Ankit Jhamb, a seasoned professional in the space of psychology, a natural storyteller, and supremely passionate at heart for the cause of mental health. These are the three ingredients that go into all his writings and books.
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Who are you not to be?
For a large part of his life, he kept asking himself, “who am I to be brilliant or talented?” Until one day when out of his sheer frustration he asked, “who am I not be?”
That pretty much sums up the story of Ankit Jhamb. A Delhi-based author who is churning out books that are helping people find their passion, heal themselves, and offer hope and faith in current times of distress.
To your shock and surprise, with two books already in the market, the third one ready to be launched, he has four more manuscripts in the queue to be published. The 36-year-old author who started his writing journey in 2019, picked up the pace in 2020 has written seven stories in the last 2 and a half years. And that’s not all, like most of us he has a full-time job with one of the largest consulting organizations.
When questioned about his secret sauce and the purpose of his writing, he innocently smiles and says, “it’s a mix of the grace of creative forces and the discipline to show up to the cause of writing at least four times a week.”
He further added that each of his books has a heart, a heart that beats for a cause. The cause could be love, pain, tragedy, creativity, religion, or human behavior. These are not just stories; it is a sincere attempt to uplift human consciousness by either demystifying human behavior or by spreading the essence of spirituality.
His first book, “Lost and Found at 35” is a story of a 35-year-old man called Arjun who fights his depression by uplifting the quality of life by reclaiming his passion from the jaws of routine and social conditioning.
A seasoned professional in the space of psychology, a natural storyteller, and supremely passionate at heart for the cause of mental health. These are the three ingredients that go into all his writings and books.
Both the books have an element of pain, misery, depression, and grief but at the same time, the lives and journeys of the characters offer hope, perspective, wisdom, and the will to fight.
And his second book, “Lights please” is based on a true incident, a real-time account of the tragic and painful lives of Indu and Nitin, a mother and son relationship. Indu gets diagnosed with cancer and Nitin struggles to save her life. The book is about Nitin’s struggle with the loss of his parents, his hopeless fight against his mother’s cancer, getting sucked into alcohol to fight his trauma, and ending up on his death bed with Stage 3 of Liver dysfunction.
When asked about his third book “Chasing Fireflies” which is scheduled to release in the month of September 2021, he said, “it’s a very unique way to look at love, especially when one is in the last few years of his/her life. An intriguing narrative of how love fades away and needs to be rescued from the noise of daily chores so that the trust in love stays intact.
The very interesting life of Ankit doesn’t just end with books, he also runs a social initiative by the name of “AAO KHILAYEIN”. The initiative has been feeding, offering medical treatment, and sponsoring child education. He along with his volunteers have been serving the needy since 2016. He launched AAO KHILAYEIN Covid helpline in the year 2020 and then in 2021, the idea was to enable the underprivileged sections to reach out and ask for ration, medical supplies etc. They catered to more than 2000 people in the few months of lockdown and economic distress.
When asked about how he juggles multiple priorities, he laughs and says, “there is a time and place for everything.” In his self-depreciating humor, he explains, “In my 20s, I mastered the art of wasting time and hence now I know how to make most of my time.”
He is honest, authentic, and genuine in his conversation. A fantastic speaker, impactful articulation with a calm and balanced demeanor. Ankit Jhamb is on his way to be India’s own Paulo Coelho. He is a man with creativity in blood, a sense of responsibility on his shoulders, and humility in his eyes.
About the author
Ankit Jhamb is a senior leader working with one of the Big 4 consulting firms. He has spent the last 14 years coaching and developing people. He has special expertise in common mental disorders and emotional intelligence. Alongside his job he runs an NGO by the name of Aao khilayein and also writes books. With a degree in psychology and vast experience in corporates he also acts as an advisor to BRICS Chambers of Commerce.
Disclaimer : Content of the interview is published with author’s consent.