Against All Odds: The Life Of Kishore V. Sonpal

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This is the remarkable story of a man who broke through shackles of poverty and scaled the heights of perfection in different fields.

Kishore V. Sonpal's life depicts the triumph of hope and confidence over adversity and obstacles. All through his life, he built a legacy of simplicity, spirituality and integrity, leaving behind an indelible impression on countless lives.

Born at a time when his father had gone bankrupt, Kishore had a tough childhood. After being schooled in municipal schools, he self-funded his engineering. Deeply influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda, he lived his life on the principles of simplicity and truthfulness. In five decades of professional life, he transformed the rusty ways in both public sector as well as private companies that he worked with; joined a startup in an alien domain in his fifties; and shunned a retired life to help sharpen young minds in his seventies. He also survived two pandemics and narrowly escaped death multiple times.

Written engagingly by his son, Hetal Sonpal, this awe-inducing book describes how his father overcame numerous challenges to create extraordinary memories and learnings for a fulfilling life.

In a narrative written with searing honesty, Hetal weaves together a string of life- changing experiences and creates at mesmerising ode to his father. This is a truly riveting read that will inspire readers, both young and old, to boldly face challenges and not give up in times of adversity.

Born in Bhopal in 1974, Hetal Sonpal is a dynamic and accomplished business leader with more than two decades in the tech industry. An alumnus of NMIMS, Mumbai, Hetal has worked in senior management roles across Asia for Wipro, Microsoft, LinkedIn and Intel.

Hetal is a startup evangelist and prominent angel investor with a portfolio of startups across different segments of business, enterprise and consumer. As a 'Mentor of Change' for Niti Aayog, he mentors school children on various aspects of innovation. He is also a motivational speaker and has spoken at many prominent business schools and universities across India.

Hetal writes articles on LinkedIn, osdotme and many other online platforms. He is a voracious reader and an avid marathoner.

Sometime in June 2019, Lata called her son, Hetal in Gurgaon and informed him that Kishore's appetite had reduced. His father had become frail, lacked energy and slept for fourteen/ fifteen hours every day. Hetal immediately suggested that Lata get a blood test done for Kishore.

The test report showed that his platelet count was low, so the doctor suggested further tests. Subsequent tests confirmed what was feared. Kishore had late-stage prostate cancer. Hetal received the report over an email, and tried in vain to decipher the technical terms below the high-resolution images of his father's body. Hetal then spoke to the family physician about the report, who suggested palliative treatment. The term was new to Hetal and his jaw dropped when the search results were displayed on the computer, Care for the terminally ill. Hetal was dumbstruck and muttered, 'No, I won't let cancer take my Pappa away'.

Hetal immediately booked a flight to Coimbatore, and flew out the next day. An appointment was fixed with an oncologist. The doctor reviewed Kishore's reports and suggested hormone therapy as the first stage of treatment. Cancer thrives on hormones in the body and the injection would stop the body from producing any more of them.

While they were all waiting for the injection to be administered, Hetal said something that lit up Kishore's face and brought a sparkle in his eyes. He said, 'You have to help me write your biography!

Usually, only the lives of great men are recorded; only in exceptional cases are the lives of certain ordinary people also recorded and captured in the form of a book. These books tell stories of the extraordinary way in which they lived their life and impacted the lives of many others. Their life lessons become valuable and educate future generations. Shri Sonpal was one such person.

I was very pleased when Shri Sonpal's son, Hetal, approached me to write the foreword to Shri Sonpal's biography. The story of a man like Shri Sonpal should be known and shared for others to learn from. Through this book, Hetal has brought Shri Sonpal back to life. Against All Odds describes intricate details about the challenges Shri Sonpal faced in his childhood, funding his own engineering and then shares the story of his fifty-year-long professional career, where he served various organisations with integrity, valour and a great deal of hard work. He was a man of integrity and total devotion, and the various instances in his life shared in this biography, further describe how he did not compromise on his principles, despite all the hardships he had to face.

Book's Contents and Sample Pages