There is something very different about growing up in the mountains. For me, having lived all of my childhood and adolescent years in Dharamshala, it’s almost as if the towering Himalayan ranges are an inseparable part of my life. And when I am away from the landscape, I carry them with me.
Despite this unexplainable bond with our land, most of us ‘pahadis’- as we are commonly referred to – end up migrating to the cities for ‘good’ education, career and more importantly a ‘better life’.
We grow up listening to stories of people who’ve made it big after moving to the cities and are constantly led to believe – if you wish to become successful, you must leave. And like so many before me, I too followed suit. A good part of my professional education and career was spent in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Delhi.
But clearly I wasn’t cut out for the city life or I’d rather put it as I couldn’t see myself living away from the mountains. Life around the mountains is pleasant in so many ways. The beautiful environs, cleaner surroundings, good air and water, helpful people, and a calm, peaceful life. What is life without these?
The Baramasa series of Kangra miniature paintings from early 17th century, depict how woman is asking her lover not to leave her. Men had to leave their families behind for work or fighting a war.
The mountains are calling and I must go
The lure of a big paycheck can be hard to beat, nevertheless even during my college days, I used to constantly wonder about the need to move away from a place so beautiful for the sake of a job. The two questions constantly on my mind were – Why aren’t there any opportunities for us to do well professionally and live a decent life in places like Himachal? What can I do about it?
Just fresh out of college, life in the early 20s is confusing enough yet this seemed like a worthy adventure to pursue. Friends from engineering college and later management school would remember our conversations about this dream. At this juncture, I had decided that I will find a way to move back. How? Well, this was something I had not figured out fully then.
In 2001, started my first business, when I was 20 and studying engineering. This was the first cyber cafe in Dharamshala. Lost my mother’s hard earned money in this one.
First steps towards building a career in the mountains
In 2007, after completing my PG diploma in rural management, I took up an assignment as an ICT4D (Information and Communications Technologies for Development) consultant in Himachal. The role involved rolling out 3000+ e-Governance kiosks (Common Service Centers) across the state.
The main purpose of these centers is to provide government services to people in rural areas. To me this assignment was more than a job, it allowed me to travel across the state which is something that I enjoyed thoroughly. The project ended after 3 years, but moving out of Himachal was not an option I wanted to exercise.
The beginning of an entrepreneurial journey
By then it was clear to me that I had to start up on my own in this very place. Though I wasn’t very sure of how things would pan out, I was absolutely determined to embark on this journey without worrying too much about the destination. Meanwhile, I had gotten married to Shilpa, my longtime girlfriend, who stood by me through this decision. Finally, in 2011, we decided to take the plunge. Since I had experience in the IT consulting domain, we decided to start a venture in IT services. When deciding on the location to set up our venture, we looked at several places across Himachal to finally zero-in on Dharamshala, headquarters of district Kangra in Himachal. The fact that Dharamshala is my hometown definitely played a part, that aside the decision was driven purely by business considerations.
How Dharamshala happened?
The city has a very cosmopolitan outlook and, being host to His Holiness the Dalai Lama it has a significant population of expats giving the place a global feel. Infrastructure-wise, it has the only functional airport in the state and is well connected by road to important cities such as Chandigarh, Amritsar and Delhi. Overnight train services from Pathankot are an added plus.
The many educational institutions present in the city ensure a steady stream of talent, while the verdant valleys inspire many others to make it their home. In hindsight, the decision seems to have paid off for us with the town being upgraded to a municipal corporation and making it to the Indian government’s flagship Smart Cities Mission.
Passengers embarking on a flight at Dharamshala airport.
7 years and counting
It has been more than 7 years since we moved here. The small ‘big’ idea with which we came here has sustained itself despite all the challenges and given us quite a few sweet triumphs. We hired locals with little experience of IT services who are now delivering best-in-class technology services to clients across the globe.
Our start-up has created more than 100+ IT jobs in this city. We have diversified into other businesses. It may sound boastful but we have actually taken internet services to regions where nobody wants to go. Besides business, I am actively involved in the revival of the Kangra miniature art tradition and initiatives such as setting up the Global Shapers hub of the World Economic Forum for leadership development and social engagement of the youth in the city, among others. Conducted workshops on technology, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship and personality development for thousands of students over these years.
