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‘Your legacy is determined by the difference you make in the world’ Sridhar G, Founder, Deeksha
The Proust Questionnaire is a questionnaire about one’s personality. It has its origins in a parlour game popularised by Marcel Proust, the French essayist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature
Sridhar G, founder of Deeksha, graduated from IIT Kharagpur in 1989 with a B.Tech. in Mechanical Engineering. He went on to complete his Ph.D. in Fluid Mechanics from the Johns Hopkins University, USA.
He returned to India in 1998 after a 3-year stint as a Research Scientist at American Standard. That year also marked the launch of the Academic Centre for Excellence (ACE), jointly founded by Sridhar and his wife with a vision to provide an effective and caring academic environment. Together, they pioneered board and competitive teaching in Karnataka through their education initiative, Deeksha. Subsequently, in 2008, Ace Creative Learning Pvt Ltd was formed to take Deeksha to several more campuses across India. Ace Creative Learning Pvt. Ltd. was incorporated to bring about a systemic change in education. With pedigree investors joining hands early on, this mission gathered momentum and in its 22 years journey, over 56,000 success stories have been created.
Deeksha is the flagship brand of Ace Creative Learning Pvt. Ltd. It is under brand Deeksha that all the educational outfits are run, teachers are employed and students undergo their education.
Today, Sridhar is amongst the most respected and value-oriented educationists’ in the country. He loves being among children whether teaching them or playing with them. A fun-loving person, he also takes the time to mentor his own children at home, listen to music, engage in sports and go for leisurely walks. Here are his responses to our Proust questionnaire...
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Having a purpose, working hard towards that purpose and feeling a sense of accomplishment each day of having moved in that direction.
What is your greatest fear?
Not having lived a purposeful life.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
The pressure of being perfect always.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Pessimism.
Which living person do you most admire?
Narayan Murthy.
What is your greatest extravagance?
None.
What is your current state of mind?
The pandemic has filled me with hopes of a new revolution in the field of education.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Orderliness. It is okay to break the monotony, that’s when new ideas emerge.
On what occasion do you lie?
When having to deliver bad news.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I don’t think about my appearance too much.
Which living person do you most despise?
There’s too little time in the world to despise anyone.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Resilience.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Empathy – although both resilience and empathy are possessed in generous measure by men and women.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
‘Children’ and ‘May god bless you.’
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife, Lalit.
Which talent would you most like to have?
The ability to open the heart and sing aloud.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Get more sleep.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Starting our company, Deeksha.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A banyan tree.
Where would you most like to live?
Where I reside currently.
What is your most treasured possession?
My children.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Regret.
What is your favorite occupation?
Teaching, Teaching and Teaching.
What is your most marked characteristic?
My trademark white shirt.
What do you most value in your friends?
Their steadfastness, support, and encouragement.
Who are your favorite writers?
Rabindranath Tagore, MK Gandhi, Jeffrey Archer, Enid Blyton… the list is long.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Sherlock Holmes.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
I admire Savitri Bai Phule and Abraham Lincoln.
Who are your heroes in real life?
My parents.
What are your favorite names?
Shruti and Shyam – my children.
What is it that you most dislike?
Bitter gourds.
What is your greatest regret?
I try not to have any.
How would you like to die?
At home, in my sleep.
What is your favourite journey?
My journey back to India from the States in ’98.
What is your motto?
Your legacy is determined by the difference you make in the world. Live your life to the fullest but in the process also reach out to the world around you and make a difference because the people whom you touch and help is your only legacy that will remain.
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