THE GIANT LEAP OF SUCCESS!

Olympics are a great opportunity for us to be re-introduced to the immense talents our country is blessed with. I salute Dipa Karmakar for her courage & conviction in representing India at 2016 Rio Olympics. I hear about her in different channels, gossips, criticisms, etc. Her journey is inspiring, her struggle is motivating & her passion is driving.

I don't think any Indian has ever displayed such skin in the game. She's placed all her bets (even her life) on the Produnova, a vault so difficult and life risking that it is like jumping from an aircraft without a parachute, hoping to land safely on her feet that to on a piece of mat. Her life and death gamble tells us a story of a brave girl who would rather go ahead for success than lead a life of anonymity in spite of heavy odds. Her journey can be summarized as “A Gymnast's Death-Defying Leap to Success”. A combination of hard work and bravado makes her defy death every time she vaults.

Dipa was born in Agartala, Tripura a North East town with negligible facilities. Little support she had to firm up her passion in gymnastics. She practiced the Produnova from a very early age. Her training ground would often get flooded, she had no money and, till she vaulted into limelight with her death-defying leap, nobody gave her any attention or assistance. The gym where she initially started did not have proper equipment. It didn’t even have the vaulting table, so she used to put mass on the top of each other and manage with that. The struggle was not limiting to this. It stretched to wherever it could, making Dipa stronger every passing day.

She is indeed a great source of encouragement and the showstopper of our career ramp.

I respect her achievement would like to relate her journey to Indian startups. Looking at her journey & her achievements, all I can summarise that to achieve something in life you must have to take risks. I doubt any startup founder has taken the kind of risks Dipa takes on a daily basis.

 Most founders and co-founders I know seem to think funding will solve all their problems. That's like a 10-year-old Dipa claiming she would make it to Rio 2016 only if she had the right imported equipment.

My idea of Dipa’s question for startups: ''Have you identified the one difficult and dangerous thing that will bring glory to your life?

“Dipa’s passion & conviction is synonymous with every Indian start up whose pursuit for achievement is bigger than their love for life”.

Thanks Dipa for making me continue to believe in my dreams & giving an impetus to focus on my abilities than worry.