‘Wake up, lace up, show up’: Namu Kini, founder, art gallery, KYNKYNY.com and organic food startup HappyHealthyMe
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.
Namu Kini, founder of KYNKYNY.com, a contemporary art gallery showcasing Indian art by emerging and established artists from across the country, is also the co-founder of the organic food startup HappyHealthyMe. KYNKYNY.com recreates the gallery experience online by serving as a discovery and sales platform that provides all of the information and guidance for new and seasoned buyers and collectors. Namu used to also run an online talk show for women called Conversations with Namu Kini.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being with my family and friends.
What is your greatest fear?
Failure.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I tend to forget about the journey and focus on the destination.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Indian Standard Time!
Which living person do you most admire?
My parents.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Travel.
What is your current state of mind?
Crowded.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Being graceful.
On what occasion do you lie?
When I don’t like the food at someone’s home! What can I say – I have high standards.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Nothing.
Which living person do you most despise?
I don’t focus on this.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Kindness.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Courage.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
The word ‘amazing’.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My husband and my kids.
Which talent would you most like to have?
I’d love to play the piano and fly a plane.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I would have discovered sports at a younger age.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My work – both at KYNKYNY.com and HappyHealthyMe.com that have helped communities.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A bird.
Where would you most like to live?
France
What is your most treasured possession?
My art collection.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Self-destructive thoughts.
What is your favourite occupation?
Entrepreneurship, of course!
What is your most marked characteristic?
I’m a people person.
What do you most value in your friends?
Being non-judgmental.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Frida Kahlo.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Our ancestors who worked hard and paved the way for us.
What is your favourite name?
Veda. I also like the name, Surya.
What is it that you most dislike?
Indian Standard Time.
How would you like to die?
A short death – after a living long and beautiful life.
What is your motto?
Wake up, lace up, show up.