Hi [FORMATTED_SUBSCRIBER_NAME GOES HERE],

Soundarya here, aka thecuriousmaverick :)

Welcome to the first edition of the Curious Mavericks newsletter! (Each newsletter will begin with the tag "tcm")

🎁 Every edition will have a surprise gift hidden in the newsletter. For this week, it's hidden inside a word. Whoever clicks the link first will claim it!

With that, let's go.

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This week's maverick: Srikanth Bolla​

TL;DR: Read the story of a maverick who became the first blind international student at MIT and currently runs a company that makes over 150 crores (~$18M) by producing eco-friendly products and employs several hundred people with disabilities.

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Our society has an obsession with the idea of the “genius.”

“Have you met that genius kid who became a millionaire at the age of 11?” “What about that 3-year-old who published a book?” “Welcome to the stage, the genius guitar player!”

We love to put up quotes by Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, and Rosa Parks in our rooms, using them as a dose of inspiration when things get hard.

At first, when I came across Srikanth’s story, it reminded me of our society’s obsession with the genius. It also reminded me of this quote from The Fault in Our Stars where Hazel Grace, the cancer-ridden protagonist writes,

In Srikanth’s case though, he doesn’t have to ever worry that his tombstone would stop at “visually impaired.”

. . .

Born to a family of farmers in 1991, Srikanth’s parents realized that he was blind when he wouldn’t open his eyes after birth.

“They thought I wouldn’t be able to see and that’s what it turned out to be. Their entire world shattered in front of them.”

Yet, since blindness was all he’d known, Srikanth didn’t share in on the despair. On the contrary, he was a happy kid, spending time on the farm, sitting with his grandma as she milked the cows and climbing trees to pluck coconuts.

At the time, his parents’ annual salary was Rs. 20,000 (~$1000).

With income that was barely enough to put food on the table, electricity was a luxury, and education a far-fetched dream. Fortunately, his uncle suggested that he join the Devnar School For the Blind in Hyderabad, which acted as a catalyst.

. . .

At Devnar, Srikanth’s life began to change.

Surrounded by children like him, he discovered a new world of learning that wasn’t bound by his inability to see.

He excelled academically, and while his teachers saw his potential, the world outside still clung to their prejudices about what someone with a disability could achieve.

After 10th grade, he applied to every IIT and BITS institute in India. At every university, he was met with refusal, with the reason being he would be unable to cope with subjects like physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

Rather than accept this as a limitation, Srikanth filed a case against the state, and eventually, he was granted permission to pursue his passion for science.

In the end, he decided to fly abroad to join MIT as the first international blind student at the age of 18.

. . .

At MIT, Srikanth thrived.

He found a community that encouraged his curiosity, and he gained access to technology and tools that enabled him to fully immerse himself in his studies.

However, even as he embraced this new world, his mind was always on home.

He knew the challenges faced by millions of people with disabilities in India and wanted to make a difference.

So after graduating from MIT, Srikanth made the unconventional choice to return to India.

In 2012, at the age of 21, he founded Bollant Industries, a company that produces eco-friendly packaging and employs hundreds of people, many of whom are differently abled.

His vision was simple but powerful: to build a business that not only cared for the planet but also empowered those whom society had often overlooked.

. . .

Today, Bollant Industries is a multi-million-dollar enterprise. Srikanth’s story has been covered in a biopic by Ramkumar Rao. And he is happily married with a girl child whose name is “Nayana”—meaning “eyes” in Kannada. :)

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This week's tiny experiment

Experiment: Turn your phone to grayscale mode for one week. (Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters)

Reasoning: Studies have found it reduces phone usage by making the phone less interesting. I’ve done this for more than 2 years now, and have never looked back.

💡 Bonus tip: You can easily switch between grayscale and normal mode by clicking the Side button three times. (Go to "Accessibility Shortcut" and choose "Color Filters")

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This week's question for you

Question: Since this is the first newsletter, I posed a question to my mentor, Rajesh Setty. I asked him: how do you overcome jealousy when you feel it?

Answer by Rajesh Setty: I can’t remember the last time I felt jealous. This is because I like to celebrate others’ success as my own. If I only celebrate when I succeed, happiness is limited. But, if I celebrate the success of everyone around me, every day feels like a birthday! Jealousy comes from the belief that if someone else gets something, it takes away my chance. But life isn’t a zero-sum game. There’s abundance for all of us. So, the next time you feel jealous, don’t push it away—be curious. Ask yourself, where is this really coming from? What fear is at its root? Understanding that is the first step toward letting it go.

🤔 Question for you: What's a risk you've taken in your 20s that has changed the trajectory of your life? Hit reply and share. I might feature it in the next newsletter.

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How a novel gets created

Most of book writing is good idea-capturing.

If a house contains 1000 bricks, a book contains 1000 good ideas captured at the right time.

A few months ago, I was sitting in a cozy room in my community house and talking to a new friend. We were talking about parent-child relationships when he said something profound.

After he left, I rushed upstairs to capture it:

And just like that, a passage was added to my upcoming novel, “1000 Days of Love.”

What do you think? Please hit reply & let me know. :)

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🎁 This week's gift 🎁

This week's winner will get a fresh copy of an incredible book that I'll reveal in next week's newsletter. (Hint: it's hidden inside a word! Start searching 😉)

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Quote of the week: The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.

~ Albert Camus