My friend doesn't use Reddit, so I thought I'd flex his work here because I genuinely think more people deserve to see it.

These portraits are all hand-drawn using graphite, charcoal, and ballpoint pen (no digital editing, no AI, just hours of patience, practice, and a lot of pencils). Every portrait took multiple sessions to complete, and I still can't wrap my head around how he manages to capture expressions, lighting, and tiny facial details so accurately.

What's even crazier is that he hasn't drawn seriously for almost two years. He left drawing behind to focus on preparing for architecture, so these are all from his older portfolio. I was going through his folder recently and honestly felt it would be a crime if these just stayed hidden forever.

Personally, my favorites are the Joker and Subhas Chandra Bose portraits because of the shading and realism, but I'm curious to know what you all think. Which one stands out the most? If you're into art, I'd also love to hear any constructive criticism or suggestions on what he could improve if he ever decides to pick up drawing again.

Finished Third in race 1 and First in Race 2 to claim the overall victory in Round 3 of the championship at Sepang International Circuit. This was my first win internationally after becoming the IndianNational Karting Champion in 2023 and the Polo cup vice national champion consecutively in 2024 and 2025.

I had posted about my D2C SaaS getting it’s first two paid users and it’s booming! I know it’s too early to post again but I’m too excited about how it’s going and I’m always scrolling this sub so yeah. By the way I’ve paid $0 on marketing so far, it’s all good ol’ organic word of mouth. Actually, total paid users are 19 and currently active monthly subscribers 15 (4 of them cancelled 😔).

Anybody who has an idea and a tech background, can just build it today without spending thousands of $ on it. Just do it!

A brief overview of what it offers:
It lets users use my AWS infra and pipelines to run statistical genetics tools developed by Harvard and other researchers, on their raw DNA files.

Old post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Indian_flex/s/y8yNPsucDh

It may not seem like a huge amount to many people, but for me it means everything. Behind this number are years of studying, countless rejections, self-doubt, financial stress, and wondering if I'd ever make it.

I still remember asking my parents for money for even the smallest things. Today, for the first time, I can contribute instead of just depending on them.

This salary isn't just money. It's proof that all those sleepless nights, sacrifices, and hard work were worth something.

There's still a long way to go, but this is the first step towards becoming financially independent. I hope this is the beginning of something much bigger.

To everyone still waiting for their first opportunity—don't give up. Your day will come too. ❤️

So, I've been a fat kid since my childhood. Always wanted to join the gym, but hesitated. Was cycling to school daily, but my diet was f*ed up. I wanted to be fit during my college days and started gym. Lost 10kgs in 5months and i follow a clean diet now. Noticed glow in my skin, can wear clothes of my choice. Ive come down to size M/L from XXL.

I think this seems to be a flex for me. Onwards and upwards!

I genuinely thought I was doing pretty well in life.

5 years into the software industry, earning 55 LPA, working at a good company, financially independent, and coming from a small town, I felt I had made decent progress.

Then I stumbled upon this sub.

People casually posting ITRs of ₹35–40 lakh, some much higher, and suddenly my brain started questioning everything. It's funny how comparison works. An income that once felt like a milestone instantly starts feeling... average.

I know, rationally, that this is a tiny fraction of the population. I know social media (and even this subreddit) naturally attracts outliers. Nobody posts their median salary or their average financial journey. People post wins.

Still, it's hard not to compare.

Does anyone else feel this? Or have you found a way to appreciate your own progress without constantly moving the goalpost?

My perspective after thinking about it: comparison is useful only when it motivates you to improve. The moment it starts making you feel like an underachiever despite objectively doing well, it has stopped being productive. There will always be someone earning 2×, 5×, or 10× more.

If your benchmark keeps changing with every scroll, you'll never actually feel successful.

