Spread all the happiness you can: Manvi Chaudhary, Founder, Pier 38

It’s said that adversity does not build character, it reveals it. When troubles hit Manvi Chaudhary, a Gurgaon-based entrepreneur, she remained unwavering and composed. Imagine a 24-year-old girl venturing into the cut-throat competition of F&B and then finding out that an official ruling had turned the tide against all her business plans. While others would have lost hope, Manvi went back to the drawing board and got cracking. Exactly, a month and four days after the Supreme Court ruling that banned the sale of alcohol within 500 meters of state and national highways, she reopened Pier 38 – Cocktail Bar & Kitchen. Here are her answers to our Proust questionnaire…

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What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Chocolate cake.

What is your greatest fear?

Extinction of chocolate – hahaha! No, but on a more serious note, I fear stagnation of my thoughts and ideas.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

That I let go of things very easily with other people.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Laziness and not working hard.

Which living person do you most admire?

Indra Nooyi.

What is your greatest extravagance?

OMG - it has to be food! I travel a lot too but I don’t think that’s an expenditure, it’s more like an investment.

What is your current state of mind?

Work, work and more work, I can’t wait to go on a holiday.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Intelligence (because most people don’t exploit their brains capabilities enough).

On what occasion do you lie?

When I’m asked about my weight.

Which living person do you most despise?

No one really.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Honesty (in every human being actually).

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Well, like I said, honesty.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Ummm.”

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

I love too many things and too many people.

Which talent would you most like to have?

To be able to sing well and play an instrument.

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

I’d like to be physically active and play a sport on a more regular basis.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I guess that’s yet to happen!

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

I would like to come back as a panda.

Where would you most like to live?

On a warm beach!

What is your most treasured possession?

My friends and my family and my collection of perfumes.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

This is so subjective. However, starvation, I feel, is the lowest depth of misery.

What is your favourite occupation?

I think it would be fun to be the Prime Minister.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Kindness and integrity.

What do you most value in your friends?

The love they have for me.

Who are your favourite writers?

I like Khaled Hosseini but I’m a big Roald Dahl fan too - I still love his books.

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Who is your hero of fiction?

A character I really like is Dwight from The Office. I also love Maya Sarabhai from Sarabhai vs Sarabhai.   

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

None.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My parents.

What is your favourite name?

Happy Singh.

What is it that you most dislike?

High pitched, screechy sounds.

What is your greatest regret?

I don’t really have one.

How would you like to die?

Peacefully and content.

What is your favourite journey?

I like the drive from San Francisco to LA, Route no. 1 that runs along the Pacific Ocean.

What is your motto?

Spread all the happiness you can.

Also read: In search of the perfect brew: Susmita Das Gupta’s tea journey from Bengal to Bengaluru