It is four
years ago that you left us. Each passing year I write my blog, thinking or
perhaps wishing that I do not have to write another. That, as you well know is
not in our hands. I cannot but recall the confidence you displayed on the rare
occasion that I tried to dissuade you from pursuing your passion for biking.
You had a ready response on how steadfastly you learnt to pursue your passion,
much like those who refuse to give up theirs in the Military. It was to honour
your dedication that I put out a message on the social media to say that your
weekly ride out of Mumbai on 14 June 2020, turned out to be the last one and
that you departed “with your boots on.”
Samir at the Buddh International Circuit circa 2019
Some of my Navy colleagues found that to be a Military response. Indeed, it was a response triggered by a loss that we are trained to live with. Every shipmate is a family member. And yet, as I have discovered the pain of losing you does not go away.
Yes,
your company continues to function with a replacement duly approved by the
board. But the founder who was willing
to plunge into untested domains of digital technology which had five verticals is
not replaceable in the true sense. The digital world was an area where you were
well ahead of your time. You had rightly predicted the impending irrelevance
of newspapers, the impact of smartphones, and access to instant data. Content creation
and management was your dream. You would have reveled at supply chain
management and the many out-of-the-box solutions that came naturally to you. You
defined leadership imaginatively. You anticipated the churn in digitization,
animation, and gaming from wireless to digital media. When most talented young
people needed mentorship, you were liberal with your time, even if it meant
returning home in the wee hours of dawn.
Many would
continue to hold you in high esteem and adore you for the generous way you allotted
your time and often your own resources for their well-being. Their voices are
getting weaker with time. That, my son, is how the world is and should be.
You know how
I adored Adm Pereira, one of our former naval chiefs. Even 25 years after he passed
on, a young Naval officer who had never met him or seen him, burnt his precious
midnight oil to put together a biography on the Admiral. It was you who helped
me to put his last speech on YouTube. The navy very proudly celebrated his centennial
year with a yearlong programme. This centennial celebration, in a way,
challenged the myth that true leaders fade away.
And so, this time around, knowing fully well that it is not just I, who thinks of you as a remarkable leader, I picked two of your associates who deeply acknowledge your contribution to their lives. Listen to them......
Dolly Rateshwar
Allow me to start with Dolly. She
continues to do wonders at Dharavi, your dream project to raise aspirations
and provide skills to the downtrodden youth. But here is the unknown part.
Every year she conducts a pooja in your memory on the Ganges at Haridwar. She
live-streams it for the benefit of family and close friends. Listen to what
she said.
As I reflect
on this day, the fourth anniversary of the passing away of just your
physical body, my heart does feel heavy but heavy with an abundance of Gratitude Love & respect for you.
You were a Mentor and Leader to me but NOW You are my GUIDING LIGHT transforming my life beautifully both personally and professionally.
The impact
you have left on my life with each passing day and on the lives of countless
others at the Dharavi Dream Project, the Qyuki team, and on each soul whom you
have touched in this life, is immeasurable.
Your legacy
Samir lives on in the work we do, the dreams we chase, and the lives we touch
only through your guidance.
It's natural
to miss your laughter and your physical presence but I carry your Spirit of
never giving up and to believe in the Power of UNIVERSE.
Your
kindness and unwavering belief in me have instilled confidence that has carried
me through many challenges and tough situations. The lessons you imparted have
shaped my journey both personally and professionally.
You have
taught me to Dream big, take risks, embrace failures, work hard, always Do the
RIGHT Thing and most importantly, to believe in myself.
For Me, I am
walking the Path with you each day and you never stop to amaze me to feel that
connection so lively even today and I know this is going to be forever. Keep
the blessings coming in✨
Aum Gurubhyo Namah!
Ranveer Allahbadia
Ranveer now has a massive following as a leading Podcaster. He has this to say about you:
Samir
Bangara was someone I admired greatly.
I met him for the first time for a "fireside chat" at a media conference in Delhi.
This video is still available on YouTube.
