Equally ❤ Butter Chicken
and Curd Rice!
s a median member of a regular tambram family, my upbringing was based on the usual formula. Education is the # 1 priority, 99% in Maths means you made careless mistakes, better to be risk averse, avoid parties and aspire to be understated. Fortunately, I was able to circumvent many of these rules with the daring support and ingenuity of my North Indian friends.
My earliest growing up years were in Chandigarh and I spent a large part of my teenage years and early adulthood in Delhi.
A
* Background Art Credit: Nirmala Sankaran
My dad was in the civil service and our weekend outings were to the British Council Library. So, it came as a shock to my parents when I told them that I wanted to pursue cricket as a career! There was uncomfortable silence for days on end after much drama I knew that was not going to happen.
So, I grudgingly accepted my fate and followed the herd to study at Delhi University followed by IIM Bangalore. The 2 best decisions in hindsight but thankfully I never lost my love for cricket.
After graduating from IIM, I attempted a Phd at NYU’s Stern School of Business but after spending 2 years in libraries I knew I wasn’t really cut out for academia. Leaving Manhattan was painful but joining Citibank Bombay - one of the most dynamic organisations in the early 90s more than made up. The Citi truly never slept. The work culture was racy, you were surrounded by incredibly talented people, there were enormous opportunities for innovation and it was the best training ground. I spent 11 years at Citibank between Bombay, Bahrain and London.
Stumbling into entrepreneurship when I co-founded HeyMath! 20 years ago was one of the best things that happened to me. The incredible highs and intense lows in this rollercoaster ride helped me learn a lot about myself, discover new passions and find out what truly matters to me.
Both my parents have Palghat roots....
"Stand together, yet not too near together. For the pillars of the temple stand apart. And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.”
- Khalil Gibran
My dad on the other hand is reserved, content in a world of newspapers and books, has a great sense of humour, and principled to a fault.
My father spent his childhood in Mavelikara, was home schooled till grade 3, did Bio Chemistry and went on to join the IRS wing of the civil service.
"Quod justum, non quod utile"
"Do what is right, not what is easy"
YOLO Stories
_edited.jpg)
Everything can be taken from a person except the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances
- Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning