The cafe has achieved quite a buzz among the yuppie set in the city with over 65 board games on offer and a menu where no item costs more than Rs 70. (Vaidyanathan highly recommends the chocolate and chilli concoction — ‘Arctic Chilly Brew’). Brewhaha was born in September 2006, when Sreeram had just quit his job with Microsoft and was toying with the idea of opening a deli. Brainstorming with Nazimuddin, a whole new concept took shape. It took five months to get the project up and running, with real estate being one of the biggest roadblocks. “We invested our savings into Brewhaha, hoping to break even in six months,” says Nazimuddin. We may get there ahead of time, thanks to the tremendous response.”

However, the ‘break even’ is a bit of a mirage as it does not include salaries for the promoters. “Entrepreneurship is about postponing short-term gains for a long-term bonanza,” grins Sreeram. A home and family support in the city means basics are taken care of, thankfully. “We’ve really enjoyed the process of creating something that users are so passionate about. It is a labour of love. But at a fundamental level Brewhaha fulfils the need to ‘do something’, which is potentially a very big business.” The duo are seeking to raise $1 million (Rs 4.1 crore) in venture capital funding in order to scale the business rapidly.

What if that does not happen? Will they stick it out and grow organically or seek out new pastures, or paymasters? Vaidyanathan does not rule out ‘any possibilities’. This is, in fact, his second fling — he ran a doomed B2B dotcom venture before joining IIMA in 2003.

The bottom line is, entrepreneurship is all about dealing with surprises. Bowing to the winds of change, yet standing tall and proud through the storm. You might hit a boundary with your first shot. Or stand at the crease with your eye on the ball and determination in your heart. You might return to the pavilion, but return in style in a second innings. Anything can happen — but at least you lived your dream. The question is, are you willing to die for it?