What comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘Ambition’? Well, when I hear this word, my whole life flashes in my mind. I remember each and every obstacle I had to cross in order to achieve the success I have today. I wouldn’t be the man I am today without my camera and my undying ambition.
I was born in a poor family in Chandigarh. My mother was a housewife and my father worked in a medical store. Times were so bad that the monthly income of my whole family was hardly $75. I was frequently bullied and picked on because of the harsh financial state of my family. I felt like there was nothing good in my life and I wanted to make major changes very fast.
I decided to pay full attention to my studies as I wanted to become capable enough to support my family. Well, I guess life doesn’t let you live that easily. When I was 13 years old, my mother left me and my father alone. Soon after that, my father fell ill and my academic performance started to decline. I started staying at home all the time for taking care of my father. I still remember how sad I used to get and how much I cried while sitting in a dark empty corner.
A month after that, my father passed away because of a heart attack. This was the saddest time in my life. I can’t think of a time when I was more upset than this. I moved in with my uncle (father’s brother) after that and he was a very strict man. He always used to scold me whenever I cried thinking about my father. He always said “A man should be strong. A man should never cry.”
Somehow, I managed to keep up with my studies and earned a scholarship in a reputed private school. And the only thing that kept me going was my ambition to do something that would help me in changing my life.
I started working as an office boy in a photo studio and that’s where I fell in love. That’s where I met the love of my life, a camera. Although I wasn’t allowed to touch one, I used to hold it and do whatever I want with it whenever I was alone in the room. I used to click pictures and then delete them (for obvious reasons).
I fell in love with cameras and photography. I wanted to click pictures of everything I saw. I started saving up money to buy my first camera. Finally, after a year of saving money, I was able to buy my first camera. The joy and excitement I felt on that day cannot be explained in words.
At the age of 15, I started clicking pictures of the students at my school for a small fee. I started to understand that this is my passion and I need to turn this into my career. Some students loved my photography so much that they used to pay me extra as an appreciation for my work. My uncle was against this and he always forced me just to study so that I wouldn’t end up like my father. I used to get very angry and irritated whenever he said this because I loved my father and wanted to become a good man just like him.
At the age of 17, I started clicking pictures of plants and birds and that’s when I discovered my love for mother nature. I used to click pictures of each and every beautiful thing I saw. The flowers, the animals, the landscapes, and many more. I realized that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.
I submitted my work in a national photography competition at the age of 18. The judge of that competition was a very famous photographer and he was so impressed by my work that he offered me a job. I was finally making some major moves with the help of my ambition and passion. I started paying my full attention to my work and never hesitated to capture risky shots.
At the age of 22, I started writing about my work and the games I used to play. So, writing became a hobby. Now, I am one of the best photographers in the city of Chandigarh and I love to post my blogs wherever I can. I’m glad that I found my passion at the age of 14 and that I stopped at nothing in following my dreams.
Whatever I am today, I am because of me, my camera, and my undying ambition!!
I hope my story helped you and motivated you to follow your dreams at any cost. Just remember that good times always come after bad times. You just gotta keep moving forward and never ever give up.