Chapter 4: The Spark Ignites
Delhi – February 17, 2009 – 4:45 AM
The city still slept when Shiva awoke, the air outside his window thick with mist and the distant hum of a milkman's bicycle bell. The world felt paused, silent, like a chessboard before the first move. Shiva sat cross-legged on his bed, his laptop open before him, displaying the Bitcoin client. Blocks were being solved slowly; each success felt like he was mining a brick for the foundation of an empire.
Today, he would add fuel to the fire he had kindled.
He flipped open his notepad again, where the first few pages were already full of frantic scribbles. Every word, every line, was a part of the blueprint for the future—his future.
---
5:30 AM – Morning Routine
Shiva knew that discipline was the cornerstone of success. With an old skipping rope and a cracked pair of sneakers, he jogged around the nearby park. Each stride was a meditation, each breath a promise to himself.
He visualized the coming days:
Build stronger mining rigs
Learn app development
Create his first tech blog
Win school science competitions
Back home, drenched in sweat, he quickly showered, ate a light breakfast, and prepared for school. His mind buzzed, not with dread but anticipation. Every lecture, every homework assignment was now merely another tool to sharpen himself.
---
8:00 AM – Classroom Schemes
During a mind-numbing history lecture, Shiva discreetly passed a folded piece of paper to Rohit. Inside was a rough draft of their mobile game idea: "Rickshaw Rush."
Simple. Addictive. Low memory footprint.
Rohit's eyes lit up.
"We can code this," he mouthed silently.
Shiva nodded.
After class, they agreed to meet at Shiva's home on Sunday for their first coding session. Rohit would handle basic Java coding, while Shiva would sketch sprites and design mechanics.
Another stone placed on the road to destiny.
---
1:00 PM – Hidden Opportunities
While others rushed home, Shiva took a detour to the local library. There, he browsed old tech magazines and books on basic economics. He needed to understand markets intimately. He wasn't just planning on surviving—he was planning on dominating.
He made a mental list of soon-to-boom industries:
Renewable energy
E-commerce
Edtech
Fintech
Health tech
He noted Indian companies poised for greatness. Companies like Infosys, Reliance Jio (yet to be launched), and emerging startups in Bangalore.
He copied key articles onto his USB drive for later.
Knowledge was his secret weapon.
---
3:00 PM – First Online Job
Back at the cybercafe, Shiva created profiles on early freelancing platforms—places like Freelancer.com and obscure forums where companies outsourced small tasks.
He applied for simple jobs: data entry, translation, article writing.
Low pay, but the goal wasn't money.
It was building a steady stream of income independent of his parents.
By 5:00 PM, he received his first project: writing a 500-word article on "The Advantages of Solar Energy" for a British blog.
Pay: $3.
Shiva grinned. $3 today. Millions tomorrow.
---
6:00 PM – Secret Lab Grows
Back in his room, Shiva's mining rig hummed quietly. Temperatures were stable; the fan he rigged up from an old table fan kept the system cool.
The Bitcoin client showed:
0.014 BTC mined
Worthless now. Priceless later.
He carefully updated his mining logs, optimized GPU performance, and wrote a "Hardware Wishlist" for future upgrades.
---
8:00 PM – Family Time, Hidden Plans
At dinner, his parents chatted about mundane things: price of onions, school fees, distant cousins getting married.
Shiva listened politely, nodding, laughing at the right moments. But inside, he was constructing a future invisible to them.
A future where he would make sure they never had to worry about money again.
Where his father would retire early.
Where his mother could travel the world.
All while sitting at this very table.
---
10:00 PM – Midnight Journaling
Before sleeping, Shiva wrote in his journal again:
Daily Summary:
Finalized Rickshaw Rush design with Rohit
Started freelance profile
First article assignment received
Continued Bitcoin mining
Researched future tech industries
Tomorrow's Plan:
Finish article and submit
Scout internet forums for domain name ideas
Plan first blog post anonymously
Buy basic Java textbook
He closed the journal and stared at the ceiling.
The spark had been lit.
Soon, it would become a wildfire.
---
[End of Chapter 4]