3 Life and Coding Lessons You Can Learn From Planting 10,000 Trees
10,000 Trees, Delicious Food, and Star Wars: All About Nishant, Technical Architect and iOS Chapter Lead at OLX
“I’ve planted 10,000 trees across farms in India. It’s part of a project I do with friends during my vacation,” states Nishant.
For Nishant, making the most of his time outside OLX Group is important. It’s about finding enjoyment, fulfillment, and inspiration.
“That’s why I plant trees! I like trees and they last generations and do good for the earth.”
In our first post with Nishant, we learned all about Nishant’s engineering career and the work he does at OLX Group. In this second post, we learn about his personal life and what inspires him.
For each mini-story section, we’ve included a tree to represent different aspects of Nishant’s personal endeavors and motivations. We hope the trees energize you to pursue great things.
Banyan Tree
What the Banyan Tree symbolizes: Immortality, longevity, and the fulfillment of wishes
“I love planting trees so much that I started an NGO with my friends in my hometown. Each year, I spend one month planting trees during the rainy season,” describes Nishant.
Nishant’s hometown is the Bhind District of the Chambal region in the state of Madhya Pradesh. In the village, Nishant and his friends go to each farm and discuss the benefits of planting more trees on their land.
“We also provide money to the farmers for planting the tree. It helps the farmers make their operation more sustainable and greenifies their land.”
The NGO is self-funded by Nishant and his friends. It’s their passion and their way of delivering long-term benefits to the village.
“We plant the Peepal Tree, which is a great oxygen producer and lives for 1,000 years. We plant the Ashoka Tree, which has lots of medicinal use. We also plant the Neem Tree, and that has health uses as well.”
“We also try to dedicate these trees to family members. That way it establishes a personal connection,” adds Nishant.
What’s interesting about Nishant’s NGO is that the members come from a diverse array of backgrounds. Nishant comes from an engineering background, and others work in business, healthcare, education, and research.
“We find time to come together and use our different skills to do something meaningful. I see our NGO as like a Banyan Tree. We plant trees that will last for generations and help fulfill wishes for people to have a prosperous, better life.”
Birch Tree
What the Birch Tree symbolizes: New beginnings, hope, and renewal
“If I go back to the beginning, it really just began with opening my computer and playing with the motherboard and different parts and processors. In college, I installed 16 operating systems on one computer — just to learn,” tells Nishant.
If you remember from our first post on Nishant, we covered how he learned by diving in and playing with the tools.
“If there’s one thing I could tell my childhood self, it would be to learn programming earlier because I could have spent more time just playing with code. I still try to maintain that child-like imagination so that I can innovate.”
That’s a great point about play and thinking like a kid. Research shows that having a child-like imagination leads to significantly higher levels of creative originality. One university study found that adults who were told to act like they were seven years old were able to think more creatively.
As the researchers put it, “prepare like an adult but act like a kid.”
For Nishant, that chance to research, experiment, and create with new tools is important. He likes to see how his work makes an impact.
“I joined OLX Group for a new beginning, to make a bigger impact. What we can achieve here isn’t limited. You get the chance to work with the latest iOS tools, explore new features, and see how your work delivers tangible results for the company.”
Nishant’s outlook has served him well during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s helped his team keep up the hope and positivity.
“We make sure to rejuvenate and renew ourselves. We have Friday hangout sessions where we get to know one another better. We also continue to find ways to work together more efficiently in this new reality.”
The art of reinvigoration extends to Nishant’s hobbies and interests. It’s why he helps others by planting trees. It improves his emotional well-being.
“And I must say, I also enjoy a delicious meal. Good food can awaken the body, mind, and soul.”
Coconut Tree
What the Coconut Tree symbolizes: the Tropics, life, and exploration
Journey to Karim’s, a restaurant in Delhi near the Jama Masjid Mosque. Experience amazing smells of seekh kebab cooking over an open flame and the scene of happy faces enjoying a meal. And you’ll see why Karim’s is arguably the most famous culinary destination in Delhi.
“Karim’s has been operating since 1913,” states Nishant. “I love going to all the old restaurants and street food stalls in Delhi after work.”
One fascinating tidbit from Nishant’s past is that he spent a lot of time with the founders of a company that organized food tours (that required tasting a lot of food….). The company, called Eatlo, now offers hand-picked meals from some of India’s finest chefs.
“One of our best tours is of Chandni Chowk, which is a food hub in Old Delhi. The area is famous for authentic ancient cuisines. Other great regions to do food treks in India include Rajasthan and Indore.”
For Nishant, searching for great food is an exploration that never ends. It’s much like his quest to continue learning about iOS architecture and engineering.
“You always find something that surprises you when you’re trying a new food or examining a new iOS feature. Those surprises keep you energized. It’s like watching horror movies, which I love by the way. Check out The Grudge! The suspense and the surprises in the film keep you on your toes.”
To a galaxy far, far away…
That concludes our talk with Nishant. We hope you enjoyed learning about trees and how they can be a powerful metaphor and inspiration for our lives.
When Nishant isn’t at work, planting 10,000 trees, or enjoying delicious food, you may find him watching Star Wars. It all fits in with his philosophy on life.
“I love the journey in everything. And I think that’s why I’ve always liked Star Wars. As they say, ‘To a galaxy far, far away.’”
So, the journey continues for Nishant…