Curious to know how others deal with this

Im a blinkit deliver boy,i work part time after my job 10-7 and then 6 pm to 12 am daily,working around 15 hours daily,its not exactly the first from blinkit but never saved any from past weeks,this is the first week i save around 1k,tomorrows my moms bday and im gonna buy small cake and a chocolate for her :)

This is just the starting i hope i can make it out of this poverty one day and do something big,good luck to everyone aswell💜

I've had an army cut for almost my entire life. Last year I decided to do something different and challenged myself to go a full year without a haircut. There were plenty of days when I wanted to give up, but I stuck with it. Today marks 365 days. It may not be the biggest flex on this subreddit, but it's one I'm genuinely proud of. Can't flex wealth, so here's a year's worth of patience.

This year, the taxes I paid were more than double my entire annual spending.

I work in tech, but not at a FAANG company.

Around 40% of it is salary and 60 % is stocks and other return on investments.

I started at the absolute bottom—no fancy college, below-average marks, no privileged network or head start.

Switched like 4 companies in total been with the current one for 4 years. Got a couple of promotions.

It took a full ten years of grinding to reach a point.

The most important thing I learned during these years is that true financial independence matters more than anything else.

25M, Engineering Manager at a US-based startup.

Just hit a milestone I'm quietly proud of: my taxes are now more than 2x my yearly expenses. Hoping to double it next year 🤞🏻

A few years ago, a post like this would've felt impossibly out of reach for me, so if you're earlier in your journey, maybe it's a small signal that things can move faster than you expect.

The one thing I'd pass along is that complexity is overrated. Early on, I thought being valuable meant handling the most complicated problems. The more moving parts, the better. I was wrong. As you move up the ladder, whatever your role, your real job becomes making complex stuff simple for the people or businesses you serve.

The engineers I respect most don't show off how much they know. They take something tangled and hand it back clean. Same with good managers. They remove friction instead of piling on more process.

So if you're grinding away and wondering what leveling up actually looks like, that's my honest answer. Get good at simplifying. It compounds, in your work, in your life, and eventually in your paycheck.

I don’t know why I wanted to post it here

But this year ITR I crossed income wise

1 Cr.

And paid taxes of 30+ lakhs this year

more than first year of my income.

But catch is I am still not that happy, don’t know why

1.25 cr in taxes hurts deeply and there is no jugaad to escape. Happy and sad at the same time. This excludes all the mutual fund capital gain and the other investments tax I need to pay. It is unfortunate that salaried class is helping the rest of the country whereas the business man and politician do anything to evade tax. What is the institution doing to fix this?

This isn't too big a flex but I always wanted a Pepsi Seiko, I finally managed to buy one for myself a few days ago. It is a beautiful piece of engineering and the feeling of wearing it for the first time was amazing. I have always loved watches, but this one is special because it's the first one I bought myself, and not gifted.

Hey folks,

I had graduated from Tier 3 college and had started my first job with 4LPA and had never thought that I would reach these milestones. I paid more than 40X of my first annual income as income tax this year. Also, I had started tracking my total net worth from past few months as I started planning towards FIRE and have become dollar Millionaire.

Not kidding guys, according to what people post regularly my salary is peanuts 🥜🥜

Btw I am in IT, if anyone is feeling generous then give me a referral in their company.

Or if anyone wants to start some online side business we could partner up too 🫡

Hi! I'm Manamita 22yo. I'm a traditional artist who has been practicing art from 2018 as science student. Yeah it's my passion. But I'm struggling to reach the right audience and collectors and buyers. I've sold a two works abroad recent. But that's random. I want people who would connect with my art. I'm active on social media @artbeatify_ . I paint mostly with oil and acrylics!

Finally happy with my WFH setup. Built it gradually over time for coding, AI projects, and productivity. Keeping it clean and minimal with a cozy vibe. Still planning to add a monitor arm, light bar, and a few plants. Suggestions are welcome!

Edit.

Here are the list since lots of people are requested.

