Failing and then succeeding, TEDx speakers reveal how they made it to the top

TEDxGateway, an independently organized TED Conference, held its sixth edition in Mumbai, focusing on exchanging ideas and learning from diverse spheres of life. It had an array of speakers a NASA scientist, a World Bank economist, social activists, modern-day musicians among other artists and innovators. Firstpost spoke with three speakers who shared their low points and success quotient with us. [caption id=“attachment_2539242” align=“alignleft” width=“825”] Siddharth Chakravarthy[/caption] Siddharth Chakravarthy, Sea Shepherd Siddharth Chakravarty is a marine conservationist who works for sea shepherd conservation society. He has spent a decade working in the merchant navy as a navigator. He then decided to conserve the ocean. He joined Sea Shepherd Conservation Society (SSCS), an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization. Since then he has been tackling poaching and breaking through the loopholes in the international conservation law, to bring much needed protection to the oceans. Over the years, he has chased the whale poachers in Antarctica, patrolled the fishing season in the Mediterranean, assisted with at-sea inspections in the Pacific and most recently, pursued and shut-down illegal fishing vessels in Antarctica. On his life: If I was asked to sum my adult life up in one line, I would say’ “I’ve worked on ships.” But in the last five years, my journey has taken me to  remote and curious corners of our planet and introduced me to some very interesting people. I’ve been a part of seven at-sea, direct-action campaigns to tackle poaching on the oceans which have given me a unique perspective to look at our planet from. I feel like my biggest learnings revolve around tackling the issues on the oceans since that is what my work is all about. • That our planet is enormous and therefore we know very little about it. The solutions to our problems lie in removing this deficit in information. • That there is a spectrum of interpretations and solutions to various issues and engaging with all of them builds a solution that is equal and just. Low point: The personal lowest point in my life was when I lost my father. I was 21 and the suddenness of his death came as a shock and took a long time to get over. But today I know that overcoming the loss made me more emotionally resilient and being emotionally resilient in my line of work is a good thing; It allows me to feel sorrow and yet keeps me going without losing focus. On overcoming it: I spent a lot of time with my family because all of us were hurting equally. We communicated about how we felt and ensured that there was always a safe space for us to grieve, to seek solitude in and yet to always feel included. Success formula: For me success is unique and success is abundant and I want my success to be non-monetary. I look at success with this in mind and automatically I’m not competing with a standard set by someone else. And my success is my own which makes it incredibly cherished. Lujendra Ojha, NASA Scientist and Astrogeek Lujendra Ojha is a 25-year old PhD candidate at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. He was born in Kathmandu, Nepal and moved with his family to Tucson, Arizona when he was 15 years old. While attending the University of Arizona as an undergraduate student, he discovered mysterious, water-like streaks on the slopes of Martian mountains. The discovery led to a published article in Science when Ojha was 21 years old. This summer, NASA announced the findings of his latest study: the streaks are indeed flowing water on present day Mars. Ojha plans to finish his Georgia Tech degree next year. His career goal is to work in a space research field. On his work: The work was done by me, but it is the entire humanity that has learned much. Our view of Mars has completely changed in the last decade. The planet once thought to be dead barren world is actually quite active, has water, and may be currently habitable. Many other amazing scientists and engineers are constantly working to expand our horizons of understanding. I am just one of them. Low point: I am not sure I have one. My life has been fantastic. There are always ups and downs in life. One just needs to be resolute and understand that things will get better. Success formula: Be passionate about what you do. Don’t chase money. Chase your dream.  

  Eric Ju Yoon Kim, Braille Watch inventor Eric Ju Yoon Kim is the developer of the world’s first Braille watch. The watch lets the visually challenged read real-time smartphone data in Braille. The Dot, a device that straps around the wrist like a watch, uses magnets and a grid of pins to create four braille characters at a time that change at adjustable speeds, allowing users to read text messages and use apps on any device via Bluetooth. The Dot uses a movable braille interface made of magnets and pins strapped to the wrist like a watch. On entrepreneurship: I had a start-up company before this. That time, I only used to follow money and what is going to be the next big thing. But when I started The DOT, I thought about the reason to start this. That thought changed my life. I got confidence in what I was doing and my journey became positive. I have learnt a lot through this journey. It helped me to have an open attitude for any opportunity. Low point: I started my last three start-ups thinking that I am providing solution to a problem. However, the customer did not think the same way and I had to close the start-ups. Being an entrepreneur is not easy. Those four years were the toughest for me and made me think strongly; to find a reason to start something, and I started The DOT. Success formula: I can only think about one famous quote from Steve Jobs at this moment. It says, “What separates successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful one is pure perseverance. If you believe in something, and you never give up, you will succeed. You need to be like elastic – no matter how many times you fail, you have to keep trying again and again till you finally succeed.