HIS STORY:
Life brings sorrows and joys alike. It is what a man does with them – not what they do to him – that is the true test of his mettle.
Theodore Roosevelt
Sai Kaustuv Dasgupta dons many hats in his day to day life. He is a international graphic designer, speaker, singer, composer and a happiness coach! His journey has been a challenging one because of Osteogenesis Imperfecta. This disorder is rare in India and the person suffering from it has brittle, glass-like bones. He has fractured himself more than 50 times because of this disease. The disease restricted his mobility and made him dependent on an electric wheelchair.
Diagnosed with the disease at the age of 5, his parents told him that he would have to give up on his love for dancing. Sai Kaustuv realised that he was different from the rest. To get better medical help, he shifted to Andhra Pradesh in the year 2004. He would spend most of his time there confined in a single room. Yet, from 2009 is health started deteriorating. 6 years after that was the most challenging period of his life. He felt depressed by the challenges life was throwing at him. But, he took up the challenge with a positive mindset and started graphic designing. With two fingers of his left-hand he pursued his passion for graphic designing and today is recognised as a graphic designer on an international level.
Music, another medium of art, played a crucial role in his life. Being exposed to music at a young age by his mother, he also built this into a field of his excellence. He received the Dashri Award in the year 1999-2000 for the best child singer in West Bengal. After that he sang for many eminent musicians like Rahid Khan, Anup Jalota and Anuradha Pawan. This dynamic personality also became a happiness coach.
The struggle for him was not only a physical one, but also societal. His relatives often pitied him because of the disability he had. He wanted to prove his mettle to everyone because of the constant negativity he had to go through. A firm believer in mind over matter, he made sure his mental strength made him grow in every aspect of life. He believes that the secret behind his success is, putting his heart and soul into everything he has done. Sai also credits his family members unconditional support and encouragement to help him achieve his dreams. They always made it a point to see him happy.
The primary fuel for him is, positivity! He keeps negative thoughts at bay. His mantra of practising positivity is: BCD. Birth, death and the choice between. He believes that life is what you make of it and it will always reflect in the choices you make. He suggests that everyone should take note of their choices and that is the key to a successful and happy life.Failure, he believes, is the stepping stone to success. Although he couldn’t get proper education and was unable to pursue his favourite sports, he accepted suffering and success as a part of his life. According to him, if you have failed, then definitely success is around the corner. The 6 years confinement in his room is what made him a successful Happiness coach! It was then that he chose to beat the odds and give his life a new meaning.
Sai has won several accolades in the national and international sphere and has also donned the hat of a writer. His book, titled MY LIFE, MY LOVE, MY DEAR SWAMI, was published in the year 2015. He penned it down with the help of a virtual keypad. The book was translated into several languages and was also sent to the Honourable Prime Minister, who appreciated his work. Very recently, an international organisation called People Matter have chosen him as the 4th international icon for leadership in all his 3 careers. Past icons included Hellen Keller, Stephen Hawking & Srikanth Bolla. However, when asked about competition, he believes the only competition he has is himself.
Sai believes that today’s youth needs to stay motivated. Motivation is a necessary element to achieve success in life.
He has given motivational speeches across countries and has always reached out to anxious people. Which is in line with his goal today, to make this world a happier place to live in!
