Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow: Manish Hathiramani, Founder, Deen Dayal Investments

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.

Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow: Manish Hathiramani, Founder, Deen Dayal Investments

Sunday August 02, 2020,

4 min Read

Manish Hathiramani, Founder, Deen Dayal Investments is a multi-faceted man.  technical analyst, music lover, a powerful orator, a horologist and an adventure sports enthusiast. As a strategist, he has a keen interest in stock markets and trading, right from the young age of 13 years. In 2008, he started his own venture and has since then seen the toughest phases of the Indian stock markets, but even in these tough times, the return on investments and portfolios managed by him have been positive, both for himself and his clients.

Here are his responses to our Proust questionnaire...

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Living in the present and having faith in the future.

What is your greatest fear?

I have no fears. Everything in life is ephemeral.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

 Lack of artistic creativity.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Covetousness.

Which living person do you most admire?

I admire the creation in totality, not an isolated being.

What is your greatest extravagance?

 Being an ardent horologist, I tend to invest in watches.

What is your current state of mind?

 In a state of tranquillity.




What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Fame.

On what occasion do you lie?

When situations demand that I need to protect someone’s well-being and self-respect.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

I am happy the way I am.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

 Integrity.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Integrity.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Word – Karma, Phrase - The Creator looks after His creation.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My Nanaji (maternal grandfather and spiritual guru).

Which talent would you most like to have?

Creativity – I lack it!

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would like to be less talkative.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

A couple of them: A) Being featured in the March 2020 issue of the ‘Forbes India’ as a “Modern Game Changer of India”. B) Received the Mahatma Gandhi Samman Award at the House of Commons in London.


If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

Rumi (Sufi Saint and Poet).

Where would you most like to live?

Chennai – where my Nanaji lived.

What is your most treasured possession?

I wear a pendant which has my Nanaji’s picture on it.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Lack of faith in the Creator who created us.

What is your favourite occupation?

I pursued it – Index Trading and Technical Analysis.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Spirituality.

What do you most value in your friends?

Their “friendship” – the word encompasses a lot!

Who are your favourite writers?

Elif Shafak, Ashwin Sanghi, Kahlil Gibran, Shashi Tharoor.

Who is your hero of fiction?

Super Mario. Mario is a fictional character in the Mario video game franchise, owned by Nintendo.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

 Rumi (Sufi saint and poet).

Who are your heroes in real life?

All the living saints we have in our midst – they are laboring tirelessly to bring mankind back on the path of spirituality

What is your favourite name?

Karam.

What is it that you most dislike?

Arrogance and pomposity 

What is your greatest regret?

I do not have any – I am happy with whatever has happened so far and will happen going forward.

How would you like to die?

In the invisible lap of the Lord – while praying!

What is your favourite journey?

It is still on – Life!

What is your motto?

Carpe Diem, Quam Minimum Credula Postero – literal meaning “Seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow (the future)" – Horace (Roman poet).