I am 31, and over four years I went from a ₹5 lakh trading account to controlling positions worth far more than I could afford. I traded Reliance, Tata Motors, SBI, Adani-related stocks, mid-caps, small-caps, Nifty and Bank Nifty options. At my peak I felt unstoppable. At the bottom, my losses and debts crossed ₹3 crore.
Our second property was sold, my father used part of his retirement savings and my wife moved with our child to her parents for several months. I thought my life was finished. But my father told me, "A house can be sold. A son cannot be replaced." I closed the leveraged accounts, entered a formal debt-repayment process and started working again. I still owe money, but for the first time in years I am no longer trying to win my life back in one trade.