The Story of Thrive
Nitya and Ram
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The overwhelmingly joyful feeling of pulsating with vibrancy is how I see my life unfolding in the rearview mirror. Oh, I had challenges. Many of them. But in all that, I felt able to pursue my own way through them with confidence. And when we have that inner drive, we have the support of the universe. In my words, that was “Thriving”. That inner sparkle and drive to sing through life. So, “are you thriving” became a natural question to ask in our family to check in on each other’s pulse. And that question would quickly reveal a lot, giving us the chance to restore ourselves.
So, it was alarming for us when we saw this “thrive” element start to dip in many kids as they approached 9th standard. So, we consciously braced for the ride through this period with our own kids. We were alert, planned and ready with tools. Our kids made their own mistakes and had their ups and downs. But “thrive” was never too far, even when they were “down”. They laughed a lot, connected deeply with us as parents and emerged with the feeling that their school days were tough but fun. And we have been able to help many other children with their own journeys, often after they hit some significant obstacles.
So, Ram (whose strength is in executing the best of projects) and I tore our hair out over how we could have a world where every child could “Thrive” by default, during this difficult period - the child who is anyway getting to the IITs or the Ivy Leagues, as well as the child who chooses a different path to maximizing their own unique potential. Both of them can “thrive” and not just make this journey, hoping for a positive outcome somehow.
The challenge was in making this simple and adoptable. We did not want to be yet another load on an already burdened student! So, in circles we went, debating every tool and technique and how we would deliver it. We finally have it beautifully distilled down in a manner that the student won’t even feel like they are making an “effort”. We hope every student and parent realizes the importance of this “before” they hit the problem, because reversing from a problem is harder than starting off empowered.
Our reward? Being out of business for the right reasons - when children are truly singing their way through high school.
Nitya
About Nitya: At 22, Nitya found her dream job at Cisco Systems in San Jose, California, and she spent the next decade working with teams across the US, Europe and Asia Pacific. By 32, she was chosen to lead a significant project for Cisco in India. While excellence at work and subsequent success continued, she was one of those that worried about world problems, even as a child. Global issues like poverty, indifference and violence left a deep impression on her, causing her to question her purpose in life. Slowly, she found solace in the answers she arrived at herself, further validated in the learnings of later years - we are all here to be the best versions of ourselves, leveraging our unique talents for collective good.
So, it was no surprise to those who knew her, when at a critical point in her career, she left her seemingly plush corporate job and founded and wholeheartedly nurtured a citizen movement called Whitefield Rising, moved by the need for citizen volunteering and engagement. She could also focus then on her young family and ageing in-laws that needed her attention.
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While her degrees say ICWA and CPA, she truly thinks and lives out of the box.
About Ram: Ram started his professional career at Telco (now Tata Motors). Lucky enough to be in an organization that encouraged learning and development, his first few corporate years were used to develop foundational skills that he carries forward to this day. Relocating to the US and working in high-tech companies in Silicon Valley only honed these skills and reinforced the need for excellence.
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As a management consultant, Ram has managed and worked on large enterprise operations programs in some of the biggest companies in the SF Bay area. Back in India, Ram is a community leader, as evidenced by his work in his residential community – running association affairs, leading the response during the Covid crisis, and organizing innovative sports events. Ram believes in an ethic of effort and excellence that he carries to all his endeavors. On the personal side, Ram is a devoted listener of music, and is also a passionate sportsperson.
