ZALAK TRIVEDI PATEL

Zalak Patel is a native Amdavadi, explorer, and an amazing storyteller. A conversation with her will inspire you to explore the roots of your native place, know more, and even become a storyteller yourself. Experience Ahmedabad is her brainchild - a company based in Ahmedabad that enables exploration of Ahmedabad in the most authentic way possible.

What is your favourite word?
Storytelling. I believe that the universe isn't made up of atoms. It's made up of stories. And I believe that through storytelling, you are connecting yourself with other human beings. When you connect with other humans through storytelling, it means that you are understanding what they feel, think, love, fear, feel joy, and are sad about. You understand their enthusiasm and melancholy. Storytelling creates empathy and I believe that empathy is the way of life, especially in today's world.

What was the moment in your life that made you Blossom into the person you are today?
"Defeat is just a state of mind. You are not defeated until you accept it." The lesson I would tell all the kids is to never accept defeat. Every time we try something new, we will inevitably be faced with thousands of difficulties. We cannot get to a place quickly. It's a long way that'll exhaust us and make us want to give up. I am certain that we can only attain our goals if we remain strong and train our minds not to give up at any cost. When you want to give up, it's a sign that you're on the right track. All you need to do is try harder and keep going.

That was the day that I have decided to explore Ahmedabad fully first. And when I feel like I have explored all of my own city, then I'll spread my wings out and go to new places. That's how my whole journey of starting "Experience Ahmedabad" and everything I am doing now has begun.

What would you want the young boys & girls to learn from your journey?
Life is a true blessing to us. Don't force yourself to run after materialistic things. Whatever we learned in Maslow's theorem should actually be applied to our life - food, water, and air, those are all that we need to survive. Always look for that and don't stress yourself out for other things. Life is a river of fire, you just need to float and flow. Always have that attitude. Don't think about what others are doing around you, think of your own self. Take decisions for your own self and own them. Everyone's situations in life are subjective to them. Whatever you do in life, you are going to float in the river anyway, so whatever you do - dive right in.