The lines from Emily Dickeson’s famous Poem, Hope is a thing with feathers That perches in the soul… come alive in Prachi Raturi Mishra’s I Did It!-Exceptional stories of people who made it large!

This hardcover is based on the exceptional struggle stories of 18 people from different walks of life who share their humble origins and despite that, went on to become well-known achievers.

The author has very carefully handpicked and strung together tales of entrepreneurs to playback singer, author to actor, choreographer to sportsmen.The book is an interesting mosaic of tales of men and women from all fields interlaced and interwoven with that one dominant theme, that is ‘determination to make-it-large.’Their stories of grit and the will power to get up and do it again is a constant inspiration to the reader who can empathise and connect to if not all, but many of those who find mention in the book.

Though the reader might feel that he knows every aspect the celebrities listed in I did It! Yet the author has painstakingly uncovered layers of their life and come out with untold tales buried somewhere deep.

Like, not many of us would be aware of how world-renowned author Ruskin Bond did odd jobs to fuel his passion for writing. Or how Captain Gopinath came from very humble beginnings where he could not even afford to buy shoes until he was a teenager. Johny Lever, Bollywood’s most revered comedian earned his first rupee grinding chutney at a dhaba or how choreographer Remo D’Souza often dreamt of making it big even while washing dishes.

Stories of Magsaysay awardee Anshu Gupta, India Hockey’s wall PR Sreejesh, Paralympian Devendra Jhajharia, Archer Deepika Kumari, Barber turned luxury car fleet owner Ramesh Babu from Bangalore, singer and producer Raftaar, Quick Heal’s Kailash Katkar,Nitin Godse and Patricia Narayan, are men and women who give us hope and inspire us to keep at it, until we have made it.

Jyothi Reddy dreamt of flying while working as a daily labourer tilling fields. Kailash Kher did not stop singing when several doubted him. Kalpana Saroj, an abused child bride went to become a successful entrepreneur.

All those people covered in over 106 pages book have failed sometimes, but they didn’t let that come in their way. They dusted off the dust, got up and got going. Demotivation was not a word in their dictionary. They strived to make their dreams become reality without losing the sheen in their eye or their focus.

These motivational stories are a must read for today’s generation, for it inspires us all to chase our dreams in the hope of living happily ever after.

Author: Prachi Raturi Misra
Published by: Times Group Books
ISBN No: 978-93-86206-24-4
Pages: 106
Price: INR599
Available at all leading book stores and online shopping portals:– www.amazon.in, www.flipkart.com &www.infibeam.com.

Text by Tania Saili Bakshi
Images by Aarti Kapur Singh