Have you had a chance to meet the Kapoors from Bollywood?

You could easily mistake him for one – talented, flamboyant and a foodie.

I have known Abhishek Mandal for exactly 25 years- we were batchmates at IIM Indore.

He was a passionate soul who smiled, sang and played the guitar apart from the regular studies which everyone indulged in.

He moved to Mumbai after his MBA – it wasn’t Yash Chopra but Coke which saw the potential in this firebrand man.

He’s done pretty well professionally.

We met recently in Mumbai and post the initial chit chat, the talk drifted to our early years.

We came from an average middle class background when we started our careers.

Both of us were engineering graduates and worked a couple of years before pursuing an MBA.

We had so much in common.

Abhishek mentioned about an annual pilgrimage which he’s been making for many years now.

Every year in the first week of April he spends two days in his hometown Ranchi.

He visits the local markets, his school and even the house he stayed in till his engineering days.

He says it helps him keep grounded and grateful for the luxurious life that he’s currently leading.

You’re awesome Mandal!!

My mind meandered to something similar I do every winter.

I travel by the metro to Noida on a working day and then purposely walk 2 – 3 kms by foot to reach the earmarked destination.

I do it with the sole intention of saving some money.

Why Noida?
I began my career in Noida in the 90s and used to walk whenever I could to save a few rupees so that I could send more money home.

This activity helps me stay grounded.

How about you?
Do you do something to connect to your past?

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