Arsh kalsi's Story: From Zero to Self-Made 

My name is Arshdeep Singh, and my story begins with the courage of my father. When I was just 7 years old (March 2008) , due to family issues, my father left our village home and moved to the city of Faridkot. I saw with my own eyes how my father started from absolutely zero and slowly progressed. My school life in Faridkot was great; I made good friends and enjoyed it thoroughly.

My hobby is also business. When I was little, my younger sister (Manpreet) and I used to cut pages from old notebooks and make fake money. We'd collect small items from around the house and set up shop on the bed. Then, I would give the paper money to Manpreet, and she would become the customer. I'd sit by the collected items as the shopkeeper and set the prices according to my wishes. We would play this until all the items were sold.

The joy of this childhood game is something I don't feel today even as a real shopkeeper, but I still enjoy this work more than any other. In that game, there was no winning or losing. Manpreet was very rich, who found joy in buying whatever her heart desired, and I had no shortage of goods, which I would sell repeatedly to collect money.

Our house was made of brick with a cemented roof, but the floor wasn't finished. Mom would spread a mix of mud and cow dung on the raw floor, which made the ground level and firm. There was a Neem tree in the courtyard with a water hand-pump next to it. The house had a small gate made of dry planks that opened in the middle. This was our first house in Faridkot city. It didn't have any expensive amenities, but the courtyard was spacious, where we could play however we wanted. At night, we'd lay out cots in the courtyard and sleep while looking at the stars—that brought so much joy.

Thinking about that life and today's time brings tears to my eyes. Although we now live in a modern house with more facilities, that carefree feeling is gone. We had left the village house behind, but the village somehow still felt like our own.

I called my grandmother Bibi. When Bibi would come to stay with us in the city, we would listen to her stories. Bibi worried about us a lot, and she was the only one who didn't give us long lectures when we were naughty or made a mistake. She would just say, "Don't hurt yourselves while playing."

I loved flying kites and setting off firecrackers, but I could only do this after Dad left for work. Since Dad was a diesel engine mechanic and welder, we had all kinds of wrenches, spanners, and a few machines at home, which I was keenly interested in understanding and learning about. I would break every toy bought from the market just to see what was inside and how it worked. Once I got my hands on a screwdriver, I wanted to open and examine everything.

Struggle and a New Path

However, after 12th grade, my life took a major turn. I was worried about my career, but my parents would always praise other children and taunt me, calling me worthless. I didn't want to become an employee or a servant by taking a job; my dream was to live life with freedom, to become a writer and a singer.

During these days, the trend of IELTS was very high in Punjab, and my parents forced me to join an IELTS center. I took training for a month and a half, but then I was told that I couldn't go abroad because life there wasn't easy. Consequently, I left the IELTS center. At this time, I couldn't make my own decisions because I didn't have any money to achieve something. I had ideas and concepts, but when I told someone, my family didn't trust me, and others only looked out for their own gain.

Tired of the daily taunts from my parents, I joined a center for Army training and trained for about two months. During that time, I suffered a fracture in my foot while running and became unable to walk. Even in this moment of pain, my parents accused me of lying and trying to fool them. After a few days of rest and medical treatment, my foot recovered.

Towards Education and Self-Employment

I had some knowledge of computers. After this incident, my father sent me to work at a shop that dealt with Indian documents (online work). I worked there for about a month, but due to my fast learning ability, the shop owner became jealous and forbade me from giving my personal number to customers. So, I quit that job. He even said that I would have to pay him for the work I did because the shop was his.

The very next day, I received an offer letter from a school, St. Soldier School, to work as a Science teacher. I joined after just one interview. I received respect at the school, but my salary was not enough. After teaching for three months, I took admission in the BCA (Bachelor of Computer Applications) course at Bridjindra College in Faridkot.

After admission, I felt some relief. I would go to college, and after college, I started my online work—like applying for PAN cards, Aadhar cards, voter cards, passports, photocopy, etc. I earned a good income from this and paid my college fees for the last 4 semesters from this income alone. Since those days, I have never asked my parents for money for anything. I made new friends in college and passed with an A+ grade.

Establishing an Independent Business

The day after college, the same 'do everything quickly' taunts from my parents started again. Following this, for my parents' happiness, I decided to take a job in a bank because I had received an offer letter from ICICI Bank as a Senior Officer. I left home and shifted to Sultanpur Lodhi (which is about 150 kilometers from Faridkot). My work was to open savings accounts, current accounts, and meet with wealthy clients in the city.

Three months later, my mother came to stay with me to look after my health. I felt that life was somewhat settled now, but my branch manager started forcing me to work overtime even after working hours. I was trapped, but my mother saw me doing overtime every day. One day, she spoke to my father, and my father called me and told me to quit the bank and return to Faridkot.

I thought about it a lot, and after a few days, I filed my resignation. When the manager found out, he immediately changed his attitude, started letting me leave before time, and removed all work pressure so that I wouldn't leave the bank. But I knew he would change again, so I did not withdraw my resignation. On my last day at the bank, I was even offered money, but my mind did not change, and I returned to Faridkot. I learned a lot at the bank, and after returning, I applied for new government licenses and made the government and non-government traders of the city my clients to expand my business. I started my online document business full-time, adding stationery items as well. Now, I am progressing day by day and will soon change my life with freedom according to my own terms.