"We are nothing but a sum total of all the experiences we have faced so far and I'm grateful for each one of them. My upbringing and my schooling right from Don Bosco School to DTU (B.Tech) to XLRI (MBA) have offered me immensely enriching experiences. My work in an MNC gave me enough opportunities to learn from my an intellectual crowd of peers, seniors and also from the CEO and the top leadership who I regularly interacted with. The learnings have enabled me to give something valuable back to the society which is the purpose I'm actively trying to achieve in even my most little activities in life. In my spare time, I love to sing and play cricket."
Name an instance where you wanted something and went out of your comfort zone to achieve it OR Tell us the biggest risk you have taken so far in your life.
"An act is said to be risky when its outcome is uncertain and the downsides can be significant. But, when you know that an act ought to be performed because it is the right thing to do, you rid yourself of all the risk related dissonance that can otherwise cause an unnecessary drag on your will-power and efforts. I can recall an incident when I saw a dog who found itself struggling in a pool of water, the boundaries of which were very deep for it to come out on its own. Many people walked past the pool, lamenting at the sight and it was clear that people did not want to engage themselves unnecessarily into something risky. But for me, the righteousness in the act was enough motive to take the risk. I grabbed the dog from its back and released it outside while remaining in the pool. It all happened quickly and I realised that much of the difficulty lies in the mind than in the act itself. For some, this instance might qualify as going out of your comfort zone to do something and not exactly a risk, but I believe this depends really on your understanding of the uncertainty and downsides which is shaped by your past knowledge and experiences."
When was the last time someone relied on you? OR What did you do which was purely for someone else - a truly selfless act.
The idea of selflessness is very convoluted. Many a time, what we call a selfless act may not be selfless in the truest sense of the word. Some may not get a tangible benefit out of it but could still be in it for the recognition or the acknowledgement of the person they did the act for, or of anyone else who they subconsciously want to be privy to. It may require intense introspection to understand your own deep-seated, however small, motives. So, an act laden with an expectation as small as an acknowledgement can never be selfless. However, if you're truly indifferent to anybody's acknowledgement or awareness, the act cannot be any more selfless.
If we think of it, everyone has sufficient moments in a day to be selfless even in speech. Something one speaks purely for someone else's growth and not to earn an acknowledgement is a selfless act that I do all the time. Helping people with knowledge that can be lasting goes beyond any monetary help one can do and I actively engage myself in disseminating knowledge (of a spiritual kind) to people who need it. I remember how I sat through the entire two days during the final placements of my batchmates and went about motivating and speaking to whoever I felt was struggling or who could use my help. The entire experience was blissful in itself. Knowing I did the best I could for people brought with it spiritual happiness that can only be attained through selflessness.
Tell us about a time when you disagreed with an opinion/idea/decision. What did you do about it?
A discussion should always be initiated with a purpose in mind that we may need to constantly remind ourselves of. You could engage into one to find a solution collaboratively, or even for something as simple as your counterpart's and your growth. But, it is not an uncommon tendency to lose track of it all and engage yourself in a battle of ego instead, which is when you end up closing yourself to all other perspectives. Therefore, to not get mired into the trap of bias and to discuss things objectively is something one should remind oneself of constantly. In my B school, I found myself in uncountable debates with no party refusing to budge. I remember how I proposed an idea for a case competition which seemed significant to me but evoked nothing but a timid response from the other two teammates. So, I asked them about their apprehensions and so we all worked together to tweak the idea so that it addressed their concerns too. What worked out well for us was -
- We could all keep our egos aside to work for a bigger purpose (to win the case competition - which we did end up becoming regional finalists for)
- We discussed and understood each others' concerns.
- Including people in the formulation of solutions can help in getting their buy-ins.
What is the one thing you can claim to have some level of expertise or depth of knowledge in - it could be anything - a subject, a sport, a hobby, a venture, an initiative which has led you to do deep work in that field?
Knowledge of self (spirituality) which is more commonly understood as 'emotional intelligence'.
If 10 Million Dollars (approximately INR 75 Crores) is given to you to use it any way you deem fit what would you do with this corpus?
Money does not excite me because of its ephemeralness. It takes an intense reflection to understand how money can only buy you pleasures but not eternal happiness unless you use it for a righteous cause. Sure, I could help people by donating the money but again the benefits will not be lasting for them either.
However, I know from experience how the knowledge of spirituality can completely transform you. Therefore, I would rather invest that money into creating content that does just that and also advertising it enough so that it reaches everyone. I would also donate money to several Indian gurus who are actively spreading the knowledge of spirituality to fund their activities.
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