Super Late Post : A Dedication to my Mentor

I believe that the most beautiful things in life happen unexpectedly. ✨

A major part of whatever I have today are things I never asked for but feel absolutely grateful to have. The most significant one among them is my job. So, the story goes like this!

A year back from now, I had applied for a technical writing internship on Internshala. Being a complete noob in the tech field, I never expected to hear back. But I did! Not only did I get selected for the internship, it later got converted into a full time job as well! 😀

You know, for someone who was scared of writing tech articles, working as a technical writer today is a great achievement! In this entire journey, the one person I am extremely thankful to is my mentor, Kripesh Sir. 

Frankly, none of this would have been possible without him. He’s my boss, but I avoid calling him that. ‘Boss’ just sounds too formal, like someone throwing orders around and being rude for no reason! 😼 Mentor sounds more like a guide supporting us through the ups and downs in life, which is why I prefer using that term!

I completed my First Work Anniversary back in September, and was excitedly planning to write a blog post dedicated to him. Sadly, it couldn’t happen then due to my lazy attitude. 

I again tried writing on the occasion of New Year, but my vacation delayed it yet another time. Now, this is my final try and I hope I don’t spoil it. Fingers crossed. 🤞 Let’s begin! 

Kripesh Sir – Honestly, he’s the nicest, coolest, most generous person I’ve ever come across. I consider myself super lucky that I got to connect with him. Since the time I got to know him, the graph of my life has only gone upwards. 📈

Soooo, first things first, here’s a quick intro so you know who Kripesh Sir is and what he does. He’s a tech YouTuber, an entrepreneur, a content creator, an app developer, a blogger, and so much more that I’m not yet aware of. 

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A post shared by Kripesh Adwani (@kripeshadwani)

Every few months, I get to discover something completely new about him. I still have no idea how many websites and apps he has developed. Maybe, it’ll always remain a mystery. 😂

The point is- he’s an all-rounder! He does a lot of creative stuff online. The best part about working with him is that work feels like fun! I might be a rare person to admit that, but every morning, I’m excited to start working! 

Though I look forward to weekends for some extra nap time, I am equally excited to go back to work again. 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

I finish all my other stuff quickly just to drop in a good morning text at exactly 11. There’s some kind of thrill attached to that routine. If by chance it’s 11:01, my mood drops. 🙁 No wonder all my nightmares are always about being late for important events.

In the past one year, I have learned a lot from Kripesh Sir. He has been the most humble mentor, kind-hearted friend, and a constant source of inspiration in my life. 

If I’m not wrong, the word ‘Kripesh‘ means the God of compassion. He justifies his name in every way. There are hundreds of tiny acts of kindness that he does. They might not be a big deal for him but nothing goes unnoticed from Firefly’s eyes. 😹

The way he always checks up if I’m doing okay and if everything’s going good in life- not many people do that. The way he encourages me to focus on my health first and then come back to work is heartwarming! 

That Diwali bonus, those beautiful good morning texts, those gems of books on my birthday, those words of appreciation when I did a good job at an article – all of it just makes me so freaking happy!

As far as I’ve observed, he treats his co-workers and interns with utmost respect and truly cares about them. He prioritizes their mental health and well being. 

I will never forget that unexpected video call before I had to leave for my vacation. It just made me overjoyed and my mood literally crossed the ninth cloud, haha! That aura of positive energy he has, is enough to lift up anyone’s mood! 🤩

One practical thing that I’ve learned from Kripesh Sir is to cut our paragraphs short, and keep the reader interested. So, here’s a cat gif coming below for no reason. Hope it makes you smile! 

Haha, jokes apart, what I’ve really learned from him is overcoming camera shyness. Video calls scared me a lot previously. When my teachers used to insist on keeping the camera on, it was still a no no from my side!

I was even a little nervous when we had the interview call for the first time. It was my first official video call interview. But the way he communicated was so friendly and comforting. Also, thank you for sparing your time. I never got to say that after the interview. 🤣

Slowly, I experienced video calls are the best thing ever! Texting and phone calls all fail when the mighty video call walks into the room – and that’s coming from an extremely introverted person!

