While the growing social space is opening endless opportunities for bloggers across various fields, Hyderabad-based Sakthi Swaroop, an alumnus of NIT, decided to quit his IT job, just to follow his heart, using the social connect to inspire people. Last year, he started a content-based blog, storiesofcommonman.in, along with a team of five volunteers, (freelance writers) across various cities, including Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore.
The volunteers publish inspiring real-life stories on the blog, with a motive to battle depression. The objective is to convey that the rejections faced by us in life, is nothing when compared to these untold stories. Also, the blog encourages people to embrace writing as an art.
Ask Swaroop why he quit a lucrative IT job for this and he reveals, “I once met a 75-year-old man selling coconuts. Though unwell, he had to continue working for survival. When I asked him to share his story, I felt that my failures and rejections were nothing when compared to his. In fact, his story has inspired me and instilled a lot confidence in me,” Swaroop recalls.
He adds, “I am a voracious reader and I believe writing has the power to impact lives. I have seen several people battling depression and looking for motivation. I wanted to provide some inspiration to the growing netizen communities and make them discover their potential. I believe bringing inspiring stories of the common man to life can impact the society in a big way.”
The 24-year-old is elated by the recognition his initiative is getting. “So far, we have published around 150 inspirational stories. The Microsoft Bizspark came to know about our initiative and helped us with free software worth $20000. Also, AASARA, an NGO from Mumbai, has been using our stories to inspire people and fight depression. Banaras Hindu University has also invited us to conduct literary fests and encourage students to take up writing. The faculty too was impressed with our initiative and have been contributing stories,” he says. Buoyed by the response, Swaroop has now started an app that people can download to write an inspirational story they want to share.
