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Kya banna hai? Kahaan settle hona hai?’ Growing up, people often used to ask me this question. ‘Kya banna hai yeh to nahi pata. Par kyu kahin aur jana. Yahi rahenge! Dehradun me. Paharo ke beech,’ I would reply to them with the same answer. After all, why would you want to leave a city known for its pleasant year-round weather and scenic surroundings?
Moreover, my father had a transferable job. So, I grew up either in Dehradun or around the hills, in Old Tehri, Pauri Garhwal and New Tehri. Toh mai Punjabi toh hun hi sath me aadha Pahari bhi hu.
I didn't know what to do, but I was fortunate enough to get admission to a college with beautiful surroundings and ambiance, where I got an opportunity to be placed in a New Jersey based company. Of the four hundred students, only ten were selected for the job, and I was one of them. Maa-papa bahut khush the. Getting college placement, and that too at a handsome package, was a big deal. But none of the ten students was called to join the company due to the recession. It was disheartening as we got the highest package from our college.
Moving on, I joined a company in Dehradun as a software engineer. It was fun working there but… err. Somehow, a colleague noticed I was better at the visual aesthetics of the code than coding itself. So he referred me for a web designer. Things started taking shape when I started doing small graphic works in parallel, and my work started getting recognition.
Along with my family and many other people who have significantly influenced my career as a graphic designer, Ajay Govind is at the top of the list as he is the one who introduced me to the world I was eager to enter. My first two loves; Movies and Music. I have been working with Ajay for nine years. Recently, the poster I designed for his movie ‘Madappally United’ won the best poster award at a film festival. Interestingly, Madappally United is screening at Dehradun Library and Research Center on May 13, 2023. Working with Ajay has kept alive the filmy-keeda inside me. Like even while growing up, I used to design logos and filmy posters in copies. I still have those copies with me.
I have a habit of calling and considering my clients my extended family, which is on my website too, and I truly mean it. And with every family member, a story is connected. Somehow, everyone has shaped me into who I’m today.
As a creative person, let me tell you an interesting fact about me. ‘Jab tak mere kan me koi music nahi hota tab tak mai kaam nahi kar sakta. Aur kaam karte waqt mai music ke alawa koi aur shor bardast nahi kar sakta.’ People ask me about the double standards regarding music and other sounds. Honestly, iska jawab mujhe bhi nahi pata hai. I guess it’s creative madness, and only creative people will understand and relate to it!”
P.S. I can't thank my mother and father enough for being with me selflessly.
Delhi Stories is an emerging platform to feature inspirational, motivational, relatable and beautiful stories. Do you also have an inspiring story like Akshay?
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