He Kept Trading After Losing 30 Lakh, Why? | A Trader's Journey Ep 01
By Team Agora Circle
Written by the Agora Circle editorial team. Educational content, explained for the Indian market. Not investment advice.
Published 23 Jul 2026
The first episode of this series steps away from frameworks and rules for one honest conversation with an ordinary retail trader, Lituna Mallick from Odisha, about how a one thousand rupee test deposit turned into close to thirty lakh rupees of debt. He lost his fintech sales job during the pandemic, found trading on his phone in 2021, and followed the path so many beginners follow without realizing it, Telegram tip groups, a paid course that used a strong buy or strong sell label as its entire signal, and a slow drift from stocks into options where the losses moved faster than his understanding of them. What makes the account valuable is not the size of the number, it is the honesty about where the real damage happened. He is candid that the technical side of trading was never his actual problem, it is the psychology, the part that quietly disappears the moment the live market opens no matter how much he has studied. He has since repaid around twenty lakh with help from his family and a steady job, still carries ten lakh, and continues to trade small size in Nifty options while working on the discipline that was missing the first time around. SEBI's own data shows more than ninety percent of retail derivatives traders lose money, and this episode is what that statistic looks like from inside one person's actual decisions, including the specific position sizing rule he now believes could have changed everything if he had followed it from day one. It closes not as a cautionary tale to feel superior to, but as an early warning system, so someone earlier in the same loop can recognize the pattern before the debt does the recognizing for them.
Key takeaways
- A one thousand rupee test deposit grew into close to thirty lakh rupees of debt, showing how fast unmanaged trading losses compound.
- The real damage came from psychology, not technical analysis, and it disappeared the moment the live market opened.
- Telegram tip groups and a paid course built around a single strong buy or strong sell label gave the illusion of a system with no real risk control.
- The drift from stocks into options is where the losses started moving faster than his understanding of them.
- He now believes a simple position sizing rule, followed from day one, could have changed the entire outcome.
- SEBI data showing more than ninety percent of retail derivatives traders lose money is what this story looks like from inside one person's decisions.
Watch the full discussion
Frequently asked questions
How did a one thousand rupee deposit turn into roughly thirty lakh of debt?
Through repeated losses with no position sizing or risk plan, moving from tip based stock trades into options where the losses grew faster than his understanding. Small unmanaged losses compound quickly once leverage and hope replace a defined system.
Was the main problem a lack of technical knowledge?
No. He is candid that the technical side was never his real problem. The gap was psychological, the discipline that quietly vanished the moment real money and a live market were in front of him.
What single change does he believe would have helped most?
Following a basic position sizing rule from the very first trade, so that no single position or losing streak could ever push him into serious debt.
This summary is for educational purposes only and is not financial, investment, or trading advice. Markets carry risk; do your own research and consult a qualified professional before making decisions.