It was
touted as a chat between two "rival" founders. Our organisations
"Qyuki" & "Monk-E" were supposedly at war. Or so the
two of us were told...
But the
truth about a human connection is this: Only the two humans that constitute
it, know the true essence of the connection.
We hit it
off right from the time we first met. I had the misfortune of only knowing him
for about a year. But that one year was made up of mentoring sessions &
deep conversations about life.
While the
world would consider us to be rivals of sorts, neither of us ever even gave
that thought any thought.
Samir sir
was always the most polite, most giving, and yet the most ambitious guy in the room.
I always noticed the intensity in his eyes. There was intensity for the sake of
growing his team's careers. Intensity for helping self-made people further
their journey. And above all, intensity for the sake of absorbing knowledge
from life!
He was
someone I learnt from, both from the perspective of being a professional as
well as the perspective of being a well-rounded family man.
God bless
his soul and God bless his family. We lost a gem on 14th June 2020. But his
legacy lives on in many media professionals' hearts. Many high-flying
professionals in the media industry owe an aspect of their growth to Samir
Bangara sir.
His legacy
not only exists in the form of his organisation Qyuki, but also in the form of
widespread respect for his character.
Sandipan Mondal
Here is Sandip’s outpouring on X (previously Twitter) shortly after that fateful day, Sunday 14th June 2020:
1/ For @samirbangara
(a thread)
Since
yesterday I’ve been in shock, trying to process the news of Samir’s accident.
While I’ve been struggling to find words to express my anguish, random memories
keep coming to mind, and I thought of sharing some of them - a vignette.
2/ Through
this thread, and the outpouring of love and grief on Twitter, I hope that even
those who didn’t know Samir, get a glimpse of what an incredible person he was
and what an impact he made on all of us who were fortunate to have spent time
with him, over the past years.
3/ It's hard
to put into words the impact that Samir had on my life. On paper he was our
angel investor, but in reality, he was so much more. Mentor, coach, friend –
Samir was family – an older brother who would always look out for you. Someone
you could blindly follow and trust.
4/ Sometime
late 2012, @deebaid, @sajomathews
and I were pitching at the GSF IC. We were
maybe 20 mins into our pitch and had just about described our vision and the
tech. @rajeshsawhney, @alokebajpai, @sidtalwar were shooting tough questions
about Zapr’s business and tech.
5/ Samir, also in the IC, intuitively
understood us and sort of just took over. For the rest of the IC he kept
excitedly answering questions on our behalf, while we looked on quietly,
bemused. It was surreal. It was the first time we met @samirbangara.
6/ This was
the first, of countless times, Samir would take over as chief evangelist and
pitch our startup to everyone he would meet. I never asked him why he took such
an interest in me – in us, in @zaprindia. Why he believed in us? I always
thought there was time.
7/ To his
friends he was Sam. But to me, he was always Samir - who would always pick up
your calls, listen, give advice, support, counsel, meet, take time out for,
pull you up when you’re depressed, inspire, take you out for a drink, make you
feel like you mattered – Samir.
8/ I
remember meeting Samir at his in-laws’ apartment behind Ambience Mall, Gurgaon
- paperwork signed, now officially on our cap table. The start of a
relationship, that I didn’t know then, would abruptly come to an end, 8 years
later.
9/ In the
years since, for every deck, negotiation, pivot, partnership, fund-raise – I
would call and run the details past him. His approval was critical. He would
always answer the phone. He always made time. I’m not sure I ever thanked him
enough. Always thought there was time.
10/ He
taught me to celebrate small wins. That no matter how much uncertainty and
anxiety tomorrow would bring, I should celebrate success – big or small – with
my team. Can’t remember celebrating enough with him. Always thought there was
time.
11/ He
introduced us to everyone as the Hustler/Hipster/Hacker combo. I was the
hustler, @deebaid the hipster and @sajomathews the hacker. It was corny, but
endearing at the same time. He believed in us, even during times when we didn’t
think there was much to believe in.
