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The Writer Behind the Wheel

Writer's picture: Atharva DandekarAtharva Dandekar

“If you have the right mindset you don’t need the road, you need balls to drive fast.”

Pratyush, a writer and a professional racer, says this with a smile and a bit of pride. He shares his story of how he used to skip lectures and drive to the open Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) plots to pull doughnuts and go drag racing in his family car. He further shares his love for racing and becoming a professional racer. 


Throughout the video call, he had a huge, warm smile. It quickly became apparent that he had a talent for connecting with people. During the conversation, I noticed we had a lot in common. Besides going to the same college and being taught by the same professor who discovered the writer among us, we also worked at the same agency and operated under the same people. We both applied for the same program but failed to live that dream; both like F1 and are huge Sebastian Vettel fans. They say that you are following in someone's footsteps. I was talking to the person whose footstep I had been following unknowingly. 


By calling himself "A Pure Bombay Boy." he expresses his profound love for the city he grew up in. He says, "I come from a family of highly educated individuals who hold a respectable post in their sectors." His father completed a Master's degree from the Indian Institute of Packaging and is the head of packaging for the Asia Pacific division of an esteemed company. At the same time, his mother is a Science and Mathematics graduate. His grandfather, a scientist, retired as the director of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India. He finds it funny how a grandchild of a scientist had such bad grades in school.  


While talking about his childhood, he says he made car sounds before he learned to speak. At age three, he could name most cars out on the streets. When he turned 18, he wasted no time getting his hand on learner driving licences. The very next day, he was off driving 200 km in his family car.

Growing up, he suffered from 40-60% Attention Deflect Disorder (ADD). As a result, he experienced difficulty in maintaining his focus, as his mind was jumping from one thing to another. While still a kid, he received help from one of the school teachers, Girija Balasubramaniam, who helped him overcome this obstacle. He talks about the writing practice she gave him, which he hated at that point. Recalling that, he comments, "It feels funny because today I write for a living." However, he used his disability to his advantage in writing. He lets them loose as it helps him run as many ideas as possible and look at things from a different perspective.


After completing his under graduation, he worked as a full-time copywriter for advertisement agencies. He got his first achievement as a writer when a couple of his scripts for a deodorant brand went into production. Those advertisements got mentioned in many places, and his seniors were kind enough to give him full credit for that. His second achievement came from a front-page print advertisement for a tea brand. It ran on women's day, saying, "Being a woman is not everyone's cup of tea."


 Last year he moved to Toronto, leaving behind what looked like a promising career. He is a student at Humber College. He is either delivering pizzas or driving people around when he is not studying. On weekends You can be sure to catch him at a karting track, going like a man who is one with his car. When asked why he moved to Canada, his reply was straightforward, "My racing career did not have a bright future in India and was really costly." This statement makes sense. The amount he paid for a 3-day training program in India was the same for participating in a rookie arrive and drive championship where he competed against 80 other drivers. It was clear that it would be racing if it ever came down to choosing between racing or copywriting.


Pratyush returned to the track after a year and completed his karting season as a rookie in Goodwood Karting Championship. Last year he suffered from serious health issues after undergoing a few surgeries, followed by prolonged bed rest. All this affected his performance on the track. At the start of the season, he struggled to keep up with the other racers and the heavy G-force he experienced while driving fast. In addition, he made rookie mistakes, like losing control of his kart numerous times, which resulted in spins. However, he overcame all this in the end and secured a podium in the final race. When I pointed out the similarity between him and Sebastian Vettel having the same issue of spinning out during the races, he laughed and commented, "I think I've been a true fan. I've spun as much as 50 times, just like him, if not more."  

Having tested the waters, he is more than willing to take his career a step further. He plans to race in the Pro Cadet Series next season and is looking for a sponsor to support his racing dream. However, while doing so, he wants to keep on writing, which he feels, has been an integral part of his Life and will continue to be one. 


Talking with him, you can tell that he has a mind of a great copywriter who can find the most creative ways to promote a brand. At the same time, he has the personality of a driver who would fight his way up to the podium's top step. When asked, "How do you manage to be so positive after all that life threw at you?" He replies, "Life will never fail to surprise you. That is what Life does. But what really makes a difference is if you choose to surprise Life back." 

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