Portrait of a citizen.

[Text and photo by Mayank Austen Soofi]

She is excited about April 15, and has already, with her gang of friends, got the tickets for Shakira’s Delhi concert. Meantime, this evening in her Ghaziabad study, young entrepreneur Paridhi Narayan Singh, an apparel brand boss, graciously agrees to become a part of our Proust Questionnaire series, in which citizens are nudged to make “Parisian parlour confessions”, all to explore our distinct experiences.

If not yourself, who would you be?
Moon.

The principal aspect of your personality.
I need to constantly experiment.

Your favorite occupation.
Searching for weirdly creative things on Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. Gives me a thrill and helps prime my creative mind.

Your idea of misery.
Living with the mindset that I am a helpless bechari. Such a mindset would make me feel powerless and unable to choose happiness.

Your idea of happiness.
Happiness doesn’t depend on the outer or inner circumstances of one’s life.

A childhood memory very special to you.
Living in Kotdwara town, doors were always open to neighbours, and there was no real difference between family and friends, and for a long time I didn’t realise any. Back then, we only had a landline phone, and a TV with limited channels. In the evenings, I remember playing in the park with friends, while my mother had badminton tournaments at the club, and my father played volleyball. Every weekend, the whole group of family friends would visit Sidhbali Mandir or go for a picnic by the river. Back then, I believed this was exactly what my adulthood would look like too.

What do you hate the most?
When people believe they can get away with doing wrong, without realizing that this belief is an illusion.

The reform you admire the most.
The increased participation of women in national politics during the freedom struggle.

What is your present state of mind?
I’m thinking about sun-dried tomatoes.

Faults for which you have the most tolerance.
When hurt people hurt others. I understand they are often sad, wounded, or in a dark place, so I try not to take it personally.

Your motto in life.
To keep realizing and returning to one’s true nature—an existence beyond the body, mind, memory, and even the soul.