Travel Logs

An airport is never quite just a place that harbors countless airplanes and staff alike, trying to get you to yet another place on this bizarre planet. It is the hub( a hotspot, if you may) of emotions. Goodbye's are always sad, but there are emotions of every kind brewing at the arrival and departures of the airport.

You would usually see happiness at the arrival (unless of course you have the occasional unpleasant visitor), there's frantic goodbye's at the departure, anger at having to deal with the distance, anxiety for those leaving, excitement to head to a new place all juxtaposed with the familiar sound of the airport attendant ranting on about flight details and announcements.

Then there's fear.

There have always been people who are scared to board a flight and get in the air with the fear of a crash. There have also been a plethora of people scared of a hijack, ones that took place only occasionally a little more than a decade ago. 

Then there was 9/11.

Fear took a whole new definition as the possibility of commercial planes flying into skyscrapers came alive.   This fear was not confined to people of the United States- believe me, I still think of 9/11 every time I board a flight- it was almost a new emotion all together. My string of thoughts was interrupted by the cabin crew asking me if i wanted a vegetarian or non-vefeterian meal. As i looked down at the plastic cutlery on my tray- I knew that a lot of things had changed post 9/11. There was change and hope in the millions of people traveling everyday- to not succumb to the fear, and not give into terrorism.

& that's all that really mattered. 

The bug

The most important part of an experience is that you can relive it as the years go by and gauge a perspective, you couldn’t see at the time. As I look back, boarding school engendered me to meet students my age who were dynamic, brewing think tanks and terribly bitten by a bug- the entrepreneur’s bug.

The effects of the bug were evident. From taking casual school projects to the next level and engendering change, both social and economic-they were on it from the start. They might have been wearing school uniforms, but one could literally sense the suited executive from within- bursting to surface.

‘Preneur’ may not have a definite dictionary meaning (even autocorrect is exhausted trying to correct the word) but it’s the only way to do justice to what drives aspiring entrepreneurs the way it drives these bug-infected –brewing-tanks I’d like to call my friends –

‘Rigidity and rules never appealed to me. I need to surpass the realms that the world confines my dreams into, and probe unchartered regions for a source of revelry: just to feel alive. I need something to look forward to; a sense of satisfaction that no other achievement can give. Couple that with the thrill of taking a risk: the concoction is my preneur. That is what is going to keep me from being ordinary. That is going to make a difference- MY preneur’

-       Ashutosh Khetan, 19 | Singapore Management University

‘As an individual, your most valuable asset is your network. Everyone has come across times in their lives where if it weren’t for their network- things would go down south. My ‘preneur’ is the people I interact with- beyond the business card or the phone number. That’s what keeps me going- not knowing who ill be grabbing lunch with or negotiating a deal with next.

-       YM

An entrepreneur takes risks; an entrepreneur recognizes talent; an entrepreneur is willing to give it all.

The beauty of such an individual is to build ideal terms and manage all possible resources to create value in an inexistent space by capturing opportunity through sole leadership.

-       Keshav Reddy, 19| University of Michigan


 This is believing that some of the youngest people make the biggest things happen.. So, what's your preneur?

So what's your Preneur?

No dictionary will certify that 'preneur' is a legitimate word and has solid definition, but for people who know better this word has a world of meaning.

In a corporate world where you have a definite income and a labyrinth of other perks there is little room for a business person to push his innovative techniques but for a person who embraces this bug known as his very own 'preneur' - the opportunities (both to succeed and fail) are limitless.

So in this very competitive and idea-pregnant world, what is your preneur?

Stay tuned to find out what some of these aspiring entre'preneurs' have to say :) 

Midnight in Paris

It was one of the starry, crisp Paris nights where the quaint moonlit café's and the eloquence of the refined french language blended into one another to give writers the base of a romantic novel and film directors the gut to make a blown-out-of-proportion love story.

As the rain pelted down, the silence grew thicker and besides the occasional smoker underneath café shades there wasn't a nuance of the city being alive. That was up until you reached the much acclaimed Eiffel Tower. It seemed like a new Paris- lit beyond imagination, bustling with people and wrapped in a flawless fragrance of wine and smoke. There were couples and entire families lying down on the floor with the Eiffel in front of them and budding entrepreneurs running around serving them wine as their latest venture seemed to be making considerable strides.

It all looked picturesque in the larger sense, but as you sifted through the nooks and infringements you saw numerous girls waiting to be taken. This girl in particular stood with her leg perched up against the wall, her red lips smoking a cigarette and her raven hair naturally poised at beautiful. She had the most solid eyes. As the bells of a distant clock struck 12- she ashed her cigarette, took a shabby half bag from the ground and turned around, adept at every move and said "I'm no cinderella, but 12 o' clock does mean work."

Everyone takes a part of Paris with them as they leave and just that occasional one time it isn't part of a fairytale..and this was it, on that starry damp Paris night.