One summer as a kid, I worked on a poultry farm, tasked with moving eggs from the henhouses to the storage sheds. Soon, my youthful impatience kicked in, and we experimented with every shortcut we could think of to finish early and cool off in the tubewell. No matter what we tried, the outcome was the same.

In every startup’s journey, there’s a pivotal moment that determines success or failure. For Comnet, our first startup, it was securing our first major contract. As a new player without a well-known brand, convincing potential clients of our capabilities was daunting.

It was 1985, and the campus placement season at XLRI was in full swing. I was burning with a high fever and unable to get out of bed to attend any interviews. With every passing hour, my chances of landing a much-needed job dwindled, yet a little voice in my head kept saying, “Hold on, Vineet, your time will come!”

On a sweltering summer journey to Pantnagar from Nagpur, our train’s second-class compartment was stifling. Late at night, as my family dozed, I was drawn to the window by a young, insatiable curiosity.

At Ratlam station, lured by adventure, I disembarked, unaware that my courage was about to be tested.

Nested in a Nagpur duplex with the affectionate Mrs. Anand upstairs, I was the spirited middle child. While playing cricket, my friend hit a ball that smashed the window of our scientist neighbour. As friends scattered, I stayed, summoned the courage, rang his bell and sought my ball back assuming I was not to blame.