Before I share my story, I want us to remember that India largely resides in its villages and towns. There are a lot of people in our country who have a lot of potential, but they seldom get the opportunity to prove their worth. The only thing they lack are opportunities, which I feel city-dwellers often take for granted.
I was born in Rewari, Haryana, where I lived with my parents and two brothers. My primary education was in a Hindi-medium school. When I was ready to go to senior school, my father decided our family must move to Delhi. The new city meant a brand new life: no friends and zero familiarity.
To my parents' credit, despite a financial crunch, they worked hard to provide for us. When we moved, I thought my life would be easy and enjoyable, but Delhi's school was totally different from Rewari's. Students were mean and bullied me for my accent. If I kept quiet, they picked fights with me. Until class 7, I never told my family I regularly got beaten up by classmates. In class 8, I joined the cricket and football team, and it was on the sweaty canvas of the playground that I finally found friends who appreciated my Haryanvi-ness.
2012 was a bad year for me and my family. My father passed away. We became dependent on my elder brother and had to move from Delhi to Faridabad. He himself was struggling. I somehow completed my BCA. After graduation, I was keen to study design, but I had to study coding. My brother knew I enjoyed design, so he would teach me at night after he returned from office. He bought me my first computer to make sure I could practice.
Six months after graduation, I joined Grofers (now Blinkit) as part of an internship program, before getting a full-time job as a designer. During this phase, I met Sunny and Sanchit, who influenced me a lot in my career. Since I used to think in Hindi, working on designs in English felt foreign. Over time, I worked on my communication.
Of course there were challenges, but the organisation was brimming with talented but kind individuals who helped me grow professionally as well as personally. I will forever be indebted.
When I look back, I realise that Blinkit was the platform that allowed me to showcase my strength at work. But more importantly, it accepted me and made me feel like I belonged here. Today, I have earned several nicknames, such as “design machine” and “J-god”. – I am glad about the person I have become and thrilled about the journey ahead.
I was born in Delhi to a disadvantaged family. Later, my father left us when I was 15. He was a stonemason and with his departure, I couldn’t concentrate on my studies. I ended up flunking my 12th exams.
I was born and brought up in Chandigarh. Blessed with a flawless childhood, I enjoyed a lovely family, the finest of education and a sound social life. In school, I excelled in studies as well as extracurricular activities.