‘I ask God to fix things’

I do believe that there is always a superior force guiding your path in life. Banker John Vogelstein told me once that if you have some exceptional success in life, especially at a young age and in a short time, there is no question that there is a power beyond you that has come into play. However, to benefit from it, you have to position yourself in the line of spiritual help.

And whereas I would think that whatever I wanted in life, I would move towards it of my own will, my mother would say that whatever you are supposed and meant to get, you start thinking about it and then it can happen…it all comes down to karma really.

Is there a special mission or purpose in this life?

I do believe that one works on a pre-scripted life. Whether it comes from a previous life or not, this script is the path and you have to go through it. And one of the reasons I am never in a hyper stressed mode is this: I feel I was destined to do this job and I thank the Lord that I got this role. I see telecom as a mission. It is a business but it is also a mission to connect the country. We are now also attempting in a very serious way to undertake an economic revolution in the villages through our farm projects just recently launched. So I do transformation through business.

What is spirituality in your day-to-day life?

I start the day with five minutes of prayer. I used to meditate more than I do now but still, my mind is constantly working and it is good to calm it. One book I enjoyed reading is The Monk who sold his Ferrari. When you live in this

hyperactive mode, there is some fatigue factor and it is good to get another perspective. But I am not into rituals. I do not go to temples… I have my own connection with god, we communicate. I ask god to fix things. And in return, what I have to do is goodness.

How does spirituality figure in business?

My work will always be for a bigger cause, for the good of humanity. I feel that there are companies like Tata, Infosys, Bharti, Wipro who… have a greater cause and it is less of a concern if you are second or sixth or tenth in the country. What matters is how people see you as a corporation connecting to society.

Is there one experience that changed or shaped your spiritual beliefs?

It happened to me in 1981-82. I was struggling on some particular issue, I was doing everything I could but it was just not working. So I connected to god and said I would leave something very dear to me in exchange for which this would have to go through. I never smoked, I never was too fond of drinking but I loved non-vegetarian food. So I decided I would give up any form of meat for a year. The very next morning, I went to meet this very difficult man. I went in and 20 minutes later, the deal was signed. I was a kid then, just trying to build my life. It was so bizarre…. So every time I got stuck I did the same thing.

I guess there are two explanations. The spiritual one: when you sacrifice something, you expect something in return in the grander scheme of things. And the scientific: every time I sit down for breakfast, lunch or dinner, I cannot have meat, so I have to work doubly hard to make sure that the job is done quicker.

Tell us about one powerful spiritual experience.

My wife was expecting and we did not know she was having twins. I am not into astrology but a friend of mine, an amateur astrologist, did some reading and was worried about my wife and the delivery. So he took me to his guru. The guru looked at my face and said the reading was wrong: nothing would happen to my wife, she would deliver safely. But he said there was something wrong in the stars for my father, he would go through a near death experience in the coming days. Four days later, my father had a massive heart attack. And my wife indeed delivered twin boys healthily.

What are your spiritual inspirations?

My father was an Arya Samaji. So we prayed every morning but there were never gurus at home or major ritualistic moments. Then I came across many spiritual people, but I have not had one guru in my life. My connection to the divine is a direct one.

If you were to be reincarnated, what would you like to be, when and where?

I do not particularly believe in reincarnation but if I was to come back, as I have had a fulfilling life, I would choose to be back in a similar role, resuming and expanding the mission. I do believe though that there is something beyond the mind and body that one can call the soul. Some life is injected in the womb coming from somewhere and once the person dies, it has to go somewhere.

If there was one question you could ask god, what would it be?

My main question would be: why is there so much misery and unhappiness around? The crisis faced by both developed and developing countries is often in the name of god. So I would ask god, why is this happening in your name?