Jaideep 2.0 : Rich In So Many Forms Of Capital Today But The Bill-Paying One
A couple of days ago, I poured my heart out about my 15-month no-salary journey that ended with a simple question – CAN YOU HELP? Messages of support, inspiration and appreciation poured in from both expected and unexpected places. Our trust account was fed with some heartfelt contributions from friends and family, who are trying to do the best they can. I want to share some of the richness I collated over the last couple of days:
“I cannot help you with any funds, as you can imagine. But, sending you all energy and wishes from here.
The work that we are involved in is slow. And because it is slow, its impact cannot be easily measured and demonstrated. This is often a challenge when an investor, or philanthropist is looking at possible projects to fund them.
Hang in there, you are still young 🙂 if you stick to the ethics and continue the good work, I have no doubt that this work will start paying you monetarily.
Don’t be shy in asking for money for the time you put in for people with resources. Someone once told me- receiving is also a part of giving! :)”
A friend transferred an amount to our bank account and connected us to the founder of Shikshana, and he wrote- “As I understand Sikshana.org has done very similar work you are aspiring to do (Mentor India) – with spectacular results – with a Fantastic Model – Sustainable – Replicable – and with an ability to create a High Impact – on a large scale – in shorter time frames !? Well, if your Goals are somewhat different, and you want to do it a little differently, fine. But I very definitely feel there is a lot to learn, leverage, adopt/adapt from their journey, experience, and learnings.”
A CEO and very well-respected figure in the corporate world took the time to respond and think of us! That in itself is such a blessing. He wrote-“You have dream, courage, commitment and perseverance all. Keep it going – funds will flow.”
Another well-reputed CEO wrote, “My personal view is you should not go without some money in the pocket – the money should be enough to cover your needs, and you not having to hesitate to buy anything you want.”
The COO of the same organisation and my dear friend shared –
“Just Shout – I am around Dear Brother Jaideep, Just Shout – I am around, Sorry for this late night email, I was just reading your last post on 28th September and finding myself short of not able to understand what you were/are going through, Friends are those who knows what other is going through, Brother just “Shout and I am around” I wish I can be that Friend/Brother for you.”
A dear friend from Austria wrote a note and connected me to the founder of YourStory. He is trying to do the best he can! An American settled in Goa sent lot of courage and goodwill. A college buddy rang me up and expressed interest in taking up fundraising for us. The irony is that he has gone salary-less for 9 months and is on his own startup journey, yet, he wants to do his bit to help us continue our journey!
Another close friend said that he drew constant inspiration from our work and apologised for not being in a position to offer financial help- again due to his own startup!
Our CA called me and showered us with lots of love and told me an anecdote supporting our honesty- “Agar bachha royega nahi too maaa ko kaisee patha chalega ki usko bhook laga hai?” (If a baby doesn’t cry, how will the mother know whether he/she is hungry or not?)
A friend of ours transferred his entire annual bonus to us and felt very joyous doing this. This bonus will be channelled to the social sector and used for the welfare of others – what a noble idea!
A close friend who is a budding director in the Kannada film industry wrote this-
“To quit one’s job to pursue one’s dreams, is a thing of norm these days.! But if the dream is to “fuel the dreams of young rural students”, then it’s a thing of rarity – precious..! I have personally known Jaideep Rao – CEO of KnowYourStar since my days in SAP Labs. He had my admiration for the social works that he was getting involved in, and when he had told me about his decision to quit his job to dedicate his entire time towards empowerment of rural students, the admiration only grew stronger. It’s been 15 months since he quit his job. Selfless work hasn’t lost momentum! He has come up with a great number of programs in this regard and has been a champion of the cause. This is an important read for all those who are feeling appreciative!”
Other responses I received-
“Do let me know if you need a bouncing board to brainstorm ideas!”
“Read your blog and my answer is absolutely not! You shouldn’t have to choose between 1 or 2 dosas and No! You shouldn’t pause what you have started. “
“Believe in your purpose and don’t give up. You and your team are not the only ones trying to impact our society for a larger good. So you are not alone! And definitely you should not deny a decent lifestyle to yourself and your family. There are many many options out there to solve for all your problems. And I say this with experience.”
“Hi Jaideep, wonderful what you and your team are doing with “know your star” and I really hope that you´ll receive some funding soon….so that you can keep going your fantastic path ! Thansk for sharing so much honesty in your latest article “
“Dude, I hope you know that you are a crazy guy right!”
“Wish I could have been with you in-person through these memorable (not miserable) movements, Lets catch-up soon, let me see how soon I can come to Bangalore or wherever you are :)”
I am supremely grateful for all this love and support, which came to us in multiple forms, and that we have always said is our true currency. Yet, our distress has not ended; though these testimonials indeed give us a lot of strength and have raised our spirits, I hope you will help us bypass this financial block and push us to just focus on doing work that will brighten the lives of so many deserving yet ignored kids. I did draw a salary this month, but will I have salary to draw for myself and for my team after 2 months? Only you can answer!
Bank – ICICI Bank
Account No – 100705001952
Account Name – JAIJAGATH TRUST
IFSC Code – ICIC0001007
Enjoyed reading about this? Then you might like to read Jaideep 2.0 : Survival Story Of 15 Months Without Drawing A Salary
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