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“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

– Maya Angelou

There are moments in life that leave lasting imprints — the kind that can only be understood by living through them and also realising that each moment, however precious or difficult, passes away. This process of ‘living through’ isn’t always easy. And more often than not, it requires stepping out of our comfort zone.

Looking back at my calendar, I realise it’s been a year of constant movement. Out of 365 days, I spent more than 200 on the road, traveling across over 22 cities and towns, meeting hundreds of young Indians. Each interaction was a reminder of the raw energy, ambition, and resilience that pulse through Bharat — the very soul of a country on the move.

And on that note, I have never quite shaken off my fear of air turbulence. Every time a plane hit choppy air, I would freeze, gripping the seat a little tighter. One such moment stayed with me.

Seated next to me was a young girl from Guwahati, probably no older than 20. As the plane shook, I smiled nervously, hoping to mask my fear. She noticed instantly. “Are you all right?” she asked. I admitted I wasn’t. Without hesitation, she said, “Don’t worry, I’ll hold your hand.” And she did.

There’s something profoundly human about the ease with which strangers connect during vulnerable moments. After the turbulence passed, we talked about her dreams. She wanted to be an entrepreneur after graduation. I shared some of my visions for the coming years. Two people, from different walks of life, sharing stories at 30,000 feet.

This year also brought me back to places I hadn’t visited in a long time — Patna, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Jaipur, Bhopal, Coimbatore. It’s one thing to speak of India’s transformation from the vantage point of Bangalore, Bombay, or Delhi. But to experience the heartbeat of Bharat, you have to be there — in the lanes of smaller cities and towns, where the change is quiet yet powerful.

Take Patna, my hometown. Walking along the new Marine Drive — not the famous Mumbai one, but the one along the Ganga — I felt the quiet pride of a city rewriting its own story. On another day, I visited a local handicraft emporium. As I checked out, the cashier handed me a diary, its back cover stamped with the words ‘Handmade by Local Women’.

I hesitated. Like many of us, I’ve accumulated far too many notebooks over the years. I tried to politely refuse, but the boy behind the counter, no older than 18, insisted. “Madam, take it. Swadeshi products are back in business!” he said with a grin. “You’ll see, this wave is coming back.”

It’s moments like these that remind me — the future often announces itself quietly, in the words of ordinary people.

Not every encounter was light-hearted. In Gaya, I met a young man brimming with intelligence and ambition. We talked about life in urban India and the opportunities that big cities offer. I invited him to work at YourStory in Bangalore. His eyes lit up with excitement, but he smiled softly and declined. “My parents are old,” he said. “I need to stay here and take care of them.”

That conversation stayed with me — a reminder that ambition isn’t always about moving ahead. Sometimes, it’s about staying rooted, finding purpose where you are.

I have come to believe that the spiritual, cultural, and social wealth of Bharat will combine in a powerful alchemy to create economic prosperity — but in a way that is uniquely ours.

Reflecting on the last 16 years of my journey — from bootstrapping YourStory for the first seven years to sharing over 200,000 stories of people — I realize how much my understanding of happiness and success has shifted. What once felt external now feels deeply internal. Inspired by the teachings of Advaita Vedanta and Swami Vivekananda, I’ve come to see that the happiest people are those who embody Seva Bhav — the spirit of service, in some shape and form.

And it is in this spirit that I wish you a Happy New Year. May we all find the courage to serve others, to step out of our comfort zones, and to contribute to the story of a changing country.

Our mission to craft a grand mosaic of entrepreneurial journeys, built over the last 16 years, is about to evolve into something more.

Picture abhi baaki hai, doston.

It’s time to turn the page.

Stay tuned. Something is coming.

In the meantime, tell me, what were the moments that took you out of your comfort zone? What were the things you resisted but eventually did anyway?

Because more often than not, those are the experiences that leave the deepest mark and prepare us for the journey ahead.

And may you be happy and blessed.