he says.
One line that inspires him:
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain
Compiled by Krupa Joseph & Raj Rege
