My story is not one of uninterrupted success, but of profound failure and the slow, arduous process of rebuilding. It begins in a small village, winds through political revolution, family turmoil, addiction, and jail, and arrives here—at the beginning of a movement. This is the unfiltered story of how I found purpose in the wreckage of my past.
Chapter 1: The Roots (1991 - 1995)
Born in Bhojpur amidst the fires of a communist revolution, my life began in a family that questioned everything. My earliest memories are a blur of love, chaos, family division, and a fateful move from the hills to the plains of Damak—a journey that would set the stage for all the displacement to come.
Chapter 2: The Cage (1996 - 2010)
School and hostel life became my world. I was a good student and athlete but lived a double life. The days were for study and sports; the nights were for survival amidst bullying and abuse. It was a pressure cooker that forged resilience but also deep-seated anger, leading to a path of drugs, rebellion, and eventual suspension from school.
Chapter 3: The Search (2010 - 2016)
Adrift after school, I chased false promises. A failed attempt to join the British Army, a brief stint in a multi-level marketing scheme in Delhi, and a deepening addiction led me to my lowest point. A friend's overdose and a stint in jail became the brutal wake-up call that forced me to confront the man I had become.
Chapter 4: The Awakening (2016 - 2019)
Vipassana meditation was the turning point. In 10 days of silence, I healed years of trauma and forgave myself and the world. This clarity launched me on a new journey of volunteering and learning—from working on a truck and hitchhiking across India to becoming a school principal and exploring permaculture in Cambodia. This was the birth of The Joon Project.
Chapter 5: The Experiment (2019 - 2025)
During the COVID-19 lockdown, The Joon Project was born. On a piece of family land, we built a hub for international volunteers, local youth, and an orphanage. We hosted workshops, music sessions, and festivals—all without money, built on trust. This phase was a beautiful, chaotic experiment that taught me invaluable lessons and laid the groundwork for what would become the Hunate Movement.