More recently I have joined the board of governors at Catalyst, a business incubator at IIT Mandi. My goal is to help more entrepreneurs in our state, to take their ideas to reality. Meanwhile, I have also had the opportunity to travel internationally to gain exposure and network to raise resources for our venture and the causes I support. Another high in this journey was being selected for the Professional Fellowship, last October, sponsored by the US State Department.
New batch of interns at our Dharamshala office.
The best part about the decision to base our start-up in Dharamshala is that we have managed to do all this at a place where people either run away from or go to take a break from work!
It has been a few months since I came back from Oklahoma. Many friends and family members have been enquiring about my experiences during the visit. So this blog.
I consider it to be a privilege to experience life in a different country, giving an opportunity to interact with professionals from different countries. To learn from each other, sharing knowledge about people, culture and business.
The Professional Fellows Program (PFP) is a two-way, global thought exchange program designed to promote mutual understanding, enhance leadership and professional skills, as well as building lasting, sustainable relationships between mid-level emerging leaders from foreign countries and the United States.
PFP participants are placed in intensive 5-6 week fellowships in non-profit organizations, private sector businesses, and government offices across the United States for an individually tailored professional development experience.
This initiative aims to enhance the professional expertise of individuals by enabling leadership development and networking among key entrepreneurs in diverse fields. The program is fully funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’, Professional Fellows Division.
Our hosts – Oklahoma University
Being in the south of the U.S., Oklahoma, a Republican state is situated in the heart of America, with the majority of white and prominently Christian residents. While people from India get a little sceptical about the social environment in a region like Oklahoma, I wanted to see the real America as they say it back in Norman. I think I can say for all our colleagues, that we were really taken care off and wherever we went or the people we met, we were welcomed and enjoyed our conversations.
Oklahoma University campus welcomed us grandly. The beautiful green campus consists of over 32,000 students and 2,800 faculty members. The university not only serves as an educational institution but also as a public research centre. Seeing students and researchers hustling around, trying to come up with something productive, was indeed a big booster to the whole experience.
Oklahoma University Campus
Our Group – BBI Fall 2017 Participants
We were a group of 10 individuals, selected from Bangladesh, Myanmar and India for the fall program of October 2017. What was most interesting was how diverse the selection was. And to top it up how our hosts had closely matched all the participants with businesses in Oklahoma.
BBI Participants group photo (L to R) Varun, Abul, Affan, Sai, Shah, Khin, Htut, Trupti, Nasima, Elanie, Arjun.
Trupti Doshi, a sustainability architect from Pondicherry was matched with Mitscher & Associates Architects. Her motive to enhance sustainability & eco-friendly construction design not only inspired us but also gave her a substantial recognition in the U.S.
Arjun Mishra, the director of NABET India runs a skill development and employment generation program for differently abled individuals in Gurgaon. He was matched with New View, a non-profit which works with blind people in the US, employing them in their factories and call centres.
Abdul Rouf Khan worked as a trainer with Entrepreneurship Development Institute in Srinagar. He was matched to an incubation centre at the University of Oklahoma.
Shah Paran, Founder, Handymama, a tech startup offering handyman services in Dhaka, was working with WeGoLook, a high growth startup, providing the on-demand workforce for validating information anywhere.
Khin, a Burmese entrepreneur operates a community-based firm which produces hand-made wax statues, candles, gift items. She was matched with “A Date With Iris”, a unique firm in the Oklahoma city that provides gifting products & services.
Affan Mahmud, the founder of Boomerang Digital from Bangladesh, was matched with Trifecta Communications. Trifecta focuses on leveraging data to provide digital solutions to its clients. Affan to acquired considerable knowledge about building AR & VR solutions for his customers.
Naseema from Chittagong runs the first-day care facility in her region. She was placed with Captulsa and Educare in Tulsa region of Oklahoma. Unlike daycare facilities in our region, the one in Tulsa focused a lot on the development of the children.
