The Steep Price of Pursuing a Dream: The Battle of One Man to Preserve His Passion
Times of Bennett | Updated: Nov 08, 2025 19:19
Correspondent: Himanshi Thadani
Bhopal- Before dawn, before the streets of Shahpura are clogged with traffic, 38-year-oldAnand Verma opens the shutter of a small bakery between a chemist and a tailoring shop. The yellow glow of his oven illuminates the still lane as he works for the day's first batch.
His bakery,MoJo Cakes , is not a social media sensation. No pastel-colored interiors, influencer promotions or gourmet packaging; just warm bread, good coffee, and a man peacefully attempting to earn a living out of his lifelong passion for baking .
A Journey from office to bakery
Anand was not always a baker. He worked as a graphic designer at a private company inBhopal 's MP Nagar for almost a decade, saving each penny with the dream of opening his own café one day. In 2019, he finally resigned and took on a small shop for rent, assuming that
passion and hard work would do the trick. “Mujhe lagta tha ki mai jitni mehnat aur pyarr se kaam karuga utna hi log yaha aana pasand karege aur aisa hi hua bhi,” he said.
But then, the pandemic hit us. Orders dried up, but the rent did not. He made a living by personally delivering cakes to the customers on his scooter making birthdays and anniversary special even during Covid - 19. "Mujhe rukna nahi tha, kyuki yeh sirf business and mera sapna tha”.
Anand's friends and family members are always telling him that he's ‘fortunate’ to be his own boss. Anand chuckles quietly at the irony. "Yes, I don't have a boss, but neither do I have Sundays, bonuses, or family time," he states. He works close to fourteen hours a day, baking, cleaning, grocery shopping, paying bills, and dealing with customers all by himself.
He hasn't missed a day of work for more than a year. If he closes even for a day, he risks losing the business he relies on to pay rent or buy materials, as flour prices have doubled, electricity charges rise every few months, and food apps take hefty commissions he can't afford. "People assume home bakers are flourishing," he says, "But for me that’s not the case. Every time, it varies.”
While most small businesses are on the internet, Anand is not. He doesn't have an Instagram account or food delivery apps. "Mujhe technology sikhne me kafi waqt lagta hai", he confesses, “and when you bake until 11 p.m., you don't have the energy for all this" His
customers come mostly through word of mouth; office workers, students, and neighbors who know his bread never disappoints.
Despite the exhaustion, Anand still gets energized whenever he speaks about baking. "When bread rises to perfection, I feel calm," he says, "When someone tells me it tastes like home, I feel it's all worth it."
For Anand, entrepreneurship is not about freedom or glamour, it’s about endurance; his unseen labor of chase his dreams even when the world isn’t watching. As he heads into another long day, the aroma of warm bread serves as a reminder that behind every ‘passion project’ lies a story of persistence, sacrifice, and silent strength.
(This article is written by Himanshi Thadhani, a third-year student of BAJMC who is passionate about storytelling, and her hobby is writing)
Bhopal- Before dawn, before the streets of Shahpura are clogged with traffic, 38-year-old
His bakery,
A Journey from office to bakery
Anand was not always a baker. He worked as a graphic designer at a private company in
passion and hard work would do the trick. “Mujhe lagta tha ki mai jitni mehnat aur pyarr se kaam karuga utna hi log yaha aana pasand karege aur aisa hi hua bhi,” he said.
But then, the pandemic hit us. Orders dried up, but the rent did not. He made a living by personally delivering cakes to the customers on his scooter making birthdays and anniversary special even during Covid - 19. "Mujhe rukna nahi tha, kyuki yeh sirf business and mera sapna tha”.
Anand's friends and family members are always telling him that he's ‘fortunate’ to be his own boss. Anand chuckles quietly at the irony. "Yes, I don't have a boss, but neither do I have Sundays, bonuses, or family time," he states. He works close to fourteen hours a day, baking, cleaning, grocery shopping, paying bills, and dealing with customers all by himself.
He hasn't missed a day of work for more than a year. If he closes even for a day, he risks losing the business he relies on to pay rent or buy materials, as flour prices have doubled, electricity charges rise every few months, and food apps take hefty commissions he can't afford. "People assume home bakers are flourishing," he says, "But for me that’s not the case. Every time, it varies.”
While most small businesses are on the internet, Anand is not. He doesn't have an Instagram account or food delivery apps. "Mujhe technology sikhne me kafi waqt lagta hai", he confesses, “and when you bake until 11 p.m., you don't have the energy for all this" His
customers come mostly through word of mouth; office workers, students, and neighbors who know his bread never disappoints.
Despite the exhaustion, Anand still gets energized whenever he speaks about baking. "When bread rises to perfection, I feel calm," he says, "When someone tells me it tastes like home, I feel it's all worth it."
For Anand, entrepreneurship is not about freedom or glamour, it’s about endurance; his unseen labor of chase his dreams even when the world isn’t watching. As he heads into another long day, the aroma of warm bread serves as a reminder that behind every ‘passion project’ lies a story of persistence, sacrifice, and silent strength.
(This article is written by Himanshi Thadhani, a third-year student of BAJMC who is passionate about storytelling, and her hobby is writing)
