They say God wants us to go through a grind, but he doesn’t want us to perish, but to polish us so that we can sparkle like gems. Hence, a real man sees a bridge in every hurdle and an opportunity in each catastrophe. And if you’re wondering if such men genuinely exist, then you must not have come across Vijay Nallawala.
Vijay Nallawala – A troubled childhood
Vijay was born in Mumbai and stayed with his parents and elder sister Tejal. However, his mother reluctantly decided to walk away from their marriage due to his father’s cold and tormenting behavior. His parents decided to part ways when he was just a five-year-old. Her mother took both the kids and moved back to her parents’ place near Mumbai. And his mother’s brother became a father figure for him and his sister.
A rough start for a child, Vijay struggled to fit into his new life. At home, he looked up to his uncle, and at the school, his role model was an Irishman, Brother Christopher Murphy, who taught in his secondary school. Vijay learned selfless duty and dedication from him.
But his little soul was scarred due to the indifference of his father towards Vijay and his mother. He found it hard to find a purpose in his early youth as he was deeply disturbed by the sharp turn of events. However, after completing college, he joined his uncle in his business.
The entrepreneurial success
But little did he know that this experience would be his most outstanding education. Although he met many more magnificent personalities that mentored him during every phase of his life, this experience left the most considerable influence on his character. In addition to the incident mentioned earlier, he has been mentored by Jigish Bhatt during his Life Insurance career. Then came Puneet Bhatnagar and Jennifer Sertl of Rochester, N.Y., who guided him during a crucial part of his life. And he still seeks advice from Bhatnagar and Dr. Amit Nagpal.
The Storm
After realizing that running an enterprise demands more than just time and investment, he started seeing people in a different light. His seven-year experience at his uncle’s enterprise humbled him.
Armed with all the knowledge, he launched his own business. As a successful entrepreneur, Vijay decided to marry a school teacher and later had a daughter. His 14-year-old entrepreneurial journey was turned upside down when he was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
Bipolar disorder is a severe mental health disorder. It is characterized by abrupt and intense mood swings that could last for weeks and even months. In the beginning, Vijay found it very difficult to cope with the disorder and had to shut down his business.
The Struggle
But he didn’t give up hope. He knew he had to revamp his life, and running a business wasn’t a priority anymore. He ditched his entrepreneurial career to become a life insurance advisor. He struggled hard and eventually won over the disorder.
But that was not all. He wanted to share it with others too. He knew that there was little hope and help out there for persons with mental health conditions. Many of the sufferers are not even aware that they are combating a severe mental disorder.
The Light
He found his real calling in writing and then blogging. He started blogging about his journey with the incurable disorder, which led to his autobiographical book on beating Bipolar Disorder.
His book sparked hope amongst many and paved the path for Bipolarindia, a peer support community for the disorder described above persons.
He aspires to spread awareness about the importance of mental health to remove the stigma around it. He has recently co-launched an initiative to facilitate livelihoods for persons living with mental health conditions, Let’sWalkTogether.org.
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