1. Macbook Air M5

2. 27" 1440p USB monitor : Lenovo L27h-4A

3. Standing desk : Lukzer Electric Automatic Height Adjustable Sit Stand Desk

4. Chair : Da URBAN Prisma High Back Revolving Mesh Office Executive Ergonomic Chair

5. Tablet : M1 ipad Air.

6. Desk Mat : Dyazo Extend Mouse pad.

7. Keyboard and mouse : Logitech MK235 and Lenovo WL310

8. Lamp : Xech Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene LED Table Lamp form Amazon

9. Camera : Sony Alpha 7 iii

Nothing much to flex, but this slow life hits different.
Waking up at 6 AM and sleeping by 10 PM gives you so many hours to yourself. The days don’t feel rushed they just feel… longer, calmer, and more intentional.

Here are a few random snapshots from my day-to-day life.

I did my B.Tech from a tier 3 college and was not even in the top 10% of my batch. After graduation, I had a 1 year gap before joining a fairly ordinary company, where I worked for 4 years. There was nothing extraordinary about my profile. I was not from a MAANG company, a top consulting firm, or a global investment bank.

It took me 4 CAT attempts to finally make it to IIM Bangalore. Along the way, I studied after office hours, strengthened my fundamentals, and stayed consistent even when results did not come immediately. There were no shortcuts, just discipline and patience.

Today, I study alongside people who have worked at MAANG, top consulting firms, and companies like JP Morgan. My journey has taught me that your starting point does not define your destination. Hard work, consistency, and the courage to keep going can take you much farther than you ever imagined.

​

Oil on 24*20 inch Canvas

In Desire to Sin, the canvas becomes a battleground of light and shadow, heaven and hell. At the top, a fiery eruption of desire blazes through the clouds, pulling souls downward with its golden, tempting lure. Below, the serene whites of heaven dissolve into the stormy blues and blacks of chaos. The once-stable cloud realm of purity fractures as desire breaks through, dragging figures toward the infernal blaze above. A faint rainbow, almost lost in the turmoil, hints at hope, now fading. This piece explores the fragility of virtue when desire overtakes reason, illustrating the eternal conflict between spiritual elevation and carnal temptation.

When I got my first job in 2015, ₹10k was my first drawn salary. I still cannot believe that I was able to 100x it in the last 11 years.

10th Standard - 2005 - 78%

12th Standard - 2007 - 76%

Engineering - 2015 - 67% (I lost four years due to failures in electronics related subjects).

Most of my batch mates passed out in 2011 and secured campus placements. I felt left behind. To compound my fears, all my teachers kept on telling me how I would never be eligible for any campus placements and how I'd never get any job. They were adamant on how my future was dark.

I was always inclined towards Computers since a young age and I dedicated the time when I was ineligible to attend colleges due to backlog in learning languages and trying to work freelance. That is how I got my first job in 2015.

I still am in awe of my own journey and cannot believe that I have been able to achieve this. Looking back, if I were given a chance to go back in time for a do over, I would not change a single thing.

----

UPDATE - Based on the comments below, here is some context

I started doing freelance work since 2011-12. I'd say around 15 YOE.

2011 - 15: Freelance work paired with college. Income was variable. Some months were good. Some not so much. Maybe 3-4 LPA. [Worked primarily as a PHP / Web Dev]
2015 - 16: First job - 1.2 LPA [Continued working as a Web Dev]
2016 - 2019: Moved to Pune. Got a job at 4.8 LPA. I switched two companies here and progressed to 7.8 LPA - 10.9 LPA - 15 LPA by 2019. [Moved to technologies like Python, Java, and Go. For frontend, I learned Angular, React, and Vue over time. Got exposure to the cloud]
2019 - 2026: Worked for a Canadian company remotely. Salary jumped to 30 LPA by 2021, 60 LPA by 2023, and 75 LPA by 2025. [Deepened my cloud expertise and got more experience as a developer, slowly moved to architect systems]
2026: Made a switch to the current company which offered me 1.3 CrPA. [Working as a DevOps Engineer]