Pay it FWD: The metamorphosis of Sachin Bhatia
I heard of Sachin Bhatia in 2006. It was a passing mention from someone who worked with him. The Internet and social media had not matured to what it has now, so, when you heard of someone, you just heard of someone.
But a few years later, I was introduced to Sachin. He was neatly dressed, with close-cropped dark hair, a polite smile, and quiet. It struck me how quiet he was. Many people mistake being quiet for being underconfident. Sachin wasn’t missing confidence; he was missing knowledge. And at the time, all he was doing was learning.
At every meeting, Sachin would act like a sponge, absorbing and processing information. Be it at my previous avatars at Nasscom or iSPIRT, I would always bump into Sachin, and he would be considerate, he would avoid forceful or loud tones. He would speak to his peers or juniors in the same gentle, unique voice. For many of us watching Sachin, he looked like a spirit that needed to be nurtured.
How wrong I was.
While we saw a quiet, timid young man, a confident beast was lurking underneath the surface. In 2017, I saw a new face of Sachin. Let me set the scene for you. It was the end of one of our events in Mysore and Sachin had turned into a mainstay at these events. He was by himself having a drink. I walked up to him and we struck up a conversation. As the drinks flowed, the true Sachin started to reveal himself. A confident, funny, and smart man emerged. As he opened up, more people gathered around him. By the end of the party, Sachin owned the room.
This would have usually been the end of the story if this was a film, but this was just the end of the first act. Sachin became the butterfly he was destined to be. In 2018, Sachin’s transformation was complete. From a shy young man who occasionally unshackled himself when fueled by liquid courage, he turned into a self-assured man, who spoke with authority and purpose. When he spoke, people listened. His clear and concise way of speaking hasn’t changed but his words now are more impactful.
As his personality grew, so did his hair. The close-cropped hair grew out to a thick ponytail. His soft voice was replaced by a booming baritone, but one thing didn’t change. Sachin didn’t stop learning.
Sachin’s relationship with SaaSBoomi has evolved significantly. He started as a learner and now he’s a teacher. In 2019, I wanted to test how far Sachin had come in his journey and suggested that he turn coach for our community. Sachin didn’t hesitate. Thus was born SGX.
Sachin, Mrigank, and a few other founders curated every part of the two editions of SGX together. But it is Sachin who threw himself into it. From where the participants would sit, to the content we would discuss, he was involved in everything. And with founders who needed help, he would stay back late into the night. Every conversation was a learning opportunity and he would retool every session so that founders could make the most of their time. There have been days when he hasn’t been involved in an event but would join via video to assist whenever needed. SGX is on its sixth edition and Sachin has laid most of the groundwork for it.
But it’s not just Sachin’s deep thinking, that has found champions, it is also his problem-solving skills that are utilized across SaaSBoomi. He is larger than SGX within SaaSBoomi. There is now not a single event within our community that doesn’t have Sachin playing a role.
But Sachin’s true metamorphosis also stems from how he has let his guard down. It’s not just his voice that has more gravitas now, it is also his personality. At an event in Goa, a founder was playing the guitar. We were a few drinks in and the mood was still quiet. Too quiet for Sachin, he encouraged the founder by keeping beat with him on the table. As the founder got louder so did Sachin. And not once did Sachin break the rhythm. I was afraid the table wouldn’t make it to the end of the song. The table did and once the song was complete, Sachin and the founder were deep in conversation with each other for a while.
That is Sachin in a nutshell. He can study microexpressions and pick up on what you need, a loud thump to get you going or a quiet direction, he is capable of it all. His ability to marry strategic insight with tactical know-how is unparalleled. As a human being, he is kind, patient, and observant.
Sachin now allows himself to let down his hair — literally and figuratively. He is much more vocal in how he thinks and how he feels. Sachin doesn’t hold back. Not anymore. I feel like I have watched Sachin grow from a child to a man. I feel he has another level hidden within him — that of a mentor. The Bhishma Pitamah of SaaSBoomi SGx is a title he will own in the future, I am sure of it.
Thanks for everything, Sachin. We love dancing to your drum beat and I hope you have more tunes hidden in that playbook of yours.
