Make Your Own Destiny. He knows how.

1+1 = 11. In other words, do more with less, and not less with more. That’s how Kishore Joseph defines the power of an ordinary person to do extraordinary big – and get others to be over-achievers too.Kishore Joseph was felicitated with the Rex Karmaveer Global
Fellowship Award at an awards meet convened by iCONGO Rex International Confederation of NGOs on March 23 in Delhi. This award under Social Entrepreneur category is given to ordinary people achieving something extraordinary in their life.

Kishore is well, just like any of us. No godfather, no, money, no resources, no political patronage, no nothing (well, almost).

Twenty years ago he was just a face in the crowd.

Today he juggles many avatars. Kishore is the promoter of This Week Group of Online News Portal, one of India’s fastest growing online publications, which brings out the following editions, thisweekdelhi.com, thisweekbangalore.com, thisweekhyderabad.com, thisweekguwahati.com, thisweekchennai.com, mumbaithisweek.com.

He is also State Convener, Vande Mataram Social & Cultural Trust Bangalore, Trustee, Omashram Trust – Old Age Care, Founder Managing Trustee – Joseph Welfare Trust, PR Consultant for Don Bosco, Guwahati, Love Dale, Aaryan Foundation, Mahesh Foundation, Director, Breathe Entertainment, an event and brand management company, a social worker, event manager, strategy consultant, counsellor, and amateur music composer and tabla player.

He has almost singlehandedly organized events that have a shot at gaining an entry into the Limca Book of Records and international events like the Cricket world cup for the Blind in Bengaluru.  Another mega event he organized, viz. Colorothon, a mammoth painting extravaganza in which several thousand people of all age-groups participated, is awaiting a prospective entry into the Guinness Book of Records.

Imagine publishing seven news portals in major metros, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati and Hyderabad, without an office and virtually as a social entrepreneur!

Query him about how he did so much with so little, and he says in a matter of fact way so typical of him that the ultimate leveller in life is attitude. Life is not about what you have or don’t have but about what you do with it, is his take.

And yes, he’s still a face in the crowd.

Prod him further to throw some light on his admirable achievements and he deadpans, “My achievements or whatever you want to call them is not the real me.”

The real Kishore is a story waiting to be told.

As a young lad, Kishore did not have the luxury of dreaming big. He was just content with whatever came his way in life. Not that he was merely a lame spectator. He just did what he had to do and then moved on.

To be sort of detached or unruffled about what’s going to happen, is actually easier said than done, and mostly happens between the covers of a self-help book.

But he has this rare quality which he considers as a blessing from his hero, his father Joseph, a musician and a fan of the legendary Kishore Kumar (that’s how he got his name).

Slowly, he grasped the beauty of this rare quality in him and then it became his own talisman in life. He went through a lot of hell those growing up days, but all this only steeled him further to overcome all kinds of hurdles and significantly, overcome a fear of failure. “You fail only to learn more,” is a quote which he could well have said.

Maybe, when you live in the moment, when you don’t think of failure, things fall in place as if events in life sort themselves out.

As a youngster, Kishore used to dabble in real estate when he came in contact with two strangers who went on to become his mentors. Life changed almost overnight. Soon, he went on to start a neighbourhood tabloid and grew it into a multi-city national online publication.

Slowly but steadily, Kishore diversified – or rather was drawn into the domain of social service, working with NGOs, social workers, and service organizations working for the differently abled, etc.

The common thread in all his endeavours is the passion to put a smile on a person’s face. “I believe my destiny is to work for the welfare of the common people, especially those who are in need,” he says, and adds it makes him feel like a million dollars!

His mentor friend , Muralidharan, relates an experience. “A mentally deficient youth spent one of the best times in his life when he met Kishore because of the way he interacted with him. That ability to connect with different kinds of people at their level is something very special in him.”

For all those who think life is unfair, Kishore Joseph is an example of how to deal with it – with a smile.