Category: Kindness

They can have their rules, so can you..

At Delhi airport today.. in line to get coffee. Gentleman in front of me, an elderly uncle, had a flask in his hand, asked the cafe to fill it with warm water. The guy hesitated a bit, allowed hot water, then uncle also asked for a cup to take back to his wife. Cafe guy says ‘cup is chargeable, coffee leni padegi sir’

Asked the guy why? It’s a little cup? ‘Rules sir, company policy’.. so I ordered two coffees instead of one, asked him to give that empty cup to uncle. When the guy pointed at me while giving him the cup, just told uncle ‘I convinced them, it’s just a cup, should be free no?’.. uncle had a warm smile, nodded his head in agreement, and left.

Walking to boarding gate, saw uncle-aunty sitting, sharing their drink – one from flask, one in coffee cup :)

If we can do these tiny acts all around us.. that’s the kind of world we want kids to live in. There’s something above rules and regulations and policies – it’s being human.. little empathy.. little heart.

If they got rules, make your own too, little peaceful rebels we are.

On Children’s Day, keeping a promise I made months ago.. ❤️

A few months back I found this book which I loved.. something I would have totally enjoyed as a kid! So I posted on LinkedIn – if you have kids (8+ years), or just wanna explore that childhood innocence, curiosity and mindfulness again (you know how kids just live in the moment), this book is for you, and I’ll ship them as a gift

Got busy with moving houses, travel and craziness of life.. but finally today, the box of books is ready! Will ship them next week to everyone who shared their address.

Why this book? Because creativity needs to be nurtured from childhood, before education and programming slowly supresses it, the best ideas of tomorrow will happen out of innocence.. curiosity and the pursuit of possibilities..

If you weren’t on the list – highly recommend getting this book. If you’re waiting – they’re finally heading your way!

Happy Children’s Day! From the kid in me to the kid in you

The video which fed 1.5 million people..

During the lockdown days, there was a crisis on the streets. While we were tucked away in our homes, a lot of migrant workers were going back to their native places, walking all the way, scrambling for any resources to get home, without food or help.

A friend of mine, Dev Amritesh, CEO of a company which had big industrial kitchens, called me. They had sprung into action. Just like any other company during that time, they were working in crisis mode. They started creating simple meals since all the offices were closed, and these meals were being fed on the ground by local NGO support.

They created a landing page where for ₹30 per meal, anyone could contribute. They would prepare it at no profit and get it delivered on the ground.

He called me to see if I could create a video. Me and my wife made this, and spent ₹350 making it. One of those lockdown moments of just teaming up after washing the dishes and cooking the food to create this video.

This video sent 10,000 people to the landing page (from instagram) with-in days and 1.5 million people were fed. I look back on this with a heavy heart and hope.. something I always remember – the power of content and storytelling to inspire action, which directly helped someone in need.

UPDATE: Comments on Linkedin Post

Dev Amritesh
Compass Group Chief Strategy Enablement officer

This brought back many memories Aashish Chopra. A great example of how crisis gets people together. And how to create impact sometimes all it takes determination and timely intervention. Lots of people played a huge role in making this happen and I remember each ones contribution fondly. Richa S. Ashwani Vohra MALABIKA GUPTA Arjyo Banerjee Abhishek A Keyur Shah Manish Mamtani Munish Sharma Supriyo Dasgupta Bhaskar NM Sriharsha M.


Aashish Nanavati
Growth-Focused Fractional CMO | Data-Driven Digital Marketing Strategist | Building Thriving Businesses Globally

Aashish what an inspiring story! This is such a powerful reminder of how meaningful impact can come from simple actions, especially in times of crisis. The fact that a ₹350 video could help feed 1.5 million people shows the true power of storytelling and the impact of collaboration. It’s heartwarming to see how creativity and purpose can come together to drive real change. Kudos to you, your wife, Dev, and everyone involved for stepping up when it was most needed. Stories like this restore faith in humanity

How can you reignite your creative spark?

Prioritize fun! Great creative output is always an outcome of fun, freedom, and happiness – not the other way around. The more you’re having fun, the more your mind flows freely. Ideas happen when dots connect naturally.

You can’t force it. Just go for a walk, play a game, chat with a friend. What’s that one activity that gives you joy? Do that for 30-60 minutes and come back fresh.

Creative roles aren’t like traditional jobs. Your success depends on the quality of ideas you produce. And that’s always an outcome of fun, freedom, and happiness.

I remember working on a video once.. which went on to become the one with highest engagement in Asia a few years back… Before we finalised it, we just took a break for a few hours.. filming slow-motion shots of toy cars falling off the table For an hour we made Hollywood style footage with our phones.. After that, we got back to work.

About deadlines, break projects into manageable chunks with mini-deadlines, one brick at a time. Don’t get overwhelmed about building the entire wall. You need progress, not perfection. Celebrate the tiny wins. The more it seems like an adventure, the less overwhelmed you’ll feel.

In my experience, the best ideas come when you’re not trying so hard. So loosen up, have fun, and let creativity flow!

How small actions can have big impact

Driving down golf course today in Gurgaon, saw an unconscious man on the divider, with half his body on the road, with speeding cars swishing by inches from his legs… took a u turn, to make sure I saw it right.. and there he was… went about the road.. put blinkers on and stopped next to him (with chaos of cars honking behind me)..

I feared if he was okay, shouted in the bustling noise of the traffic.. ‘bhai theek ho’.. he seemed to have fainted.. sat next to him.. shook his shoulders and kept talking to him.. few cars stopped.. a person came and offered water.. another came and helped him sit.. and splashed water on his face.. he was okay.. either too drunk or intoxicated.. he was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black pants, worked for an office nearby it seems. Me and the other person who helped, made him stand.. and took him far away from the speeding cars.. made him sit in shade.. he was ok now.. mumbling but ok. After it seemed he had collected himself.. we left..

It’s easy to brush or ignore someone aside, thinking.. ‘oh he’s drunk’, but who are we to judge what a person is going through, also observed that no ones stops to help.. but.. when they see someone take an initiative to help.. cars stop.. people come forward.. and in that moment.. it seems we’re all one, there for each other…

So, next time you see someone in need of help, you’re not alone.. and it won’t become your problem.. take the initiative to help.. coz when you stop to help.. magically.. others will show up.. and we together we take care of each other.. like one big family, and your small action.. can snowball into big impact.