#AskDushyant Reflections on Technology, Memoir & Thoughtful Living
The Retiring before the age of 40 is often dismissed as an unrealistic aspiration. Yet through discipline, persistence, and long-term thinking, I was able to turn that distant possibility into reality. Life moves quickly, and amid the rush to achieve more, we often forget to pause and absorb the lessons along the way. What I share here is not merely success, but the struggles that shaped it — stories that quietly say, ”Life’s journey often goes far beyond what most imagine possible.”
Coding Is Dead. Deal With It. 🤖
After 3 months with AI coding agents, the truth is obvious:
Machines now write code million times faster than most engineers.
In 2009, I returned to my village, Mohad near Kareli, Madhya Pradesh, seeking something I could not yet define. A simple bike ride on my Bajaj Avenger became more than a journey—it became a path to self-reflection. The rustic roads, open fields, and silent skies created a space where thoughts slowed down and clarity quietly emerged. Village life in Mohad had its own rhythm, untouched by urgency, deeply rooted in tradition, and beautifully connected to nature. Riding through Kareli’s countryside, I felt a rare stillness, something modern life often forgets but the soul deeply understands. Those days were spent with…
In 2013, I embarked on a once-in-a-lifetime journey to the Maha Kumbh Mela, an extraordinary spiritual event held every 12 years at the Sangam—the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers at Prayagraj. My nomadic yearly ritual of taking 1-2 weeks off for bike adventures had already taken me to various corners of India, but this time was special. Maha Kumbh is the world’s ultra largest spiritual gathering, drawing almost half billion of devotees from every corner of India and around the world. Earlier i had only heard stories from old Bollywood movies about this grand event…
My professional life is deeply shaped by startup experiences in Gurgaon’s booming startup culture. Although I worked with several traditional corporate offices, my heart always leaned toward my first startups Desiya Online Travel. While passing out of college, I dreamed of working at companies born in basements or garages like Apple, Google etc. That dream became reality at my very first company, Desiya Online Travel Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon. We truly worked at a basement startup, operating from founder Amit Taneja’s DLF Phase 2 bungalow. Desiya was transforming the travel and hospitality industry, especially hotel bookings, long before it became mainstream…
The way I build software has fundamentally changed. For decades, I operated in a system defined by timelines, sprint cycles, coordination overhead, and constant follow-ups. Progress depended not just on…
In the early days of the internet, authentication was simple. A username and password protected most systems, and developers rarely worried about complex access control. As the web evolved into…
APIs are the nervous system of modern software. Every mobile app, cloud platform, AI service, and SaaS product depends on APIs to move data and trigger functionality across systems. For…
APIs power the modern digital economy. From mobile applications and SaaS platforms to AI systems and financial infrastructure, nearly every modern software product relies on APIs to exchange data and…
Many tech startups overlook foundational development practices that can significantly reduce engineering effort. With well-designed terminal scripts and automation, teams can eliminate nearly 40% of repetitive development work and build…
Modern developers rely heavily on command-line tools. Package managers such as Homebrew have made installing and managing tools extremely convenient, especially on macOS and Linux. But what if you want…
I’m Dushyant Gadewal—#AskDushyant, a small-town dreamer turned tech entrepreneur and advisor. From chasing cricket dreams and Indian Army SSB interviews to riding solo across India, my journey has been fueled by passion, curiosity, and a relentless drive to explore the unconventional.
My professional foundation was laid at NIT Rourkela, where I graduated in Computer Science & Engineering in 2006—an experience that shaped my problem-solving mindset and long-term view of technology.
Over the last two decades, I’ve lived and worked through the Gurgaon–NCR startup ecosystem, experiencing it across multiple cycles—early-stage experimentation, rapid scale-ups, and acquisitions. My journey spans hands-on roles at Travelguru (Desiya), Vriti Infocom, and Nagarro, where I operated in fast-moving environments that demanded product-first thinking and execution at speed.
In 2010, I joined PeopleStrong as an early member of the core technology team, where I played a hands-on role in shaping the platform’s foundational product architecture. Over nearly a decade, I had the opportunity to see the organisation scale into one of India’s leading HR technology companies. Importantly, this journey gave me perspective not only as a technologist, but also as a shareholder—including exit participation in its April 2025—Goldman Sachs–led transaction—and, therefore, a front-row view of how disciplined long-term technology and product decisions compound into sustainable enterprise value.
These experiences ultimately came together in the founding of ArcTop Labs, my own venture recognized under the #StartupIndia DIPP7405 initiative. Here, I apply everything learned from the startup trenches—building scalable, resilient technology platforms designed for real-world business impact, not just launch-day success.
In 2022, after two decades in the industry, I stepped away from full-time employment #RetireAt40 to pursue work rooted in freedom, creativity, and long-term impact. Now, I guide students, startups, and businesses as a tech advisor—helping them align technology with vision, growth, and strategic clarity.
Through my blog, NextStruggle, I share personal memoirs, tech insights, and social reflections drawn from a life of experiments, risks, and reinvention.
Let’s connect if you’re building, transforming, or simply seeking clarity in your tech journey.
#AskDushyant #NextStruggle
#RetiredAt40
Branding My True Self:#AskDushyant #NextStruggle: Tech, Memoir, Social & Thoughtful Life Experience Chronicle 💡📖🤝💭.
BlackDemon India: Forging the Future of AR/VR Gaming and 3D world 🎮🕶️🌐.
Embracing the Power of Fitness, Fueled by the Energy of My Little Angel. Conquering Realms with XBox Mastery, Roaring along on the HarleyDavidson Bike. Crafting a Purposeful Existence, Rooted in Tech Innovation. Proudly an Early Tech Member and Shareholder of Peoplestrong. Forever Connected to the Legacy of NIT Rourkela Alumni, Where Dreams Ignite and Achievements Resonate.
Always Prepared for Building The Next, One Struggle at a Time.
Tech, Memoir, Social & Thoughtful Life Experience Chronicle
