“I have always worked somewhere or the other, doing events, bartending, anything that came my way. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and I found myself at a standstill, just trying to figure things out,” recalls Pawan Gorantla, pausing before adding, “At the time, I had no idea that this period of uncertainty would take me in an entirely new direction.”

For Maria Victor, that same sense of searching began much earlier, though it looked very different on the surface. During her early 30’s, she had already built what most would describe as a stable and successful corporate career. 

A chartered management accountant trained with the Chartered Institute of Management Accounting in the United Kingdom, she spent close to eight years working across industries and geographies, from retail at Tesco to oil and gas with Schlumberger, and later with Accenture and HP. 

Her work took her from Bengaluru to Mumbai, and even abroad to Dubai and the UK. On paper, it was everything she had worked towards. However, somewhere along the way, she began to feel a subtle disconnect.

“I had a comfortable life,” she says, reflecting on those years. “Everything was structured and predictable. But I kept asking myself what it all meant. Was I really doing something that fulfilled me? Did my daily work serve a meaningful reason?” That question hovered long enough to reshape her life.

From corporate comfort to intentional adventure

In 2011, she stepped away from her corporate role, initially as a pause rather than a permanent decision. She set out on a series of unhurried travels, each trip a chance to experience new places and perspectives. 

“I started with small excursions, nature trails, and short treks. But even in those early trips, I realised how much travel opens you up. You begin to notice people, cultures, and ways of life that you would otherwise overlook,” she shares with The Better India.

More than the sights she saw, it was the inner awakening that stayed with her. “It was not just about seeing a new place. It was about how it made you feel, what it made you question, what it helped you realise about yourself,” she adds.

As she began organising trips for small groups, she noticed an understated pattern emerging. “There were people who did not just want to visit a destination,” she says. 

“They wanted to know the people, the lives behind the places, and the stories that do not make it into guidebooks. They were seeking something that would stay with them, a connection that lingered long after the journey ended.”

This realisation led her to formally start ‘Make It Happen’ in September 2011 as a sole proprietorship. Her small hobby travel club soon began to take on a purposeful shape, hinting at something larger than herself.

“I would design itineraries and share them on social media,” she explains. “We kept the groups small, around ten people, because I wanted it to feel personal.” 

These journeys took travellers to places such as Ladakh, Spiti, Nagaland, and Gujarat, with a focus on homestays and community interactions. 

“Travel, for me, was never about ticking off places. It was about awakening, about stepping outside your comfort zone and genuinely engaging with the world,” she says.

Even as this grew, Maria briefly returned to the corporate world before making a decisive shift in April........

© The Better India