Series of Accidents: For good or bad?

Life is full of unexpected turns. What if you were born into a different family? What if you hadn’t met that one friend who changed your path? Life often feels like a series of accidents, where chance and choices shape where we end up. Had I not been part of Jacqueline Novogratz 's Acumen Fellowship, I wouldn’t have met Kaushik Kappagantulu . If I hadn’t met Kaushik, we couldn't have cofounded Kheyti . It’s all a chain of coincidences and accidents. And the story of Earth is just the same—a series of cosmic accidents that led to the only planet we know with life.

It all started about 4.6 billion years ago. A cloud of gas and dust, far away in the Milky Way, collapsed. This collapse may have been caused by a nearby star exploding. Out of this, the Sun was born, taking up 99% of the material from that gas cloud. The remaining 1%? That’s where Earth’s story began. That small 1% created the planet we now live on. It's not a rounding error, it’s the key to everything!

As the leftover dust and gas orbited the Sun, small particles stuck together and grew larger. Eventually, these formed protoplanets. But Earth didn’t become Earth until a major accident happened—a collision with a planet-sized object called Theia. The crash was so big that debris was thrown into space, which later formed our Moon. Without this accident, Earth might not have a Moon, and without the Moon, life as we know it might not exist. It shows how even huge accidents can lead to something amazing. An end can be a new beginning.

When Earth first formed, it was an extremely hot planet covered in molten lava. Volcanic eruptions were constant, sending gases into the air that helped form our atmosphere. But there was something else happening—asteroids were hitting Earth, and these asteroids carried water. What are the odds of that? Over millions of years, these space rocks delivered the water that filled our oceans. Without these "accidents," Earth might have stayed a lifeless rock.

So when people say they’re "self-made," it's worth remembering—even Earth wasn’t "self-made." The planet was shaped by events beyond its control, and so are we.

Just like Earth’s formation, our lives are shaped by chance. If things had gone even slightly differently—if Theia hadn’t collided with Earth, or if those water-filled asteroids had missed—life as we know it wouldn’t exist. It’s incredible to think that random events created the world we live in today.

This same serendipity flows through our work at Soul Forest India . The way ideas, people, and resources have come together, how our vision is being shaped by a series of global and local collaborations—it’s full of small, beautiful accidents. We’re not just restoring trees; we’re restoring biodiversity—the intricate web of life that connects all living things. Our dream isn’t limited to Hyderabad or Telangana or even India—it’s much bigger. Biodiversity, like Earth itself, was shaped by billions of years of chance events. Every tree, species, and ecosystem plays a role in maintaining this delicate balance, and at Soul Forest, our mission is to protect and nurture that.

I love our partner organisation Organo Eco Habitats 's tag line "Life on a slow track". When we slow down and recognize the magic of these unexpected moments, we gain a deeper appreciation for the journey. Every day, we feel grateful for the chance to do this work—restoring biodiversity and protecting the planet for future generations. I might be just a small actor in this vast universe. Who knows the value of 0.0001%? Who knows what we might inspire? Who knows the ripple effect, the butterfly effect, of our actions? Sometimes, its good to believe in that magic.

Balancing the ambition to scale Soul Forest India with the awareness of our own impermanence is humbling. We know our contributions might be small in the grand scheme of things, but that’s where the beauty lies. Our focus isn’t on control or certainty—it’s about doing the work with care and integrity, knowing that even small actions can create ripples. The more we embrace this understanding, the lighter and more meaningful the journey becomes.

We’re not here to save the planet—it’s far more resilient than we are. Climate action is about saving ourselves and ensuring a future for humanity. The Earth has evolved for billions of years and will continue to do so. At Soul Forest India , we understand we’re just a part of something much bigger—a living ecosystem shaped by chance and change. Our focus is on nurturing that connection for future generations.