An ode to all incredible mentors out there.

The most memorable mentoring sessions I ever had as a mentee were often those unplanned, informal meetings when I was least expecting the mentors to pour their wisdom onto me. Even better ones were often those conversations during or after a great meal/drink together. And the best ones were when I visited some of them at their homes. In fact, none of them ever had any set mentoring hours or have sent me an invitation for a mentoring session.

With some of my mentors, I have had more than a decade long active and passive yet healthy relationships. I am truly honoured to have mentors like Immanuel suresh(Prof. National Insititute of Design, Visual Communication Designer), Sanjeev Chatterjee (Prof. University of Miami, Renowned Documentary filmmaker), Skip Battaglia (Prof. Rochester Institute of Technology, renowned animation filmmaker), Ron Diamond(Founder of Acme Filmworks, Co-Founder Animation World Network, Executive producer of animated movies). And in their shadow, I feel there is a long way to go for me to be even close enough to be a mentor like them.

If one thing I found common in all of them, it is this- they are all great storytellers. They never had quick fixes or shortcut solutions to my problems, even if they did, the only thing I remember is the inspiring stories they tell about the immense possibilities that I could relate with and make me believe in myself. I still continue to nibble and munch on those stories for the wisdom they carry, and every time I go back it makes more and more sense.