12/ When we
were running out of money, he doubled down and invested more in us. Even coaxed
and bullied his friends into bridging us a round. We survived and carried on,
ONLY because of him. Not sure if I ever expressed my gratitude enough. Always
thought there was time.
13/ At the
airport check-in at Boston, during the @GSFIndia trip, American Airlines was
charging for my bag. I was pulling out my credit card when suddenly Samir
appeared out of thin air and paid. No reason. Wouldn’t listen to my protests.
It’s just what he did. Who he was.
14/ Samir
believed in us, in our vision – at times, even more than we believed ourselves.
When we were mired in self-doubt he would pull us up. He was a rock that we
leaned on, year after year. I never did thank him enough for his conviction in
us. Always thought there was time.
15/ When we
pivoted business models, I called him at midnight to excitedly share our
epiphany. He heard me out, despite the time, and listed out all the OEMs he
knew, that he would connect us to. He made the introductions that night itself.
He got us our first major partnership.
16/ He
introduced us to his friend @wasimbasir at Coca Cola. He not just made the
introduction, but flew down from Bombay, accompanied us for the meeting AND did
most of the pitching himself. This was classic Samir and his boundless
generosity.
17/ I
remember trudging up three flights of stairs, in the @MyQyuki building. Sitting
in the open office, waiting for Samir to get free. He’d always free up his
calendar and we’d chat – 20% Qyuki updates and 80% me venting, ranting, sharing, and seeking advice.
18/ Samir
would call in @SagarGokhaleQ and others from his team, and I would share with
them updates about Zapr’s tech and product portfolio. Together we’d brainstorm
ways Qyuki and Zapr could someday collaborate and build cool tech together. I
always thought there was time.
19/ I
remember being in Cannes for MIDEM event in June 2019, when it occurred to me
that this would be a great place for Qyuki. Called up Samir and told him that I
wished he were here. We spoke about the conference and said we’d attend in
2020. I always thought there was time.
20/ Samir’s
emails to me were one-liners, all written in the subject heading. The email
body was usually empty. He was also the only person I knew who actively used
the voice messaging feature on WhatsApp. Words of encouragement, support, or
just looking to catch up.
21/ He would
meet investors to pitch Qyuki for a fund-raise, and at the end of the meetings,
he would also do a small pitch for Zapr. He made countless introductions, all
of whom agreed to meet with me. Because that’s the impression he made, even on
ppl he just met!
22/ I’d
accompany him to conferences and events and it blew my mind that not only did
everyone know him, but more importantly, everyone loved him. I could never
understand that magic. I jokingly even begged him to teach me his networking
secret. He would just smile.
23/ Samir
introduced me to people from veteran media CEOs to engineering college interns.
And what was common across everyone, was the sheer admiration and fondness they
all had for him. You couldn’t not like Samir. His charisma came from the
genuine goodwill he felt for others.
24/ His
casual and amiable demeanor was effortless – just talking to him and spending
time with him, made you feel better. Calmer. He was like a gentle breeze that
would just blow your worries away. I have never known anyone more generous,
kind, honest, caring, or genuine.
25/ Just
last week, one night plagued with anxiety I messaged him around 1 AM. He called
me back 15 minutes later and spoke with me for over an hour, counseling me on how
to deal with the crisis, giving me strength, and inspiring me. He was always … just
there.
26/ Six
years ago, Samir sent me an early draft of his blog post titled – ‘The 3 Things
Motorcycles Teaches You About Starting Up’. It started with the line – “Riding
keeps me sane”.
27/ There
are no words to express the grief that everyone is feeling. His family will be
in the thoughts and prayers of hundreds of people, including the Zapr team and
everyone else that was fortunate to know Samir and will miss him always.
28/ I wish I
had told him how truly grateful I am and how indebted I am for everything he
had ever done for me and for Zapr. I always thought there was time … now I can
only hope that he knew. Knew what he meant to me. Knew what he meant to all of
us.
So son, the family resolutely works together to ensure that they achieve their targets in education and to further their collective interests. Au Revoir Samir.
