I spent last week in Bangalore and caught up with a founder I hadn’t seen in years.
I’ve met many founders over the years, some of them now just names in my contact list. So when I received his message, he was kind enough to give me some context, and we agreed to meet in person.
He picked me up from my hotel, hosted me for breakfast, and we got talking.
People who know me well know that I enjoy paying the bill after a meeting. It gives me a strange kind of satisfaction. Maybe even a little energy to keep doing what I do for this ecosystem.
But every now and then, the tables turn.
That morning, this founder insisted on paying the bill. And it wasn’t just the gesture that stayed with me.
It was what the moment silently said: This is my earning. And this is my way of giving back to the man who gives so much to the ecosystem.
It had been eight years since we last met. And yet, that moment reminded me that gratitude doesn’t have an expiry date.
I walked away feeling full. Not just from the breakfast, but from something else.
Because the more chais, coffees, and breakfasts I’m treated to, the more I realise it’s all a reflection of work done.
Work done without counting. Without expectation. Without keeping score.
And to be clear, I say this only as a community builder. Not someone measuring impact. Not someone puffed up with pride.
I’m not analytical by nature. I don’t run dashboards to measure what we do. I go by energy. If it feels high, that’s all that matters.
Food, after all, is fuel. And sometimes, it restores more than just your energy.