Video calls are a whole different level of communication where your real personality shines through. I won’t say I have become a super camera-confident person now, but it’s much better than before and the credit goes to Kripesh Sir. 🥳

Next big thing is money management. This was my first ever job and I had no idea what to do with my money. My dad used to tell me about SIPs and stuff, but I never paid attention. 

Finance has always been my weak link, huh. It doesn’t interest me. But my mentor is a finance expert, yayy! 😎 I remember he told me one thing that will always stay with me. 

He said that even if you don’t have much interest in finance and stuff, you must know how to manage your own money. That’s when I started researching and trying out different things like FD, IPOs, mutual funds, SIPs, and stuff. I feel a little more confident talking about money now. 

You know, being the younger kid in the family, I never had to deal with many responsibilities. I used to run away from stuff that required responsibility. What if something went wrong? I would be blamed and criticized for it all. This thought scared me.

Be it training an intern, completing an article before the due date, or managing household tasks along with my work hours –  all of it has made me a more responsible person. He has taught me that taking responsibility for our actions, irrespective of the results, is maturity in its purest form! 

Haha, there are a hundred other things I’ve learnt from him, but the last one I’m going to share is – accepting mistakes like a pro! Oh, yes. I make a lot of silly mistakes.

Whatttt? Hostinger is not an Indian company? Copyright free and royalty free are not the same thing? 🤦🏽‍♀️ And when I’m confronted about them, it’s just plain embarrassing.

If you ever watch his live sessions, you’ll notice he is always graceful in admitting when he doesn’t know stuff. That’s the sign of a grounded and humble man. Most people take it to their ego but he stays real, on camera and off camera. That’s what I appreciate the most. He seems genuine. 

What I’ve learnt from him is that complaining, getting angry, upset, or justifying your mistake won’t solve anything. It’ll only build resentment and criticism. And I don’t want to argue with an Angel like him. 😹 

But if we honestly accept our faults and be open to improvements, we get that nice nice feeling inside! Mistakes cannot be avoided but we can try to learn and not repeat them again. I’m slowly learning this from him. 

You might’ve gotten bored by now but I still have a lot more stuff to say because I’m a complete chatterbox on paper. But let’s leave something for the next blog and end this with a nice thank you note! 

Dear Kripesh Sir,

I know many people might’ve already told you this. But I still want to repeat that it takes so much of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to set up a business on your own, especially when it’s something unconventional. My respect for you has doubled after watching Shark Tank India in the past weeks.

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A post shared by Kripesh Adwani (@kripeshadwani)

Your consistency is infectious! The way you show up for your work every day and publish content regularly no matter what, truly deserves appreciation. 

You would’ve definitely faced lots of failures, criticisms, and hate along your journey. I’ve seen it on your YouTube. It hurts. 😟 But despite all of that negativity, you still believed in yourself. You never gave up. You proved the saying that:

Toofaanon se darr ke nauka paar nahi hoti,

Koshish karne walon ki kabhi haar nahi hoti! ✨

With the kind of experience and knowledge you possess about the tech industry, I can already visualize you reaching heights of success. I also secretly hope to see our blog posts ranking #1 on Google.

Practically, we have a long way to go because my writing skills are still under construction. 😂 But that is one goal I wish to achieve in the next few years! 

So, I just want to say, thankyou for lending me your helping hand whenever I was in need. Be it getting my domain transferred, training the new intern, taking an online course, or testing a digital tool, you were always there to help me through everything! 

You constantly motivated me during my treatment. Not kidding, it was the scariest and the most uncertain phase of my life but I sailed through it so fearlessly. Thanks for being with me in my worst and my best. 💙

Thankyou for not getting mad at my silly mistakes, and always giving me days off whenever I wanted without any questions. (Spoiler alert: More off days coming in the future. Thanks in advance. 😂)

Working with you has been an absolute pleasure and I really look forward to growing and improving my skills in the future. Also looking forward to interviewing you for ‘Kuchh Batao Naa‘ someday. It’s an interview series I started back in 2016. Trust me, it’ll be so much funnn! 😼

Finally, big cheers to this beautiful journey! Thank you for inspiring me to grow and be a better person. This has been the most unexpected yet the best phase of my life so far. Praying for more such happening years in the future.

Always keep shining, so tiny stars like me can also sparkle in your light, hehe! 😄❤️

With love,

Firefly 🐝