Duraivel Perumal is a 26-year-old lead software engineer at Freshworks. His life has had its share of ups and downs, but it has been a journey of determination as he has struggled to change his circumstances.
“I’m originally from Kanchipuram, and I come from a very humble background, so I am the one who built the entire foundation for my family.”
He did not have an ideal childhood since he was born into a small family consisting of his parents and elder sister. Duraivel attended a government school since he was a young boy, but he said that he felt miserable.
“Most of the people in my school used to bully me. The people were not actually looking for a good friendship. When I talked to them, they would say that I was disturbing them.”
This constant rejection from his peers had decreased his self-confidence. Along with the bullying from his classmates, his finacial status just aggravated the situations fo the worse.
Gradually, Duraivel became an introvert at an early age. He did not like to get along with others and focused all his energy on studying. Even in his silence, he found that there was something about his gaze that got people talking, and they started labelling him “mentally unstable”.
But even in all this grief, he still had a spark of interest in technology that defined his career. When Duraivel received a laptop during 11th grade, his world changed. He discovered the field of coding through this gift, a passion that gave him purpose and refuge from the isolation he was feeling.
“I was very interested in how software is manufactured. I could enter this world without feeling bad about myself, and the challenges of life were better.”
Duraivel pursued an IT degree from a college in Trichy, after completing high school. However, the transition wasn’t easy.
“For the first two years, I couldn’t recover from the trauma I had faced in my school days.”
He kept to himself as he was still haunted by the hurtful memories of his past. Hwoever, kindness found its way into his life.
“People started talking to me voluntarily. They were showing kindness and pulling me wherever they go.”
Duraivel recalls that this encouragement slowly started pulling him out of his shell. However just when things started to look up, financial turbulence threatens to put a cap on his progress.
His family’s financial condition began to go down, and he came to face the very real possibility of dropping out of his studies. This time, fate again intervened in the form of a kind stranger from his college’s Rotary Club who offered him accommodation in an unused factory far from his college but rent-free.
“It was 15 kilometres away, and there was no transport, but I was okay with that, as this was a god-given opportunity for me.”
Duraivel spent his days alone in the empty factory. It was very lonely, but it gave him ample time for studying and doing things he liked. He slowly gathered sufficient money from freelance projects to keep himself going alongside his studies.
“After seven company rejections, my hard work eventually paid off. Freshworks finally offered me an internship and marked the beginning of a new era of my life where my technical skills were recognised and held high.”
Here, he came to know about YourDOST, which partnered with Freshworks as their official mental health partner. Here he started using the various mental health services provided by them.
These include engaging himself in boxing, breathing, and muscle relaxation that have helped him manage his stress and emerge into recovery over his emotional well-being.
Today, Duraivel would give himself a solid 4.5 on mental health journey. Improving is not about being perfect; it’s to be better than what you were yesterday.
“I thank my counsellors, Although I cannot convey my feelings in words today, I do thank the support of everyone who guided me along the way.”
During his tenure at Freshworks, Duraivel continued to flourish as an engineer and as a person who had overcome immense adversities. He continues to grow as a strong and independent person, and we at YourDOST are proud of his journey!
Duraivel’s Warrior Tips:
1.“Everyone should “feel the feelings” to understand their emotions in-depth and act based on that.”
2.“Feeling your emotions works wonders when one is going through a hard time with one’s mental health.”
3.“Talk it out with anyone, be it your friends or family, and let the feelings out in the open.”
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