He worked with leading MNCs but quit his high-paying job to become an auto-rickshaw driver. The story of Rakesh Pal's journey everyone must read

He once worked with several leading multinational companies but today Rakesh B Pal drives an auto-rickshaw for a living. He converses in English and Kannada with passengers with near perfect pronunciation and accent, is a well-read sharp and intelligent man and also offers tips on how to navigate life's challenges. What makes his story truly striking is not only where he stands today, but also how far he has come from where he once was. Once struggling with health issues, Rakesh B. Pal today attends martial arts classes in morning, attends dance classes in the evening and drives an auto to make his ends meet. Once a corporate employee, Rakesh Pal recalls that surviving in the corporate world is not easy. The 37-year-old quit his corporate career in 2022 after facing "intense pressure at work, bullying and manipulation".

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According to a report in ETimes, Rakesh had a good start to his career where he began working as a voice and accent trainer with an American firm based in Bengaluru and then went on to climb the corporate ladder. He recalls switching jobs but manipulation, intimidation was everywhere. Things did not change.

'They are not managers, but demotivators'

Rakesh Pall recalls how difficult the corporate journey became for him as he climbed the ladder of success. “The higher I went, the more difficult it became,” he was quoted as saying by ETimes. “I even switched jobs, but the manipulation was everywhere. You join a profession believing hard work will be rewarded. But what happens when your boss feels insecure? Instead of supporting you, he begins to undermine you. How long can anyone endure that?”

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Rakesh also revealed how his hearing challenges made him a 'target', and some seniors, threatened by his talent, tried to block his success. Sharing his experience, Rakesh sheds light on the harsher realities of corporate hierarchies. He explains how certain managers gradually undermine employees by highlighting flaws without support, claiming ownership of others’ achievements, and relying on fear rather than leadership to assert control.

“You are often made to take on work that isn’t yours. Senior leaders may privately appreciate your hard work, but when it comes to taking a stand against your immediate boss, they choose hierarchy over fairness.” “You call them managers? These are not managers,” he says. “They are demotivators.”

When he was working at a well-known global bank, he encountered a manager who felt deeply insecure, he recalls. “He began spreading false rumours about me. I tried to set boundaries, but it’s not easy when the power equation is stacked against you.” When Rakesh escalated the issue to higher management, the response was disappointing. “They chose to protect him.”



Ironically, Rakesh says his position at the bank required the highest levels of accuracy and honesty—much like the fraud-prevention role played by Tom Hanks in 'Catch Me If You Can'. His work involved examining even the tiniest irregularities, from punctuation errors to mismatched signatures.

“If I spotted anything unusual while working at the bank, I had to contact the person concerned and question it,” he says. “Yet later, fabricated errors were used against me to stall my promotions.”

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Rakesh Pal was dealing with a serious health issue

His hearing challenges made him a soft target, Rakesh revealed. He had hearing problems and wore a visible hearing aid. “There were people in my team who whispered, judged, and excluded. I wondered what problems people would have with someone with a hearing problem, till I stopped wearing one after my surgery. Even these things can impact your peace in a corporate. People are ruthless!”

“Targets had nothing to do with talent or individual capacity. People were treated like resources, nothing more.” Eventually, the environment pushed him into depression. He did not want to quit his job, but he could not continue under a boss who was hell bent on making his life difficult.

Rakesh's turning point in life came when gained immense weight, got disconnected from his family and had to seek psychiatric help. For months, he was in his room, ate on his bed, avoided social gatherings, and eventually lost his self-worth. “One day I looked at my reflection and didn’t recognise myself. I had piled up a huge amount of weight. I knew I wouldn’t survive if I didn’t change something.” Rakesh began intermittent fasting, limiting his meals to a six-hour window. The weight loss was quick, but more importantly, it helped him gained his confidence. “For the first time in a long while, I felt capable again.”

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Rakesh Pal later took up work as a gym trainer, often doubling up with cleaning duties, for a modest monthly salary of ₹5,000. “I didn’t want my five-year-old daughter to ask for a chocolate I couldn’t afford,” he recalls. To make ends meet, he picked up odd jobs, including food delivery, saving every rupee he could. When he finally managed to put together enough money for a down payment, he took a decisive step towards independence—buying an auto.

Rakesh experimented with food delivery and bike taxis and even considered opening a tea shop, but felt driving an auto would bring him freedom and meaningful interactions. When asked how it feels to drive an auto after leaving a high-paying white-collar job, Rakesh gives a blunt, deeply grounded response. He says he was stuck in a role that nearly destroyed his peace of mind, where for a few thousand rupees he felt he had sold his soul to a company that neither cared for him nor stood by him when things turned unfair. His abilities, he adds, were being evaluated by a boss who was both insecure and incapable. There was no time left for his family or his child, and no space for the things he once loved. “Would you really call that kind of job worthwhile—or even decent?” he asks.

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Today, Rakesh drives an auto for six to seven hours a day. He runs an Instagram account, lives on his own terms, and, most importantly, considers himself genuinely happy. “No one truly cares about you,” he says, “so you shouldn’t care about what others think of you either.” He pauses before adding quietly, “I may have lost a career, but I found myself.”

(With inputs from TOI)