Vibha Tripathi, CEO of Swajal, says her greatest fear is that of failure
The Proust Questionnaire is 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.
Doctor Vibha Tripathi, CEO of Gurugram-based water tech startup Swajal is an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and Ecole Polytechnique, France. Prior to starting up, she worked at the Electrical Engineering Department at IIT Kanpur.
She specialises in the R&D of thin-film solar cells and has held a number of workshops and seminars in the field of renewable energy. She has also guided many students in the R&D of solar cells.
Under her supervision, IIT Kanpur started to foray into flexible organic solar cells, a unique idea with the potential to be a disruptive technology.
Dr Vibha Tripathi
Vibha left her position at IIT Kanpur to be free to solve problems at grassroot level using the latest technologies and hopes that through her social venture, she will be able to activate and inspire many to join hands and change the energy and water scenario in India.
Vibha is the winner of Best IT and Innovation Award 2017 - TiECon Summit, and the IoT India Congress Start up Awards 2017. When not working, she enjoys spending time in outdoor activities and reading.
Recently, YS Weekender caught up with Vibha to ask her questions from the Proust Questionnaire. The Proust Questionnaire is 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.
Here are Vibha's responses:
YS Weekender (YSW): What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Vibha Tripathi (VT): A day of gardening
YSW: What is your greatest fear?
VT: Fear of failure
YSW: What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
VT: Hyper-focus
YSW: What is the trait you most deplore in others?
VT: Lack of vision and planning
YSW: Which living person do you most admire?
VT: Kiran Bedi
YSW: What is your greatest extravagance?
VT: Nice car
YSW: What is your current state of mind?
VT: Happy
YSW: What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
VT: Perfection
YSW: On what occasion do you lie?
VT: Very rare. If it means a major happiness for someone
YSW: What do you most dislike about your appearance?
VT: Weight
YSW: Which living person do you most despise?
VT: Asaram Bapu
YSW: What is the quality you most like in a man?
VT: Quiet strength
YSW: What is the quality you most like in a woman?
VT: Vivacity
YSW: Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
VT: "Arre yaar"
YSW: What or who is the greatest love of your life?
VT: My husband
YSW: Which talent would you most like to have?
VT: Dance
YSW: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
VT: Height
YSW: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
VT: Starting Swajal
YSW: If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
VT: Queen Elizabeth
YSW: Where would you most like to live?
VT: Paris
YSW: What is your most treasured possession?
VT: I am not very possessive
YSW: What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
VT: Sadness of my children
YSW: What is your favourite occupation?
VT: CEO of Swajal
YSW: What is your most marked characteristic?
VT: Persistence
YSW: What do you most value in your friends?
VT: Love
YSW: Who are your favourite writers?
VT: Somerset Maugham
YSW: Who is your hero in fiction?
VT: Iron Man
YSW: Which historical figure do you most identify with?
VT: Mahatma Gandhi
YSW: Who are your heroes in real life?
VT: Falguni Nair
YSW: What is your favourite name?
VT: Rhea
YSW: What is it that you most dislike?
VT: Non-straightforwardness
YSW: What is your greatest regret?
VT: Yet to come across
YSW: How would you like to die?
VT: Voluntarily in peace — Yogic death
YSW: What is your favourite journey?
VT: Walking on the beach, snorkelling
YSW: What is your motto?
VT: Bless you for reading through
Edited by Saheli Sen Gupta