Keep one eye on the future and move forward, but not at the expense of today: Rushabh Parikh, Founder, Black & Green
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.
Rushabh and his wife, Miral Parikh, founded Black & Green, India's first ethically curated multipurpose avocado oil company. According to them, the cooking oil market has seen drastic changes in the last ten years, and now it is time to experience the goodness of the healthiest cooking oil around.
Ever since its inception, the company has progressed steadily to create an entirely new category in the oil industry. Health-conscious consumers prefer oils that are made by crushing or pressing plants, fruits or seeds, rather than those produced by using chemicals, which is why Black & Green offers them the healthiest option now. Rushabh is a distance runner and weightlifter too. Here are his responses to our Proust questionnaire…
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Spending time with the family.
What is your greatest fear?
Bad health and not being able to take care of myself.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Getting stressed too quickly.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Trying to put someone's achievements down and not giving them enough credit.
Which living person do you most admire?
Warren Buffett. I love the fact that he looks for value in anything he invests or buys.
What is your greatest extravagance?
We live a simple life, by clean eating and healthy living.
What is your current state of mind?
Expansion and growth for the company.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Silence.
On what occasion do you lie?
White lies to get out of occasions where I would be missing work.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Nothing. I am happy with what I have got and built.
Which living person do you most despise?
Despise is a very strong word. There is no one like this.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
The ability to weather storms and bad situations.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Stability.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
'Let's go ahead with this.'
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My wife Miral and our two kids.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Being able to play a sport professionally.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I get angry sometimes when work is affected and I would like to change this.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Introducing the first ever Extra Virgin Avocado Oil in India.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Iron Man.
Where would you most like to live?
On a farm or on a mountain.
What is your most treasured possession?
My memories.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Not being happy with yourself.
What is your favourite occupation?
Working towards making a difference in the healthy cooking oil market in India.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Hard work and dedication.
What do you most value in your friends?
Loyalty.
Who are your favourite writers?
Haruki Murakami, Ian Rankin and Clive Cussler.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Dirk Pitt and Hercule Poirot.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Leonardo Da Vinci.
Who are your heroes in real life?
The Tata Family.
What is it that you most dislike?
Dislike is a very strong word. I dislike lies when saying the truth is much easier.
What is your greatest regret?
Thinking about the past and crying over spilt milk.
How would you like to die?
Contentedly.
What is your favourite journey?
My favourite cities are NYC and Edinburgh and my favourite journey will always be trekking through the mountains.
What is your motto?
Keep one eye on the future and move forward but not at the expense of today.
