Beyond work

The things I chased outside the job

Rooms I talked my way into, competitions I entered, and work that had nothing to do with a salary. Some of it went well — and all of it taught me something the day job now runs on.

See the photo gallery

The journey

How it actually went

2013–15
DPS Durg
School

Head Boy · Pro-Vice Chairman Cup for best all-rounder, from the Chief Minister · inter-school debates in Hindi and English · gold medal in the programming contest · distinction in the Australian National Chemistry Quiz
2016 – 2020 B.Tech, Computer Science Rungta College · the degree the next four years ran under
2017
Bhilai
Founded csvtuadda.com

A student portal built in my second year that reached 10,000 students. It won the Global Student Entrepreneurs Award — and it taught me what an uncertain revenue stream does to a good idea.
May 2017
Bhilai
Havells Idol

Sang “Breathless” to second runner-up — judged by Anu Malik and Sadhna Sargam. The first time a stage had nothing to do with a degree.
Second runner-up
Jan 2018
UNDP · Bangkok
Asia-Pacific Youth Exchange

Led Project SILI — social insight by local immersion — for the community of Bangnampeung, and pitched it at the UN.
UN Certificate of Honour — best project in Asia & the Pacific
Feb 2018
Office of the VP, Philippines · ADB Manila
Project Glasstic

Built during a local immersion in Bulacan, then pitched to the Vice President of the Philippines and acknowledged at the Asian Development Bank.
Feb 2018
Dhaka
EO GSEA, South Asia finals

Represented Central India at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization finals, and was awarded by the Commerce Minister of Bangladesh.
Mar 2018
Chennai
Smart India Hackathon

Led team ReformTech at the country’s largest hackathon. Our project was taken up by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs.
National second runner-up
2018–19
Cameroon
Business Analyst, Quadrant2E

A year of consulting work a long way from home — and the first time the job was not a classroom exercise.
Jan 2019
London
International Public Speaking

Selected to represent India at the English-Speaking Union’s international competition in London.
Represented India
May 2019
Bhilai
Founding President, Toastmasters

Chartered the state’s first community Toastmasters club and led it as founding president. Most of the speaking since traces back here.
2020
Bhilai
Student of the Year

The Chairman’s Trophy for best all-rounder across the Rungta group of institutions.
Chairman’s Trophy
2020–22
Bhilai
A company of my own

Founded a healthcare business from nothing and ran it for two and a half years — a poly-clinic and pathology lab, a licensed pharmacy, stock, GST and the floor, front-line through Covid — alongside an independent distribution line that crossed ₹1 crore.
2 licences · ₹1 crore+ independently
2022
Delhi
The UPSC years begin

Raus IAS — where a computer-science graduate went and learnt history, polity and anthropology.

The UPSC years Read the notes
Now
Frido
The day job

And then the work with a salary attached — AVP in Frido’s Founder’s Office, where everything above finally had somewhere to go.

See the work →