Diagnosed within the first 48 hours of his life, Parikshit Shah began his journey with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) wrapped almost entirely in plaster. Born in Jamnagar, his tiny limbs had already suffered multiple fractures. His parents recall that nearly eighty percent of his body was undercast in those early days. As a baby, he struggled with delayed speech, long-term digestive issues, and repeated bouts of cough that lasted months. Early life was a cycle of fractures, healing, and more fractures—so many that his parents eventually lost count.
Growing up with OI in the early 1990s in a small city came with challenges far beyond the physical. Jamnagar, even today, has limited medical facilities. Three decades ago, the situation was far more difficult. Every time Parikshit fractured a bone, his mother would undertake the exhausting journey from Jamnagar to Mumbai by train, often alone, to get his cast done and travel back. This became a routine pattern of life—pain, travel, treatment, and recovery. Through those years, his maternal uncle supported the family as much as he could, but the emotional and physical load rested mostly on his parents.
Schooling presented a different obstacle. Regular schools refused to admit him. Teachers and administrators repeatedly suggested special schools, insisting he wouldn’t be able to cope in a regular classroom. But Parikshit’s father fought back every time, firmly believing that his son was fully capable academically. “Why should I admit him to a special school,” he would argue, “when he can compete with normal kids?” After a persistent effort, a school finally agreed to take him. His father passed away when Parikshit was ten, after which he and his mother moved to Navi Mumbai, where she simultaneously took care of him and earned a living. He continued to suffer fractures until the age of 20, and each episode brought the same struggles—pain, mobility issues, and limited resources—but he never felt emotionally alone. Friends and teachers encouraged him, treated him like any other child, and supported his natural curiosity. Though he consistently passed with distinction, he was never inclined toward the race for 99.99% marks. His teachers respected that and nurtured his questions instead of pushing him toward competition.
A Career Sparked by Adversity
Parikshit often says that his career wasn’t born out of ambition—it was born out of necessity. “If someone throws you into the sea,” he says, “you either learn to swim or you drown.” With physical mobility limited, he turned to opportunities accessible from home. He began freelancing with book reviews and translation projects, at a time when digital marketing was not yet a mainstream industry. His first social media management project earned him ₹10,000 around 2014–15, a moment that opened his eyes to the unexplored potential of online work.
For the next few years, he continued freelancing, learning the nuances of digital communication and online branding. In 2018, he met his first business partner on Twitter (now X), and together they built a venture that ran successfully for six years. After they parted ways in 2024, Pluralis Digital was born. By then, Parikshit had several clients, a clearer understanding of remote team management, and a sharper sense of the digital landscape.
The early months were focused on stability—keeping the “machine rolling,” as he puts it. As the company found its rhythm, it expanded into website and e-commerce development. Today, performance marketing is an important part of their growing service line. The company, despite its youth, has learned how to stay afloat in the unpredictable waters of digital business.
Building a Business from Home
Working from home has its advantages, but for Parikshit, it also brings unique limitations. The biggest challenge is the inability to participate in offline networking—seminars, gatherings, and events where most business relationships are built. Though he’s cultivated a strong online network, he acknowledges that being present physically in professional circles could open many more doors.
He also admits that the WFH culture isn’t ideal for most Indian families. The line between personal and professional life blurs too easily, creating distractions and emotional strain. Despite this, he has built a reliable workflow with the support of technology and a dedicated team. Recently, Pluralis Digital has begun hiring primarily from Navi Mumbai, ensuring that when in-person meetings are needed, they are feasible.
Vision and Work Ethic at Pluralis Digital
Today, Pluralis Digital positions itself as a one-stop solution for online reputation management and influencer marketing, working across industries including advertising, entertainment, corporate sectors, and D2C brands. The company is also growing its presence in website development and performance marketing.
Parikshit’s vision is simple yet powerful:
He wants clients to feel safe, valued, and happy working with Pluralis Digital.
He dislikes transactional, short-term relationships and finds motivation in working with long-term clients who grow with him, share challenges, and stay through ups and downs.
Leadership Shaped by OI
OI shaped his leadership style in meaningful ways. Knowing he couldn’t manage a traditional office setup, he embraced remote hiring early on—long before it became mainstream. He focused on finding talented, self-driven individuals from across India, trusting them to deliver without constant supervision. His education in economics and years of freelancing gave him a foundation, but his lived experiences taught him the nuances of building a compassionate and flexible workplace.
There are days when he wishes for an office space—especially during chaotic periods—but for most of the journey, the distributed model has worked beautifully.
Advice to Others with OI
Parikshit’s message to others in the OI community is clear and heartfelt:
“Focus on your education and career. Let the compulsion become your motivation.”
He acknowledges the harsh realities—aging with OI is difficult, and infrastructure in India is often not supportive. But he believes strongly in using the internet to connect with peers, doctors, mentors, and communities. And once you prove your worth, he says, people stop seeing your body as a limitation.
Looking Ahead
Parikshit hopes to grow Pluralis Digital by 2X in the coming years. He feels fortunate to have a team with high integrity and clients who trust the company. He also hopes to connect with more people in the OI community, learn from them, and contribute in meaningful ways.
His Association with IOIF
Parikshit recently played a major role in revamping the IOIF website. As a digital marketer, he firmly believes that any serious organization needs a strong online presence—especially one that supports a community as unique as OI. He wanted the IOIF site not just to exist but to represent the foundation’s vision, mission, and resources in a professional, accessible way.
“I’m happy that Pluralis Digital brought IOIF’s latest website version to life. Now the website helps patients, parents, and relatives find the right place to seek help.”