“The only thing you can control is your reaction’ -- Rahul Khanna, Co-founder, Mamagoto, Sly Granny

(The Proust Questionnaire is a questionnaire about one's personality. It has its origins in a parlour game popularized by Marcel Proust, the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature.)

‍Rahul Khanna is a student of Ecole Hôtelière De Lausanne, Switzerland and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in International hospitality management. Having worked in London, Hong Kong and Dubai, he is an expert in the knowledge of the conceptualising design-oriented food and beverage outlets. As Director at Azure Hospitality, he played an intrinsic part in founding Mamagoto, Sly Granny besides several other projects.

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What is your idea of perfect happiness?

My dogs waiting in excitement each day post work.

What is your greatest fear?

Failure.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Doing everything 80%.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

A grand sense of entitlement and being too judgemental.

Which living person do you most admire?

I’d bring Christopher Hitchens back from the dead.

What is your greatest extravagance?

Wine and travel.

What is your current state of mind?

What’s my next career?

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Being a good listener.

On what occasion do you lie?

On sporadic occasions.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

My nose.

Which living person do you most despise?

People who lie.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

Humility, humour and depth.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Same as a man.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

Have you got a minute?

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Not something I wish to rate.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would like to be a better writer.

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

More time on the tennis court.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Being a stoic.

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

Myself but without the chaos.

Where would you most like to live?

Delhi, Galle, Luang Prabang, Geneva.

What is your most treasured possession?

My tennis gear and my art.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Superstition.

What is your favourite occupation?

Architect.

What is your most marked characteristic?

Intensity.

What do you most value in your friends?

Unchanging, yet evolutionary.

Who are your favourite writers?

Richard Dawkins, Alain De Botton and Charles Darwin.

Who is your hero of fiction?

I mainly read non-fiction though I quite like Homer Simpson.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Seneca and Spinoza.

Who are your heroes in real life?

My family members.

What is your favourite name?

None.

What is it that you most dislike?

Shallow conversation.

What is your greatest regret?

Not pursuing film making.

How would you like to die?

Outdoors.

What is your favourite journey?

My trip to Argentina.

What is your motto?

The only thing you can control in a situation are your reactions.

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