September 10th, 2023 – It was just another lazy Sunday. My constant thoughts about my father’s health had come to a calming halt as he’d returned to normalcy after several weeks.
My urges to fly to the US and attend the SaaSBoomi Caravan had also found their peace, as the event had kick-started in the most energetic way possible with my comrades doing the needful, on-ground. This feeling was short-lived, as some founders reached out to me after getting to know that I wasn’t going to be present at the event. They filled me in with so many details and why this edition of Caravan was unmissable. I couldn’t put my heart to rest.
Knowing well about my jittery body language and an anxiety-fueled face when I’m unable to make decisions, my wife Anjali sat me down by the couch and asked me to open my bag of thoughts. I did so, as I always have. She made me take the very next flight from Delhi to SFO, assuring me of a stable situation at home. I acted without much deliberation and it turned out to be unimaginable.
The following week turned out to be magical, to say the least. I felt at home although I was very far away, under a roof that hosted 225+ SaaS founders. The energy, pay-it-forward spirit, the hunger to learn, exchange knowledge, and networking with the idea of uplifting others and creating new opportunities; all of this skyrocketed me and my team’s morale to another orbit. It was easily one of the most memorable days of my year, thus far.
Returning to Delhi, things were still in control at home. I began to reassure myself that I was overthinking the scenario. That my usual hustle had to continue undisturbed. My jet-lag seemed too trivial. I immediately packed my bags for Chennai to set the ball rolling for SaaSBoomi Annual 2024 – our biggest and most definitive annual event yet!
My meeting with Suresh and other tribe members unfolded like poetry. It was 24 hours of unbelievable progress. I subsequently took an early morning train from Chennai and carried the productivity to Bangalore. Progress remained rock solid.
As I boarded my flight to Delhi from Bangalore, I comfortably arrived at the conclusion that it’s not just the cosmos or a supreme power that works in mysterious ways to make things happen. That it’s, in fact, the support that you derive from the people around you. Your wife, your parents, your children, your pet dog or cat, any friend you consider a family, all working in tandem to somehow accommodate you and your priorities in their timeline. All those unsung Founders and CEOs who are consistently compromising a part of themselves so that you can uncompromise yours.
I was back at home with a mindset filled with happiness and gratitude towards how the past two weeks had gone by. My father’s steady health made sure that I enjoyed this feeling overnight.
25th September, 2023 – My father breathed his last during the early hours of the day, at home. It seemed like he waited for me to execute my responsibilities successfully and return home with a content heart. It seemed like my hypothesis about the unsung Founders and CEOs was approved by the cosmos.
It seemed like my father was always there for me all along without telling me so. This is an ode to all those unsung Founders and CEOs in our lives.
This is an ode to Dr. S. P. S. Raghava whose graciousness, compassion, and the ability to fuel togetherness among people remains eternally etched in the skies.
May your soul rest in peace, Papa. May you be well and bless us abundantly.
Godspeed!
Sincerely,
Avinash Raghava
