Aditya Gupta, who happens to be a successful entrepreneur (he is the owner of The Rug Republic) and an excellent orator (TEDx Speaker), is channelizing his adventurous side to raise donation in aid of charity. Gupta recently released his photo essay, 7 Lessons from Everest, and he intends to raise Rs 1 crore to be donated to CRY. We spoke to the spirited soul who shares with us details about the book, his journey and writing more stories. Excerpts:
What inspired you to pour your experience into a coffee table book?
Mt.Everest itself inspired me! I was doing talks for companies/clubs/schools sharing my slides and lessons when the engagement from people inspired me to go beyond a few talks. Then raising money for a much-needed cause gave me the inspiration to take up the arduous task of putting a book together. It became like another Everest to climb! And now the third one - to raise 1cr rupees via the book for CRY! I am following my lessons and I think we will reach the summit of this Everest too!
Tell us more about the book. Apart from the visuals what else does the book offer?
The book is about lessons from Mt. Everest as applicable to everyday life and business. It is a photo-essay with first-hand descriptions of the expedition to the summit and then it distils the takeaways into "7 Lessons from Everest".
The idea is twofold: Firstly to share the first-hand experience of climbing Mt.Everest and more importantly the lessons it teaches, which have such a huge implication for everything we do in life. These are profound but simple lessons. However, when internalized in the context of an expedition like Mt. Everest, they become brain tattoos.
This book goes beyond "mountain climbing". Mt.Everest is a metaphor for any serious challenge or project one takes up in life. The lessons are totally applicable to the full gamut of life situations- work, sport and personal. This book is not about the beauty or dangers of Mt.Everest. Nor does it stop at talking about the adventure of it. It goes much further in inspiring ordinary people to set and achieve extraordinary goals.
With 350 stunning images spread over 250 pages, the book makes for a captivating read. But more than just the good time it promises to offer to the reader, the book is also encouraging people to contribute to a worthy cause and a burning need of the hour. Every time someone donates Rs. 4000 or more to CRY, The Rug Republic will send the person the coffee table book as a gesture of appreciation.
Donors can directly transfer the money to CRY using the links available on- 7lessonsfromeverest.com
Since when are you into mountaineering?
The initial interest in mountaineering and the idea of conquering Everest germinated during my college days at IIT Roorkee. I joined this mountaineering club named Himalayan Explorer Club and began enjoying trekking. In 1987, I went to Pindari Glacier as my first expedition and since then took a liking to adventurous trips. In 1991, I even did a course in mountaineering and going on serious expeditions became a way of life for me. The final frontier of this hobby is to climb Mount Everest. In 2008-09, during my Brahmaputra rafting expedition, my friends prodded me to try climbing the Everest and I thought to myself, ‘Why not?’ So, I first tried climbing Everest in 2014 but due to a major avalanche, I had to return.
The proceeds from the sales will be used for COVID relief. Tell us more about it.
Being in the handmade rugs business has kept us connected to the cause of children welfare. We have donated money to CRY from time to time. These times are such that there is a heightened need for resources for this most vulnerable set - India's children. The book is aimed at raising 1cr rupees for CRY. I am confident that if we get the word around it will reach or exceed the target.
Are there plans of more books in the future?
I am writing another book in managing businesses which are neither too small nor full scale corporations. There is very little material out there for such every day businesses which are run by entrepreneurs like me. I want to share the lessons from my entrepreneurial journey in a short, book with actionable ideas and measurable benefits for businesses - small to medium size.