From not knowing what SSB stood for to becoming a Major in the Indian Army. From a decade in uniform to starting over in the corporate world....
Every year, Mehul was the topper of his school. Then his 12th board results came in: 65%, his lowest ever, but the topper. He still got into a mechanical engineering college, but joined as 66th out of 66 students, last in his batch.
He didn’t let that define him. After one semester, he was first in his class, first in college, and in the top 10 in mechanical engineering across Gujarat. From last in his class to becoming a topper in his engineering college. His takeaway: one bad result is just one data point, not a proof that you’ve lost your edge.
Beyond academics, Mehul was active in football, cultural events and technical committees. That’s how he got close to his college’s Chief Administrative Officer, an ex-Naval officer, who pushed him to appear for the SSB, the Armed Forces selection process. Mehul didn’t even know what it stood for. With zero military background, he went in just to experience it.
Out of 240 candidates in Bhopal, only 40 cleared day one. After five more days of tests, interviews and physical tasks, Mehul was "the only one" recommended from his batch, likely because he wasn’t trying to perform, just be himself, which is exactly what SSB is designed to test.
He joined OTA Chennai in 2013, was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 2014, and over the next decade served across Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal, J&K and Pune, rising to the rank of Major. He even worked on the approach roads to what is now the "Atal Tunnel" in Himachal Pradesh, building, not just defending.
After 10 years, he chose to seek release and pursue a management programme at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, a childhood dream. But leaving the Army brought a new challenge: he walked into the corporate world overconfident, only to realise his experience alone wasn’t enough.
He took a 3-month sabbatical, learned to articulate his transferable skills, got PMP certified, and built a LinkedIn network from scratch. He hadn’t even used it until two years earlier. Today, he has 5,000+ connections— each built through one genuine conversation at a time
Major Mehul Manoharan now leads the Estate & Admin function at MICA | The School of Ideas, Ahmedabad, the city he always wanted to call home.
Two things always guide him: The power of compounding and The power of manifestation. Neither works overnight, but both are powerful with patience. And when asked about his biggest influence, his answer is simple: himself, the quiet voice inside that kept pushing him forward, even when no one was watching.
He didn’t let that define him. After one semester, he was first in his class, first in college, and in the top 10 in mechanical engineering across Gujarat. From last in his class to becoming a topper in his engineering college. His takeaway: one bad result is just one data point, not a proof that you’ve lost your edge.
Beyond academics, Mehul was active in football, cultural events and technical committees. That’s how he got close to his college’s Chief Administrative Officer, an ex-Naval officer, who pushed him to appear for the SSB, the Armed Forces selection process. Mehul didn’t even know what it stood for. With zero military background, he went in just to experience it.
Out of 240 candidates in Bhopal, only 40 cleared day one. After five more days of tests, interviews and physical tasks, Mehul was "the only one" recommended from his batch, likely because he wasn’t trying to perform, just be himself, which is exactly what SSB is designed to test.
He joined OTA Chennai in 2013, was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 2014, and over the next decade served across Punjab, Rajasthan, Himachal, J&K and Pune, rising to the rank of Major. He even worked on the approach roads to what is now the "Atal Tunnel" in Himachal Pradesh, building, not just defending.
After 10 years, he chose to seek release and pursue a management programme at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, a childhood dream. But leaving the Army brought a new challenge: he walked into the corporate world overconfident, only to realise his experience alone wasn’t enough.
He took a 3-month sabbatical, learned to articulate his transferable skills, got PMP certified, and built a LinkedIn network from scratch. He hadn’t even used it until two years earlier. Today, he has 5,000+ connections— each built through one genuine conversation at a time
Major Mehul Manoharan now leads the Estate & Admin function at MICA | The School of Ideas, Ahmedabad, the city he always wanted to call home.
Two things always guide him: The power of compounding and The power of manifestation. Neither works overnight, but both are powerful with patience. And when asked about his biggest influence, his answer is simple: himself, the quiet voice inside that kept pushing him forward, even when no one was watching.
This story was told by Major Mehul Manoharan and published with their permission by the What's Your Story editorial team.
