{"id":57,"date":"2020-02-28T09:20:27","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T09:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chetanmahajan.com\/?page_id=57"},"modified":"2021-10-29T08:05:13","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T08:05:13","slug":"generated-homepage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chetanmahajan.com\/","title":{"rendered":"Home"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n

I am one of the 53 Chetan Mahajans that show up when you search Linked-in.<\/p>\n

This website is named after all of us, and there are many other more accomplished Chetan Mahajans out there. There is the Chetan Mahajan who runs a PR firm, another is a well-recognized endocrinologist and one whose Instagram Handle\u00a0 is \u201cthe_killer_boy\u201d .<\/p>\n

My journey is interesting because of some extreme highs and lows, and a few unusual life choices.<\/p>\n

The big low was at 42 when I landed in jail, but let me start at the beginning.<\/p>\n

The first low was 51.2% marks in Grade 10. Fortunately, I never thought of myself as a failure \u2013 that low gave me something to prove. That urge led me to the US, and to an MBA from one of the world\u2019s top Universities, Northwestern.<\/p>\n

I returned to India, a dollar earning expat and became the CEO of a start-up. But in another low I was laid off from that role. I felt ashamed. I shouldn’t have. I talk about that realization in my TEDx talk.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

My next job took me lower still \u2013 to jail. I spent a month in jail, thanks to a case filed against my next employer.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, my name was cleared. That bitter experience led to my first book, \u201cThe Bad Boys of Bokaro Jail\u201d. That brought another high – my first paid speaking gig.<\/p>\n

After jail I picked up another job as a business head for an HCL group company, but I got laid off again. This time losing my job was a nervous high. I felt unshackled. I realized I had lived my life for too long by other people\u2019s rules. It was time to do my own thing.<\/p>\n

My partner and I always craved a life in the mountains. We left the city for a tiny house we rented in a Himalayan Village, two small kids in tow.<\/p>\n

For 20 years, my corporate career had defined my identity. Being unemployed was a low, but the emptiness gave me the space for writing. I blogged, worked on a second book, and started the Himalayan Writing Retreat. A first in India \u2013 the Himalayan Writing Retreat was shaped by passion, creativity and necessity.<\/p>\n

Five years on, the Himalayan Writing Retreat<\/a> is a success – not in the \u201cbiggest\u201d or \u201cNumber 1\u201d sort of way. The success and gratitude of our writers is a huge reward. It is a place where we can be constantly creative. A fun place to work – my colleague Namrata is the VP of Buzz & Chatter, and I call myself the Chief Pfaffing Officer. Our customers rate us 5*. And we support a local NGO-run school which gives us much joy.<\/p>\n

Two years later I co-founded a social enterprise, \u201cOld Hill Cheese\u201d along with Nitin Dayalu, another emancipated corporate slave. Old Hill employs – and empowers – \u00a0several village women. It also makes hundreds of village homes more prosperous.<\/p>\n

Our new life is meaningful and balanced. Dr Vandita Dubey \u2013 my companion in everything \u2013 also loves our new life surrounded by nature and beauty.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve painted a pretty picture, I know. It\u2019s not perfect, but it is the closest I\u2019ve come to it.<\/p>\n

Feel free to explore the rest of this website. Poke around. Enjoy yourself. And tell me if you find any typos. I hate them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

———————–X————————\u00a0<\/p>\n

Every human life has way too much nuance and complexity to fit neatly into the sections of a website, but I\u2019ve tried that here.<\/p>\n

\u201cOscar Wilde said that if you know what you want to be, then you inevitably become it – that is your punishment, but if you never know, then you can be anything. There is a truth to that. We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing – an actor, a writer – I am a person who does things – I write, I act – and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun.\u201d – Stephen Fry<\/p>\n

Just like Stephen, I also do things, without trying to become the labels. So you’ll find the sections in this website are mostly verbs.<\/p>\n

Writing<\/a><\/h5>\n
Teaching <\/a><\/h5>\n
Speaking <\/a><\/h5>\n
Entrepreneurship<\/a><\/h5>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

To get in touch with me, please fill out this form.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am one of the 53 Chetan Mahajans that show up when you search Linked-in. This website is named after all of us, and there are many other more accomplished Chetan Mahajans out there. There is the Chetan Mahajan who runs a PR firm, another is a well-recognized endocrinologist and one whose Instagram Handle\u00a0 is \u201cthe_killer_boy\u201d . My journey is interesting because of some extreme highs and lows, and a Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":64,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nHome - Chetan Mahajan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Chetan Mahajan is a rebel in many ways. 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