I launched eSamskriti, midway through my corporate career. I’m a chartered accountant by education and I’ve worked with Hindustan Lever, ITC Classic and Star TV, in a career spanning a decade and a half. In 1998, I went on a Kailash Mansarovar yatra—and that changed the course of my life. Since then, I have been single mindedly focussed on promoting Indian culture, spirituality and travel.

What happened at Kailash Manrovar? During the five day drive from Kathmandu to Mansrovar I was amongst the most talkative members in the group. After a 50 odd km trek of Mount Kailash, I was quiet during the return journey. Cannot say what happened exactly. Deep within felt very content and happy to have visited the abode of Shivji.

As I read the question that came uppermost to my mind was - do I want to share this knowledge or carry it with me to the next birth? Based on readings compiled precis on specific subjects, for e.g. India's influence on South-east Asia, that were mailed to friends.

As the number of essays increased a dear friend, Niket Vaidya who ran a web company, offered to design the site. Not knowing what name to keep spoke to Swami Atmananda, a student of Swami Chinmayanandaji, whom I had met once and exchanged mails. He suggested eSamskriti.com, samskriti for culture and e for enabled.

The précis horned my writing skills and prepared me for something that was to unfold. I got an opportunity to write for a newspaper in 2003. Then, there was a controversy on investment by foreign media companies in Indian News Channels. A former colleague, Probir Roy, suggested I write on the existing legal framework since was amongst the few professionals who knew the existing legal framework and was not employed by a media company or a Big Four accounting firm. That is how my first article was published in the Business Standard.

Pictures of Kiradu Temples Bikaner were published by the prestigious MARWAR magazine. Whilst writing for other publications, eSamskriti kept growing with articles and pictures. The site was redesigned and launched in 2009.The new design was an instant hit.

Many wrote for the site and contributed to making the site what it is today. The number of sections grew to over twenty.

Looking back wonder how did I get the idea and confidence to do these drive through trips? Here must give credit to my dear wife Aparna. We did three memorable trips that helped me conceptualise such road trips. The first was to Ujjain and Omkareshwar, the second to Mewar ie Udaipur and around. The last one was Gwalior, Jhansi, Orcha, Khajuraho, Prayag and Kashi. Since she was born in the holy city of Ujjain, she is strongly connected with Bharat unlike me a big town boy.