5 People Who Challenged Hustle Culture, Quit The Rat Race & Left Us Inspired

Here’s celebrating this spirit of freedom and passion with stories of individuals who have gone against the hustle culture to chase their dreams.

By Shivani Gupta

February 13, 2023

This article has been sponsored by Buda Jeans Co.

For the youth, success is often defined by the hustle culture. Their careers are built on the foundation that life is short and that in order to be successful, one needs a massive push.

Buda Jeans Co. — a premium denim and lifestyle brand from the house of AJIO — is challenging the idea of hustle. It promotes the idea of living in the moment and working on the philosophy of ‘Planet Easy’ [the brand’s tagline], where everyone is welcome. A world that has peace at its core, where minimalism is valued, and simplicity of design is fashionable.

“We are witnessing a rise of people who want to lead a life that is relatively slower, more meaningful, and easier going. In a world that’s always on the go, the new consumer’s attitude is to plug out of the noise and enjoy their ‘me-time’,” says Vineeth Nair, CEO of AJIO.

As a brand, Buda Jeans Co. had to craft a path that was either a slice of old or chooses a road that was never explored. The brand targets people who don’t aspire to be part of the daily rat race, and instead, want to peacefully enjoy life. People who have given up the hustle of professional life to focus on their passions.

Buda Jean Co. released a video featuring stories of people who gave up the rat race to work in peace, with a calm mind, and a happy heart — far from the chaos of concrete jungles. They take meetings from the middle of the lake and lead a work-life without a calendar full of appointments. They follow the call of their quirks.

Here’s celebrating this spirit of freedom and passion with stories of individuals who have gone against the hustle culture to chase their dreams:

Ruchi and Deepak are travelling across the country in a caravan; Picture courtesy: Ruchi and Deepak Pandey.

1. College sweethearts Deepak and Ruchi Pandey have shared a love for travelling since they first met in college in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. They converted a tempo traveller into a customised caravan to explore India in their ‘home on wheels’. The couple believes that “jobs fill our pockets, but adventure fills our souls”. So far, they have taken four trips in their van — to Leh and Ladakh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat — and plan to travel to 40 countries on the caravan.

Avinash Patnaik participated in MasterChef India — Avinash combines his passion for food and flowers by recreating traditional Odisha dishes with edible flowers; Picture courtesy: Avinash Patnaik

2. Avinash Patnaik from Odisha quit his job as an agriculture officer to pursue his love for flowers and food. People mocked him saying he had lost his mind, but he stood his ground. He believes that “we only get one life; after 30 years when we are old, there should be no regrets”. Today, Avinash is among the top 12 participants on MasterChef India Season 7, where he puts floral spins on Odisha’s traditional cuisine.

Santanu Hazarika, the doodle artist who quit engineering — Santanu followed his passion for art and is today a freelance doodle artist and illustrator; Picture courtesy: Santanu Hazarika

3. Assam’s Santanu Hazarika quit engineering in his last year to fulfil his dream of pursuing art. He was deeply disinterested in the mechanical engineering course, which he was only pursuing to be socially acceptable. But, his true passion always lay in art, so he started posting his artwork on social media, which got him some commissioned work. “What gave me a semblance of acceptance amongst my peers was my ability to draw,” says Santanu. Today, he is a freelance doodle artist and illustrator, and has worked with clients like Red Bull International, Reebok, Adidas, Amazon Prime, Converse, etc.

Anindita Chatterjee, a new mom and travel content creator, travelled extensively while pregnant — Anindita Chatterjee, a new mom and travel content creator travelled extensively while pregnant; Picture courtesy: Anindita Chatterjee

4. Mumbai’s Anindita Chatterjee is a travel content creator. When she was pregnant at the age of 40, she had already travelled to 68 countries. One of the preconceived notions about pregnancy is that women shouldn’t travel. By shattering these myths, Anindita planned a complete 45-day babymoon to Colombia, Mexico, Aruba, and Curacao. She floated in a mud volcano in Colombia, snorkelled, walked almost 10 km daily, and hiked. She has already taken her one-year-old daughter to 10 countries. She believes women should not give up on their passion because they are pregnant or have a baby.

Ekta turned her gardening hobby into a full-fledged business called Garden Up; Picture courtesy: Dr Ekta Chaudhary

5. Mumbai’s Dr Ekta Chaudhary transformed her hobby of gardening into a business when she launched her venture ‘Garden Up’. She has over 1.4 million subscribers on YouTube. She has become one of India’s favourite gardening creators, who talks about gardening tips and tricks which are often backed by science. She is also mindful of the many benefits of gardening, from curbing anxiety and stress to offering relaxation and being a fun and inexpensive hobby.

Edited by Pranita Bhat

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