When in school we’d have many people who’d come to give us speeches, lectures. Many were boring, many still would give talks saying how life is such and we have to overcome, all of which would put me to sleep. On the rare occasions I’d pay attention was when one would say “dream and follow your dreams.”
In the last nearly 25 years of my professional life, honestly the same pattern I’ve followed. I meet all sorts of people and believe me I appreciate and truly admire those who have dared to dream. This has been my guiding principle – Dare to dream.
This is a story of Shubhashish a former DNA money journalist and a friend. He had previously applied for a Masters course abroad, but had to give up on this BIG opportunity, obviously for want of money. It is not easy, considering he has been living alone, no family support to raise such huge finances. It has been quite a challenge.
However, this young, restless, journalist Shubhashish, obviously must have felt sad for giving up this chance, but didn’t let it sink him. He is someone I like for apart from many reasons he is one young journalist who has a conscience, believes in basic values, which is NOT easy. Now in today’s world when many tell me, “you have to move with the times,” here is Shubhashish who is trying to slip into the ways of today’s world but with keeping intact his ethics. Now, there is something to learn from him. Besides, he has dared to pursue his dreams.
Shubhashish waited for few years, moved on to Business Standard, has been doing some really hard-hitting stories and hasn’t stopped dreaming of pursuing higher studies in his field. He again applied, I’m happy and NOT surprised that he did get admissions, for pursuing a masters degree in International Relations in the U.K. Even taking into account his savings, he still needs to raise few lakhs of Rs . Meanwhile he learnt a lot along the way and hit upon ‘crowd funding.’ The idea of crowdfunding came about after reading Sleeping in Homes of Strangers: A month-long Journey of Trust by Mark Dickinson
Now we are all used to seeing the world through our hardened experiences, our perspective and way of thinking. Reading widens horizons, travelling a lot more. He could ideally have applied to the same trusts, funding sources or the best option which is rather most expensive, taking loans from Banks. Shubhashish dared to pursue the path of ‘crowd funding.’ Where one goes to all and sundry, those who can give a minimum of Rs800, these can be absolute strangers, foreigners, relatives, so-called friends, bosses, just about anybody who would ‘like to help’ another person in need.
There is absolutely NO human being that never needs help. We all do need at every given time. It may be to simply lighten one’s mental, emotional burden, but we are more than willing to shed it. Here is someone who wants to pursue, is hopeful that there is still some good out there in the world and I absolutely believe there is. Often what ails us from getting any form of help our own inhibitions, shame, even humility to say, “I want help.” I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Shubhashish to firstly accept at personal level, higher then that now he needs to go out and ask for money.
I think two most important factors that we needto support people like Shubhashish is the drive to evolve and more importantly, the need to acquire new knowledge, skills, I think this needs all the encouragement. Many told him they don’t want their money, instead he should help others. This has been the guiding principle of our family. From my grandfather’s time we prefer to ‘carry forward’ help. And that’s how idea of #Projecthope evolved. A project that he has committed to help other needy students like him in future. In little over one and a half months he has raised half the amount, he still has to reach his target.