Unconventional Pathways: A Man’s Journey of Self-Discovery through 28 States
At the age of 28, a critical turning point in one's life, Jubanashwa Mishra embarked on an extraordinary adventure instead of succumbing to societal expectations of settling down. Having realised he was in the wrong job and failed to move on from his unrequited love, he knew he needed a change. Taking inspiration from Sean Aiken, who explored 52 different jobs across Canada and the USA, Jubanashwa set out on a journey spanning 28 weeks and 28 states in India. His aim was to discover his true passion by immersing himself in a diverse range of occupations.
This captivating book chronicles Jubanashwa's 25,000-kilometre odyssey. As readers, we accompany him on his travels and delve into the experiences of managing a small hotel in Udaipur, cleaning hillsides in Dharamshala, performing cremations on the ghats of Varanasi, selling condoms in Bihar's villages, and peanuts on Chennai's Marina beach. We witness him assisting a caregiver tending to HIV-positive patients in Shillong, indulging in river-rafting adventures in Jammu and Kashmir, and aiding a tattoo artist in Goa and a motorbike mechanic in Aizawl. Along the way, he encounters a myriad of fascinating individuals, including Buddhist monks, Aghori sadhus, Naxalites, Bollywood publicists, drug dealers, and aged hippies. And in a momentary reunion, he crosses paths once again with Sameen, the woman who had captured his heart.
With a blend of humour, emotional depth, and captivating storytelling, this memoir-travelogue serves as a testament to a young man's extraordinary journey of self-discovery. It serves as an inspiration for anyone who dares to take risks in life and follow their dreams.
Recently, My City Links caught up with Mishra. Below are the excerpts.
Q- Where are you from and where do you live?
A- I am from Sonepur, Subarnapur district of Western part of Odisha. The place is often known as the Varanasi of Odisha because of its 108 temples and its location by the bank of Mahanadi. It is also a haven for Odisha’s art and literary creations and handloom work. Right now I am staying in Bhubaneswar.
Q- When one comes to know about your journey, the first question that pops to mind is why? Would you please share that with us?
A- It was an experiential journey that I took in 2013 to explore passion in profession. The objective of the journey was to inspire the youngsters to choose a profession driven by their passion. I was inspired by the journey of Sean Aiken who took a similar journey in Canada.
Q- What is your educational background and how important was that in securing all 28 jobs across India?
A- I was an engineering graduate with an MBA in communication management from MICA Ahmedabad when I embarked on this journey. No, it did not help, rather, it backfired as people were hesitant to offer menial jobs to a post graduate. At the same time, my media contacts and circle did help me in securing some of the jobs for example when I did Bollywood marketing with SPICE PR, worked with Indianroots.com- the ethnic division of NDTV retail.
Q- Some jobs that you’ve taken up during your journey, like that of a tattoo artist or a rafting trainer, must require you to have some related skill. How did you acquire those?
A- I was not skilled at these but nothing teaches you better than your experience. These experiences did not make me a skilled rafter or a tattoo artist, but I could successfully assist the people who are experts at it.
But what acted in my favour while working as a rafting assistant was my acquaintance with water and swimming as I have spent my childhood playing by the river Mahanadi. Also, I grew up amidst a culture of art, paintings, storytelling and all these are skills that come together to create interest towards tattoos.
Q- How tough was convincing employers to let you work for a week?
A- It was difficult initially. It was difficult to convince how my skills or experience would help their business vision in a week’s time, but since we were there with a message, that helped people to have faith in me and the cause of ‘discover your passion’. Slowly and gradually they were happy to be a part of the journey in their own ways. Also the initial media coverage helped in securing jobs.
Q- What was the job that you took up in Odisha?
A- I worked as a TRP analyst for Kanak TV now known as Kanak News.
Q- How did you select the job profiles that you took up in different states?
A- My aim was to try all sorts of jobs without discriminating between the nature of the work it involved. I was open to try anything I could land upon but I did have my special preferences like I wanted to work with a crocodile bank in Chennai which I could not. I also wanted to work in the gun factory of Nagaland but I could not. So my list of rejections was also pretty long compared to that of selections.
Q- Did you know you were going to write a book around your experience, or were you inspired by your journey and decided to let the world know about it by writing?
A- I always wanted to write a book and tell a story, but I had to make a story first to write one. So once I started the journey, progressed with that, I would scribble on papers to keep accounts of my experiences so that I could collate them together to put in the form of a book. I strongly believe that any exciting idea can have a shelf life, but things are different if you make it into a tangible asset. This book is an outcome of that belief.
Q- What was the toughest part of your journey?
A- I fell sick while travelling to the North East. I got travellers diarrhoea while I was in Dibrugarh, Assam. I was sick for 2 weeks with excruciating stomach bugs, nausea and diarrhoea. I often felt that I might need to give up. But then I took a break, flew back to my hometown- which was the first time I took a flight in the entire 28 week’s journey and resumed after I felt better.
Q- What are the take-away points from your experience?
A- My biggest takeaway is that your job does not signify your worth. Even the smallest of jobs can offer the biggest of experiences. And also your happiness lies in what you want to do and not your nature of work.
Q- What tips would you give to someone who reads about your journey and decides to embark on it?
A- Budhha has discovered his own path of Nirvana but he never claimed that it was the only way. With an engineering and a good management school degree, work experience and a family I could fall back on, I had taken a calculated risk with this seven month’s trip. For me it turned out as an experience of a lifetime. But you need to explore your own path and create experience your own way.
Q- What would be your advice to youngsters who are starting out their professional journeys and are imbibing the hustle culture?
A- It’s a choice whether you want to imbibe the hustle culture of metros cities, office commute, traffic or you want a life in a tier II or tier III town with lesser hassle. But then in whatever you choose, you should make sure that you are happy at the end of the day.
Q- What do you do now and are you content with it?
A- After this experiential journey, I feel I am happy with what I am doing now- running a gaming startup with a bunch of fresh and young minds. But having said that, I believe life is all about learning new things, so I am still open to more such opportunities that help me with new experiences and new learnings.
Q- Are you planning on writing a second book? If you are, will it be about a unique experience like this one, or just something completely different?
A- Yes I plan to, not very soon though. Someday I wish to write something on power play in politics.
