March 2015

I am a paper crafter and a graphic designer, and photography is my hobby. Paper crafting has evolved from being my hobby to being my part-time profession. I am indulged in art & crafts since a very young age but the real work started after I completed my high school. My two dreams and ambitions of life had been to be a graphic designer and to start my craft brand label.
My only inspiration for paper crafting is Gabrielle Pollacco, one of the finest crafters I have ever seen. It wasn’t easy to actually put things to work smoothly, as managing time with college studies is very difficult and crafting needs synchronized working of your mind, heart and soul only then can you make something unique. Designing and crafting are addiction and a very important part of my life.
Over the span of 3 years I have gained a lot of experience and knowledge about different techniques of paper crafting. There had been a time when I used to make all the intricate paper cutting designs by hand, not knowing the availability of portable machines. Once I got to know about them I tried and bought the basic one. But buying a machine didn’t impair my ability to work and create the things I used to, it only added to the already existing capabilities. I started expanding by taking up a ‘Paper flower and greeting card making workshop’ and got a very good response. People got to know about my work and I started getting orders, and the link kept on increasing. Finally came the creation of my website which I completely did on my own in the name of Premium Crafting ( www.premiumcrafting.com ) . I held a stall, as part of my Department fest, at my college for selling the handmade products I made and again, the response was amazing. The best part of my line is the appreciation I gain. More than money, the worth is of appreciation. All I want is to keep growing, create with happiness and give happiness.
My ambition to be a graphic designer is what I am accomplishing presently. Not getting admission into a designing college was a disappointment but I never lost hope. I am doing Diploma in Design along with my graduation in History Honors, and now soon would be doing my M.A. in Design. Then I will be one step closer to my aspiration.
All I want is to be known for my work, I want people to know the hard work put in behind anything I create. Something that makes every handmade product very different from readymade is that it takes lot of time and imagination to get an output that is appealing with a personal touch. We have a very short life, never knowing when it ends, so if you feel like doing something you should just do it, because it is better to try to achieve than to waste time in regretting later. The best experience in life is to earn followers, not to ask people to follow you.
“You need to shine so bright, that things on their own turn right.”

– Diljeet Kaur

I haven’t come across any other happy-go-lucky and casual guy apart from the reflection I see in the mirror everyday. There was a time in my life when I was new to the city of Hyderabad with a dream of becoming a DJ. As unrealistic as it sounds, music really was my passion. However, somewhere down the lane, it became too far fetched to be pursued. And not being much of a ‘planner’ I didn’t know which path to take.

To my utter surprise, the whole supposed city was preparing for something called the JEE exam and as mind boggling as it may come across as, I did not know what it was. Until then. Then one day, I was told to prepare for the same. And I gave in. Initially, not paying much attention, I thought I will end up someplace anyway. However, gradually I developed my interest in it and burned the midnight oil to make what my father asked me to happen.

Never will I forget the time of my preparation. I won’t exaggerate it but yes, it does take alot of sacrifice and giving up your so called ‘life’ to achieve something like that. Having achieved AIR 261, I still didn’t get the stream of my choice. But, that’s okay.

Today, I’m a second year student of Electrical Engineering at IIT Delhi and still trying to figure out what my passion really is. I may be a scholar but when asked about my passion, I go berserk. But, I know this for sure that whatever I may end up doing, I will relieve my Dad of his responsibilities and make him proud. 

In this journey of figuring out my passion, I hope to explore and know myself much more and come to terms with my most brutally honest self.

Shubham Sikka

The world is full of stereotypes. My biggest passion is to stand out in such a scenario. In my family, the average age of marriage is 24 or 25 and there is an age long custom of girls being housewives after arranged marriage.
My main focus as of now is to break the shackles of these concepts in my family and I’m extremely lucky to have a lovely and supportive mother.

Currently, I’m a proud B.Com Honors student at SRCC and I’m never going to let that go waste. It is something I have achieved through alot of hardwork and I will fulfill my dream of becoming a teacher. Thankfully, with the support and guidance of my mother and teachers, I will pursue my masters after college and establish myself as a teacher.

I want to bring a change in this society. And as Mahatma Gandhi rightly said, “Be the change you want to see in the World”, I’ll begin with my own family. I believe that there is no profession like teaching, teaching is the profession that creates all the other professions. I will work to develop brilliant, unbiased and growth oriented minds.

Also, I will not succumb to being a housewife and be the first girl to have a love marriage in my family :D!
Along side, fulfilling my passion of being a teacher.

Soniya Gupta

To a person who lives life very casually and happily, capturing it is just as enjoyable. As you must have guessed by now, my passion is photography. However, I share a keen interest in law as well. Ever since I watched Suits, I always wanted to become a lawyer. Random reason, but enough to drive me make any ends meet to be able to pursue it.

Having given the entrance exam for Law, I was pretty dicey about the results. Thankfully, IP University results were in my favour. However, the last counselling dates did stress me out a bit. Now being a proud Law student, I use my extra time to click as much as I can.

I love going to picturesque places and clicking. And ofcourse, I’m the favourite friend of many, no actually my camera is :P!. 

To give wings to my passion, I along with a fellow schoolmate created a facebook page called “Elements” to showcase my talent. Furthermore, I wish to polish this skill of mine. 

I’m willing to give all it takes to achieve these two beloved dreams of mine. Being a successful lawyer and an amazing photographer. There’s no stopping to the learning process.

Mehul Gupta

Having always been a History fan, I had never before thought of taking it up as a career. Sounds weird? Not to me, not anymore. It made me realise that science was not my thing.

The thing that I really like about studying this subject is that it let’s me dream and imagine the world in my own manner, because here are as many histories as there are historians. When I took it up, a lot of people told me that I can take civil services and be awesome but I don’t want to be that awesome. I dream of getting my hands dirty and chiseling something out of the soil and make a story out of that object which may help others in revealing something about the people in the past.

I hate it when people say that what will you do with studying history . Just because it’s not something lucrative doesn’t make it less valuable for the people.I am so glad that my parents let me pursue whatever I wan to study.

Sometimes I also have my moments of doubt, actually I always have them these days. But I am trying to pull myself together and do something amazing. Because I really really want to do this . I don’t know what will happen in the future, but studying history really did open  up my mind to bigger and better things and now I know that I can never be satisfied in doing a desk job for the IAS.

Pooja Moitra