Htut from Myanmar finds that there are not enough proofreaders in the Burmese language. She is trying to solve that problem. She was matched with Resolute PR, a public relations firm in Tulsa, which does tonnes of proofreading for their clients.
Sai, from Myanmar, has interests in forming farmers cooperatives back home. He is already working with Ginger farmers in his region. In Oklahoma, he got to work with the department of agriculture. Every day early in the morning he would dash off to look at new farms or attend a farmers market.
The firms that I got matched for the fellowship were – Mcmahon Marketing and Benali Marketing. Both the companies are offering digital marketing services which is one of my areas of interest.
Professional placements experience
Mcmahon Marketing
I spent 3 weeks with Mcmahon Marketing and had never thought that in just 3 weeks I would be able to explore a lot. Mcmahon Marketing is a digital marketing firm based out of Norman. Their office is walking distance from the university campus. A small team of 7 people were handling 30 clients of the firm offering inbound marketing services.
They had a smooth & well-organized system of working. Because of the pre-assigned tasks, everyone knew their responsibilities. They used Asana, a task management tool to get things done. After sitting with the clients to discuss their quarterly plans, they would prepare a month’s content and then schedule it for posting. Kalie, the Content Director, was especially good with this specialization.
Everyone at Mcmahon Marketing was open to sharing their experience with me. The level of transparency that they provided was a great gesture towards a trustworthy & long-lasting partnership. Even during their tight schedules, they took out time to help me experience the professional life in the US to the fullest. Not only did they welcome me at the office, but also for lunches, coffee, and office gatherings. The work environment was quite welcoming.
Key-takeaways from Mcmahon Marketing:
Importance of having a well-organized and smooth work system.
Timely execution & completion of operations through team-work.
Emphasis given to research & planning for enhanced business growth.
Focus on automation and making templates for services which are repeatable.
Korey Mcmahon, the director of Mcmahon Marketing, became more than just a professional partner for me. From taking me to client meetings to his daughter’s preschool, he made sure that I get to see and experience life in the U.S. as it really is. And as generous as he was, he welcomed me to his home as well.
We also went for a meeting at the Rotary Club, which happens to be the home club of Ron D. Burton, the president of Rotary International. In another meeting, Korey introduced me to Martin Holland, who was his business coach. After meeting Martin, I realised that business coaching is huge in the US and how effective it is in bringing focus and growth to a business.
Welcome message at McMahon’s office
Team lunch with McMahon’s team.
McMahon team debating on a marketing strategy for their client
Team discussing weekly plans at the start of the week.
In conversation with Josh, marketing strategist at McMahon
A client project review meeting
Korey McMahon with Megan on a Friday afternoon.
Aliens in McMahon’s office
Mcmahon office, preparing for Boundless 2017, an event with Dan Tyre, Director of Sales at Hubspot
Visiting Korey’s house
Attending the Rotary club lunch in Norman
Farewell lunch with McMahon’s team
Benali Marketing
Benali Marketing is another digital marketing agency in Oklahoma where I spent a week working with Khalil, the founder of the business. Benali Marketing focuses on bespoke marketing services that include marketing consulting, digital marketing as well as project management training. I had to say, The meticulous planning and documentation before executing a marketing strategy was what I loved about this firm.
Khalil Benalioulhaj, the founder, loves to share! His trust over people, constant zeal to explore business associations, and most importantly, his warm-hearted nature; certainly has helped forge a long-lasting relationship. Khalil, would pick me up every morning and take me to different co-working spaces, restaurants, cafes and bistros, just to help me experience life in Oklahoma.
Key-takeaways from Benali Marketing:
Importance of meticulous execution of all operations.
Well-defined documentation of strategy, plans & processes.
Emphasis is given to personalization in every step of customer acquisition.
Conversation with Khalil
The debriefings & the weekends
So from Monday to Thursday, we all used to be working at our respective placements. On Friday, we would all come together for debriefings session at the OU campus. The sessions would comprise of two components. One was to bring an industry expert to talk to our group and then follow up with the group meeting about that weeks’ experience. Since everyone was sharing information about their placements, it was kind of helpful to see how people were gaining from their individual placements experience.
