All the creatures are pleased by loving words; and therefore we should address words that are pleasing to all, for there is no lack of sweet words.
— Chanakya
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TO KNOW WHY GAYATRI IS AN IMPRESSIVE EMPRESS
GAYATRI PURANIK
PROFILE
Gayatri Puranik is an Entrepreneur in Germany. She was born in Mumbai and grew up mostly in Mumbai, but spent a very decisive 4 years in Bangalore without her parents, and that early experience, she believes has enabled her all along to see, accept and appreciate differences amongst people – cultural and other differences such as practiced traditions, values, mannerisms, etc..
She has a BA in Economics & Psychology from University of Mumbai and a degree in Applied Linguistics from University of Heidelberg & Mainz – Germersheim. After working in her family company for a year, she decided to return to Germany in Oct 1989 – 3 weeks before the Berlin wall came down on 9.November 1989! And has been living and experiencing European history in HD/FRG ever since. She started her business of Import of Ayurvedic products just before her second daughter was born. In fact, the first delivery of consignment and her daughter arrived 3 weeks apart!
Leadership in her own words :
I think a certain kind of leadership comes naturally to everyone, as also to me. All the different steps I had the freedom to take, as a young person in India and later whilst living in Europe, continued to give me the feeling that within a certain framework I can, should and am in charge of my own life. That itself is a kind of leadership. In being a woman, I think the framework within which I can exercise my freedom is definitely different to the framework boys and men assume for themselves.
Her mission in life is
“To achieve whatever I set out to do, without losing myself as a human being. Being the “bridge” I set out to be – Bridging concepts, enabling proper communication and Connecting Ayurveda across continents.“
ACHIEVEMENTS / AWARDS RECEIVED
Founding Board Member of ADAVED – Ayurveda Dachverband Deutschland // Ayurveda Umbrella Association of Germany. The Umbrella Association ADAVED was formed to bring together all the stakeholders in the field of Ayurveda for its promotion and furtherance as a science and also the associated professionals.
- Was actively responsible for bringing together a large group of Indian Ayurvedic Doctors working and residing in Germany and helped the group form their own Association: Indische Fachgesellschaft für Ayurveda Deutschland (IFAD e.V.) in early 2020. It is one of the very few Association of *B.A.M.S. Doctors outside of India.
In this conversation, we discuss about
- Gayatri’s educational path and what brought her to Germany
- Her passion and foray into Entrepreneurship
- About being a woman of colour in a foreign land and her cultural adjustments
- Her Mantra for the DVUCAD situations
- The Impact & Role of Ayurveda in the age of Digitalisation
- How Communication is key to Connecting Ayurveda across the World
Excellent podcast. Enjoyed listening to your experiences in Germany M’am – especially Coping with the German structure and taxes.
And your experiences on communication are valuable. It is another of those topics that’s easy to theorise but really hard to practice.
I believe in prompt and clear communication- but now listening to your podcast opening to the fact that people communicate with silence and other forms as well.
Interesting insights on intercultural experiences ! Thanks Malathi for asking those questions 🙂