"If there has been a single most defining experience in my life, it has to be working with Thoughtshop. Just like any other teenager drifting through life, I was moving through college aimlessly. And then one day, a friend asked me to come along with her to meet some new people at a new place. And I thought why not?That first meeting with Himalini and Santayan, walking around Thoughtshop and talking about the kind of work they did had me hooked. I couldn’t imagine ever finding another place that offered me the kind of comfort zone that Thoughtshop did. Not only did they become great friends of mine, but the place became a sanctuary for me.

And I can hardly call the kind of work I did there work. It was fun…it was me having a great time with some old friends and making a few more new ones nearly every time I went there.

As peer leader, I had a lot of work to do. Attending training workshops, working with all kinds of people, from all walks of life, these were all eye openers. Then I moved on to manning the Askline, helping other young people like me. Askline helped me to grow and mature, dealing with so many different challenges everyday. The workshops I conducted were challenges by themselves. You never knew who would come up with what and when…and sometimes that was really difficult to deal with.

All of this helped me to grow as a person and make me who I am today, as I am sure it has helped a countless number of people whose lives Thoughtshop has touched."

Purbita Dattagupta

Purbita is a freelancer in the English book publishing sector.

Feb 2006