The weekends were always an outdoor activity. We travelled to various places of interest across Oklahoma city and state. One of the weekends was well spent as a homestay experience. I and Shah got to stay with a senior lawyer and now judge, Ken Stoner. I will be writing another blog about all the fun stuff we did together sometime soon.
Friday debriefing session, Professional Fellows Experience
The final week
The PFP program had about 260 participants from 45 countries, spread across the US. In the final week, we all came together for a conference. It was a good opportunity to interact with our hosts and other fellows, building a global network of participants. The then National Security Advisor of US, Lt. General H.R. Mcmaster was one of the keynote speakers at the event.
Attending the Professional Fellows Congress
BBI participants attending the Professional Fellows Congress
BBI group participants at the Professional Fellows Congress in Washington DC
People who made the experience possible for us
The overall experience would not have been such, without the efforts put in by the staff at OU. Dr Elanie Steyn, the program coordinator, Jeff Moore, Kathy Adams and Imran Hasnat, went out of the way to ensure, our stay was comfortable and yet enriching both professionally and personally.
In the end, would like to thank, Prof Joe Foote, Dean Emeritus, Gaylord College of Journalism at Oklahoma University and his wife Jody Foote, who hosted us on a number of occasions, sharing insights from their days spent in South Asia, especially Bangladesh and India in the 80’s and 90’s. It was his foresight and perseverance that such programs are conducted by Oklahoma University in association with the US state department for last many years.
Along with Elanie and Jeff after the farewell dinner.
Farewell dinner at Jeff’s house for BBI participants.
Discussion with Jeff Moore
With Joe Foot in OU campus
After a sumptuous Indian dinner with Joe Foote
BBI participants during a field visit around OU campus
DC metro ride
Meeting with Karin Brandenburg, Program Officer, Professional Fellows Program
Bowling at Hey Day, Norman
Outing to Travertine creek in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area
BBI group out for lunch with Dr Elanie Steyn.
Out to Lake Thunderbird near Norman, Oklahoma
Sooner Suites, cottages, which we made home for 5 weeks.
Meeting officials at the department of agriculture
Relaxing after a long day at the incubation centre
Preprations for dinner
Data centre in OU campus
Graffiti sponsored by the Norman city council
I will be writing more blogs about my experience in the US. Some of the titles to follow are:
Challenges faced by entrepreneurs across the ocean
Fun stuff to do in Oklahoma
What did I learn the most living an American life?
Insights about the program from my fellow participants
Like all of you, I too have been receiving ‘Republic Day’ best wishes messages since yesterday. I did think of reciprocating, but eventually, junked the idea of adding to the bulk of ‘Forwards’ that are bringing the internet down and thereby sparing the low memory smartphones from crashing. After all Google is angry about it. But, here’s some food for thought, triggered by a real life anecdote which happened today. I am sure friends who have raised children will understand the nuance better.
So Aadi, my elder son — barely four- and a half- in age — was up early this morning to watch the Republic Day parade on TV. This probably is Aadi’s first parade which he will remember. So to give him company, Shilpa, my wife sat down with him.
Soon, the tanks, aircrafts, missiles, soldiers in their regimental glory paraded on the Rajpath. The four-year-old’s curious mind had too many questions. And here they came one by one: Read More
In the new Mac OS, right clicking on the application folder, you may you may not see the “Show Package Content” menu link. You will find this only when you right click on the Application Icon itself. In the application folder, you will find more folders and the application itself.
I was recently trying to install Skype on my Mac machine and for some some reasons it was just not logging in. I was constantly getting an error message saying “Skype can’t connect” error.
A search on the web suggests that many people are facing similar issues. There are many troubleshooting steps suggested on the web and on the Skype support page as well. Tried upgrading Skype after uninstalling the old version etc. But none of the solutions worked for me.
Then just out of curiosity looked into the preference tab for Skype for Mac and found a random port number listed there. Changed this port number to default “8000” and voila Skype got connected. Well the issue was that Mac was blocking the default port which Skype was using and that caused all the trouble.
Lost almost 2 weeks of productive time, with no forum on Skype offering this solution. And not able to find a contact form or email id to connect with Skype’s support team.
