Journey to runjhunstory.com

How much an employee can grow in an organization is limited to the organization’s growth. But how much an entrepreneur can grow? – People say, ‘Sky is the limit’. Since college I was interested in drama and storytelling. Placement at a software company was a result of my lack of self-confidence and confused mind. It took more than 2 years to make up my mind. I realized that the kind of exposure I need for fulfilling my dreams cannot come from sitting in a 6 by 6 cube since morning till evening day after day. With support from my parents and far fetched business plans from my close relatives I decided to change the wagon. Or rather jump off the train…in hope of catching a flight.
As we know that before the flight takes off, there is a long runway. You have to run and run really fast to be able to fly…All prepared to run, I needed a direction. IT, Education, Restaurant, Power plant, Warehouse and what not. There were many roads emerging out from where I was standing. I was standing on a junction, restless and anxious, ready to run. But on which runway should I run? As I turn my body towards one road and start looking ahead a bit, suddenly folks suggest me to run on another runway. Confused as I was, my initial few months got spent in just revolving around and peeping into every runway.
One fine day, I thought that I will choose the direction where I do not have to depend upon others and where I wouldn’t get bored. Money or no money, let time tell the story….Yes! I chose to develop stories for children. Books? Well I thought there are ample. Animation? No, it’s not good for eyes. Audio – yes, this can give the feel of a real grandparent telling a story. This was the exact motivation for the start-up. And on this day was born Runjhun. runjhunstory.com is a portal focused on storytelling for children.
Then I thought, if I try I risk failure, but if I don’t, I will ensure it.
I started my journey with a phone call. My dad knew some one in AIR. I gave a call to him. I explained him about my idea, about which I myself was not very clear. He understood something and gave me the phone number of a studio. I called up at the studio a few times and finally fixed up a meeting with the boss. I again explained my half-clear idea to him also. He assured me that he will give me a budget for the project by talking to a few people in this field. Meanwhile, once I was in my close relative’s office discussing some business plan. Suddenly he suggested that he knows someone in theatre profession. I unlike me, on the spot called him and called him for a small meeting. He came and we discussed the idea. While talking with him he told about one more guy, who happens to be the father of one of the employees in my close relative’s office. So I fixed up a meeting with him as well. Next day I met him. I told him my idea (half clear). He liked the idea and said we can work on this. He happens to be a regular writer on satire (in Hindi). He was busy with some theatre workshop. Oh yeah, he directs plays also. This guy is going to become story-writer and director for the first set of stories. For next few days, I researched on net about similar products, audio stories, audio stories for children, audio Indian stories, audio hindi stories, audio stories moral and what not… three key words were common - audio, story, children. I also collected many stories from various sources. In the processes I had another unemployed guy, starving for a new concept. He specializes in web development. I had always thought of a website with audio stories to be streamed. I find a website better medium to reach to our customers in any part of the world a better medium than CD or DVD. So after a few days, I called up the narrator saab. And fixed up a meeting again. Meetings had become my only assurance of the progress of the work. We discussed the budget. We negotiated in the next few meetings. Later we finalized the costing. In parallel the website work started.
For the first set of stories and first release of the website, I was very compromising. I did not poke my nose too much. I did not force my small vision upon others and let the product develop itself.
Today when I have 11 stories with me, an uploaded website with 20-30 hits everyday (without mass marketing and extra efforts), I know what I have to do next…
Well I never said I know what should be done or what will fetch me money and what not. I am still as unsure of the success as I was before, but today I am more confident and clear of what I have to do in this project.
Every good response brings a fresh stream of confidence in me and every negative response makes me think more…
It will sell or not? Kids will listen to it or not? Parents will buy it or not? My answer cannot be free from the influence of hope and optimism.

Why is the younger sister always smarter?

The last weekend I went to Bombay (Mumbai) to see a girl. Well, it was arranged in a very typical marwari fashion but I still manged to convince my parents to let us dine out so that we get some time to talk comfortably.
Oh yeah, I went to Bombay all alone. So here were we (I, my local cousin and his family, and Her family, but her) having a lavish and exotic breakfast in a posh dining room, when suddenly the girl appears. Oh wait! I guess you too got confused, no it is not the girl I went to see, but her sister - the younger sister.
"I am fine. How does it matter. I see so many girls around, I dont have to start judging everyone".
I waited till the incessant formalities got over and went back to the royal drawing room. Then came the time for the marwari girl to make her public appearance.
"Ok I dont have to marry every girl I see. Behave nicely".
So as per the plan, we went for the Lunch. JW Marriot - One of the most expensive and beautiful hotel in Bombay. Sitting at 90 degree to each other, we were talking about general things. After an hour of one-to-one talking, came the younger sister. So both of them start telling about each other and about themselves. Here goes another hour.
"Well, why is the younger sister more practical, more chirpier, more beautiful and more slim always".
I laughed on the nature's law and wondered why the grass on the other side always greener.

Decision making

Let your heart decide what to do and brain decide how to do it.
Problem comes when the brain decides what to do and heart decides how.

story for children...why only children?

I am 26, but still I become 10 when i hear a story. Whether it is information, or just entertainment I enjoy it.
I write more about it
in the meanwhile have a look on www.runjhunstory.com

Shikayat (Not mine)

Meri ghazal ko shikaayat hai mere sheron say,
Jude hue hain is Qadr kyun andheron say.

Main chaahtaa to bahut tha ki us se baat karoon,
Woh is tarh se magar ghir gayi thi gairon se.

