Know Us

Hi, I am Aradhana and this is my story. 

I belong to Gen Y, also called the Millennial Generation. Most of you reading this post must be Millennials I guess. I consider myself lucky to have witnessed the world going crazy behind Walkman’s, Tape recorders, Floppy disks, Pagers, PDA’s (which I still possess!!)  and the classic Brick phone!! One has to google to find out more about them now!

Hailing from a simple down-to earth bureaucratic family from south India, I was always taught to keep up the values of humanity, dignity, respect and kindness. Love for books and sports was always encouraged since childhood which is quite evident from the wide variety of books dominating most spaces of my home.  My childhood collection ranged from Twinkle digest, Champak to Chandamama series which were delivered by the diligent postman every month. I still remember lingering around the front gate of my house along with my sister and brother to grab the copy first from the postmanJ.  From Tom Sayer to Gulliver’s Travels to Pride and Prejudice to Treasure Island to Sherlock Holmes, these childhood collections find a significant place in my book shelves even today. Even during small trips, books were a constant companion. With the passage of time I was able to let this fondness stay with me till date.

My father would be transferred to a new district or city every few years because of which I had the opportunity to change schools and make some amazing friends. I was very active in sports and tournaments. Looking at my medals & certificates, I used to dream of a career in sports. Such dreams were happily backed by my father, who would take me to the beach and make me run on wet sand to improve my running speed and strength training. I still remember, for one district level swimming competition, my mom ensured that she carried energy boosters from chocolates to carrot juice to keep me sufficiently hydrated with energy. Such was my parent’s involvement in backing me up. I am always filled with gratitude for their encouragement, for I now know as a mother how hard it is to constantly keep my kids charged with the right spirit and inculcating the right ethos of sportsmanship and competitiveness.

The year 1995 was a big blow to my family with the sudden demise of my father. I felt my world topple over.

An affectionate smile..
A pat on my back..
Holding my hand, making perfect the stroke of my paint brush..
Teaching me life's lessons with wisdom & knowledge..
Building me a strong foundation..
Growing up with your values, Dad, i wouldn’t be the woman i am today.
In my universe, daddy, you are my star hero.                                         

                   -- (Was written in 2011 while in JNU)

Time is a healer. Over the years, it only taught me how not to be weak. Studying in some of the best institutions over the years broadened my horizons. Stella Maris College (Chennai), Karunya Institute of Management Sciences (Coimbatore) and Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi), Nagoya University (Nagoya, Japan) are my alma maters and I been lucky to have studied in such variegated institutions that helped me diversify my outlook. These institutions provided me an opportunity to represent myself in various arenas, as an underofficer in NCC, core member & editorial member during my management days, as a cultural-exchange representative in Japan etc. At very stage and every point of life, I felt the world a beautiful place to venture wide & deep. As Robert Louis Stevenson says, “There is no foreign land. It is the traveler who is foreign.” The world is a well-connected place, the beauty of it lies in one’s involvement in it. I immerse and enjoy in the magnitude of its worth, be it the people, culture, food, traditions, ideologies, inventions, gadgets or technologies. I make efforts to let my kids know of their world too.

It is 2017.  I’m a hands-on mom and an entrepreneur. The decades gone by have been a mixed-bag of happiness and tough times and these have only made me a stronger being. This reminds me of the Poem, “All the World’s A Stage” by William Shakespeare.  We are all actors. We play our part and exit. People we cross path influence us in the best and worst ways possible and I am grateful for such an influence for I have grown, gained wisdom and learnt from mistakes. So, success for me is watching my kids grow with confidence yet being humble, and success as an entrepreneur is to see my clients grow in strength yet being the same friendly person when we talk beyond business while sipping tea.

To know the person behind the entrepreneur is what I intended to bring out in my first post. Hopefully, I am able to deliver it!

I would love to hear your side of the story too.

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Aradhana is the Head of Marketing & Operations at O2Onow.