Make the world a better place, one step at a time’: Yash Hisaria, founder, St. D’vencé skin care
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
Yash Hisaria is the founder of India’s next generation skin care consumer brand St. D’vencé. He’s on a mission to make high-quality clean skin care products at affordable prices and believes that luxury is not just for the extraordinary, but for everybody. His team has created vegan, safe and effective skin care essentials to address a number of skin problems. These products are free from any harsh chemicals or toxins, and use the combined power of natural extracts. Their collection includes several firsts for the Indian market, like multani mitti lotion that has been designed exclusively for Indian skin, face washes that works on multiple problems like acne, pigmentation, ageing, and an interesting range of carrier oils that fights various skin disorders. Here are his responses to our Proust questionnaire...
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Warm sunlight on a mild winter morning in a lush green park is exactly what happiness looks like!
What is your greatest fear?
Somebody asking me a bite of my food.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Self-depreciation.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Self-appreciation.
Which living person do you most admire?
I really admire under-dogs.
What is your greatest extravagance?
All-things-tech and gadgets!
What is your current state of mind?
Everything in between - being depressed to being on top of the world.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
I think people who consider their overrated qualifications as their virtue – Now that’s overrated!
On what occasion do you lie?
On some of those occasions when I know the other person too well.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I am in the business of making everyone look and feel good. How can I not appreciate mine own?
Which living person do you most despise?
I don’t have the time to despise anyone.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Multi-tasking. When I look at my father, I think, ‘How does he handle 1000 different pressures from 100 different sources and still smile at home. How does he do it?’
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Maturity.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Kya mazzak chal raha hai” – When something goes wrong.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Funny but my Dell XPS 13.
Which talent would you most like to have?
To be able to write a song, sign and play it on the guitar - all at once!
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
The world is sometimes too harsh to deserve hundred percent honest people. I am learning and improving.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Convincing the Fenway Park (Boston) Stadium security to let my three friends and I watch a game of baseball for free and building our beauty brand from scratch.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I would want to come back as a currency coin with ears. How interesting would it be to hear all the stories around me!
Where would you most like to live?
Mumbai.
What is your most treasured possession?
My parents, their wisdom and my Internet banking credentials.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Having more private ships than relationships.
What is your favourite occupation?
Without a doubt - Entrepreneurship! Life lessons on the job.
What is your most marked characteristic?
Confidence and passion.
What do you most value in your friends?
Being there for me, at the right place and at the right time. Nothing is more valuable than that!
Who are your favourite writers?
Ayn Rand!
Who is your hero of fiction?
I really do not have any.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Bhagat Singh.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Chris Gardner.
What is your favourite name?
Zara and Inayat.
What is it that you most dislike?
Repeating the same mistake, failing and not learning anything new.
What is your greatest regret?
Giving in to peer pressure.
What is your favourite journey?
My favourite journey is most certainly the journey of entrepreneurship. It has taught me so much more than a B-school or a desk job would have.
What is your motto?
To make the world a better place, one step at a time and in my own little way.
