Talks & Workshops

Whenever I hit the stage physically or virtually, I get pumped up like crazy and experience the sensation of exhilaration inside my body. However, the case was opposite a few years back. Excited to know the journey? Let’s go!

So primarily, back in school, just like you or most of us, I dreaded speaking on the stage in front of a crowd. Do you remember the morning assembly of your school days? If yes, you might recall how students were asked to go up on the stage to recite the morning news. Yes, that exact moment, every single time when names were called randomly, my heart would pound fast and the fear of facing the entire school was to the death.

Nevertheless, the story changed after a few incidents, starting from organising the first startup event in Guwahati at the age of 19 where I delivered a talk in front of people double my age to being on the TEDx stage at merely 22. Well, there are numerous reasons that shaped my public speaking journey and given me the confidence to go up there and be myself. But there always needs to be the first time which isn’t always the most pleasant. Agree?

Faced fear? No, forced to face fear. 

I was living in a bubble and I had to come out of it, but it doesn’t mean that I chose to do it, it happened and I had no control. In June of 2014, along with a friend of mine, decided to conduct Guwahati’s first entrepreneurship event. The feeling was almost like we were going to create history. A night before the event, among all the excitement and hustle-bustle, our keynote speakers who was to take a workshop on business plan ditched. I had no choice but to step up, prepare myself and conduct the workshop.

6th July 2014: Event day

It was time for me to go up the stage to speak! With every step forward, my heart was beating a little faster and my thoughts were going wilder. In front of an audience which varied from teenagers to 50-year olds, I, as a 19-year-old stood and tried speaking, but my voice wasn’t coming out of my vocal cords. After a moment of silence within, I tried a little harder and started off with shaky legs and nervous voice.

However, to my surprise, I got an overwhelming response after the talk. I was able to connect with the audience and convey the message I wanted to. If that day, I would have backed out from speaking, I would have never reached here. The speaker canceling was like a blessing in disguise.

If you are interested to know all the behind story of the event, give a read: Let’s Startup Guwahati

From one to two, three, four and onwards.

The Guwahati event was the boost I needed to kick start my entrepreneurial journey in which public speaking would become a major part. Back in college at IIT Jodhpur, we initiated the Entrepreneurship Cell and started conducting workshops on diverse topics. And at the same time along with two of my friends, we initiated Startify an online incubation portal to help other startups in India.

As with any startup, the experience gained from pitching the idea for the first time to closing the first deal, from handling customer calls to hiring, all helped tremendously in being able to speak better on the stage. Over the years I have  helped over 20 startups, gained a lot of exposure and interacted with masses. This has helped open so many opportunities in the public speaking domain.

In a workshop at IIT Jodhpur, I trained over 150 students in a 6-hour workshop on the basics of entrepreneurship and design thinking. For another talk on the pros and cons of starting a startup, I was invited to address the fashion management students at NIFT. These were a few among over 20 talks at different universities across India.

To continue helping people, especially students, I took a leading role in a social organisation in Jodhpur. Through that, I went across different schools, especially government schools and addressed over 1000 students. The satisfaction of receiving an email/call from an attendee on how the talk changed their life is surreal. 

Sensation unfolded bigger doors

Well, after the acquisition of Startify in 2016, the story created a sensation around the internet and luckily opportunities came in bulk, one of which was an invitation to speak at TEDxNLUJAA. This was like an unbelievable moment. I got to share the stage with the Forest Man of India and the Mr. Universe. (Fun fact – I gave my first autograph in that event, haha)

From there my journey moved more towards addressing startups and helping them with planning and growth. I was featured in a podcast by Founder’s Gyaan among other media interviews. Gratefully, I have started giving talks in different conferences and startup events, Startup Assam being the closest to me. From speaking on building business models to efficiently creating roadmaps to managing teams, it’s been an insane journey and it’s just the start.

It all started from going up on the stage for the first time.