Gali ke mod tak to aagayi thi meri khushi,
Zaraa sa faasala bhi tai hua na pairon se.

Koi sawaal uthaaye to main jawaab bhi doon,
Nahi to kaunsi zubaan boloon beharon se.

Har ek baat ka matalab nikaalata hai woh,
Khudaa nijaat dilaa de ye shaq ke pehaaron se.

Jo ho rahaa hai tamaasha abhi to hone do,
Utaar denge ek din naqab chehron se.

Gale milo ki milo to zara khushi se milo,
Milaa hai kya kisi ko besabab ke bairon se.

Ki tikk gayi ho jab nazar kisiki manzil par,
Ussay hai wasta kya raston ke deron se.

Hai LakhoN motiyon se keemati tumhari hansi.
Zara sambhal ke rakhanaa issay luteron se.

keep in touch 2

"Life is a journey", people say

we make friends on our way.

"keep in touch" - easier said than done,

but if you can do it, then life is fun!!!

Keep in touch

Jo aya hai use jana hain, kuch dino ka saath hain;

bhool jana use aasan hai, yaad rakh liya to baat hain!!!

a great day

Have a great day!!!
I have heard this so many times and said even more number of times. But never given a thought before sleeping, whether today was a great day or not.
But today is different. I am thinking and I feel it was a great day indeed.
In the morning i had a really nice breakfast. Home made dosas at BK's place. His inviting me itself was a happy fact.
I went to office and wrote a nice blog. And it included a nice two liner shayari too. It feels nice to write stuff.
I am leaving the company. People came to know about it from all sources. They came to me, surprised and curious. So much importance. They were interested in listening to my plans ,which do not exist. Looked like sometimes i was inspiring people by sharing the reason of taking this courageous (as someone called it) decision in life. Looked like the hidden entrepreneur in each one of them was coming out and discussing the positives of such an action. On the top of everything, I was so fluent, so confident and so comfortable in taking up any question, any apprehension or any serious doubt (and answering, in English ;)).
I came back home after dinner and the strawberry milk shake was awesome. With fresh strawberry pieces coming in every sip. Wow!
Opened the mail box and found a lovely mail from Akhila, appreciating my short films and talent (?). I am happy. Then i watched the dance video captured at the cruise in Hyderabad. Oh man! We (I and Puneet) are dancing like complete freaks. And I am looking good, it is not embarrassing. I had almost forgotten about it, thanks to Anurag for capturing it (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NDQ11dZ2mM). It is so funny yet so cool. After watching that it is not a good day any more, it is definitely a Great day.
Thanks to everyone.

deshbhakti?

I was at the waga border a few days back. It was a saturday and we were late by the standard time for that place. So finding a decent place to sit and enjoy the proceedings (the march, flag hoisting and the handshake) was out of questions. But humans are born to struggle and we were no exceptions. The place was packed like bangalore airport - no place to sit, no place to stand. You got to be moving. "chalte raho", Keep moving, "baith ja", sit down, "samne se hat", get away from my way - were the slogans you listen to the most. May be more than - vande matram or bharat mata ki jaye. By mistake if you stopped for 10-15 secs to catch a breath or to look around or if you could manage to stepped on someone's foot or even sleeper, you could listen to all sort of abuses. Needless to say our co-patriots did not exclude remembering our sisters and mothers in that. No one wanted his/her view to get blocked, not even an inch of it.

What a patriotism!!! What an irony!

nakab pehne desh bhakti ka yun hum desh videsh chale,

apno ko dost bana na sake, haath milane pardesh chale.

waga border

A few days ago i went to Amritsar. Obviously we planned to go to Waga border also.
The place was jam packed with people. I will not go into describing what is the place like, but for one thing, it is very inspiring. So in the end, that is after the march and flag hoisting we went close to the gate to see fellow pakistanis from close. Everyone was clicking photos of similar yet so different people from the other nation. Suddenly the kid inside me woke up and i waved to 'Pakistan'. I was not waving to any One but to all. Suddenly I heard a 'jawan' shouting (scolding), "hindustan idhar hain, haath idhar hilao", " wo pakistan hain, wo log alag hain", "abhi wahan kisi ladki ne shikayat kar di ki hindustan ka ek ladka mujse haath hila ke baat kar raha tha, to ladaiyan ho jayengi". The scolding did not end there...I dont remeber what all he said to me but i remember that it lasted for more than 3 minutes. There were atleast 5-10 people listening to it. All of them stunned and speechless.
I was speechless. I was angry, I wanted to react. I wanted to tell him on his face to go to hell and that he is uneducated illiterate unpolished illmannered etc etc person. But i refrained from reacting. Could me because i was too scared to react. Could be because i did not know anything that happens there. Later, I thought may be he has seen things going sour between the two nations. What do i know. May be he has lost some of his close friend or relative in front of his eyes fighting against pakistanis. May be he is right in everything he said.
But i cant overlook the obvious irony in this incident. The concept of waga border being made a tourist place is , according to me, to clean up the bitterness in people's mind about our neighbour country and to bring the people of one nation close to other in the some way. But at the same time the "Jawan" was stopping people to show any kind of friendliness to the people of other country...
WHY?

break up...

Saja ye kis gunah ki khuda aaj de raha hain,
mohabbat karai kisi se, nibhva kisi aur se raha hain.

Gunah to mera kabile saja tha,
ek insaan ko maine mana khuda tha.

ek ehsaas

Awaaz sunne ko unki rehte hai hum behaal
wo phone karte bhi hai to poochne humare dost ka haal