How many of you are the backbenchers of the class, prizing ‘masti’ unlike the scholars? Maybe some of you don’t know where your life and career are going to take you. You may have spent many sleepless nights wondering what on earth you’re going to do in the future. There’s a high chance that even after all that head scratching, some of you decided to go with engineering because it’s the ‘safe’ and reputed option.
If any of this sounds familiar to you, your story is not very different from that of our favorite next- door boy who is always looking to make people laugh!
Happy kid to Engineering ka baccha:
Coming from a family of teachers, Viraj used to excel in all his co-curricula’s and was the life of the party throughout school and college. But, when it came to studies, he often fell short. Distraught, his parents pushed him to do a diploma in engineering after 10th. For several months he plodded on with the course his family had chosen for him, despite the fact that his heart was not in it.
The Breaking Point:
The frustration kept mounting, and as he grew, so did the pressure. Finally, one day, he could take it no longer. Like a ‘seeti’ flying off a cooker, he dropped out of college and decided to make a pact with his parents. He asked for one year’s time to pursue his dreams and make something of himself. Just one year, and if even then he was unsuccessful, he agreed to go back to engineering without complaint.
Light at the end of the Tunnel:
During this span of time, Viraj worked multiple small jobs tirelessly. He went to audition after audition and faced many rejections. Yet, his spirit was not dampened. Putting in the hours himself he scripted, acted and edited to make short skits on Snapchat that soon became a hit! Buzzfeed ranked him 19th on a lot of Top 20 Indian Creators to Follow on Snapchat, and that’s when Viraj knew this was his calling.
The Final Countdown:
Have you ever poked a sibling in the arm until they were so annoyed that they gave you what you wanted? Call it what you want, but Viraj was nothing if not persistent. Finally, he got an opportunity to work at the newly emerging FilterCopy which soon shot to fame! An engineering dropout in a room with the best trained graduates from renowned institutes like Symbiosis seems unheard of, but Viraj had managed the feat! He worked to pick up on all the new software’s, began making and starring in videos, and from there began his long awaited rise to stardom where we know him today as our humble but hilarious gujju- boy!
Advice he swears by:
He says his motto – “Always try first and then regret” has helped push him to follow those dreams even when the path seemed bleak. Today, had he not had the courage to try, he would have been stuck in a 9-5 job and the world would be a little less colourful without his videos to brighten our day!
If you were inspired by his story, why not get some of his merch? You can find it here
If you want to hear him talk in detail about his wonderful journey, you can hear him here at https://www.ted.com/talks/viraj_ghelani_from_engineering_to_snapchat_a_gujarati_boy_s_take
