About Me — Kai Taraporevala

Life — Painting by Katayun Taraporevala

Greetings! My name is Kai Taraporevala.

Bio

• Where — I was born in Mumbai and have lived in India, the U.K., France, the Middle East, and Singapore. Being as comfortable in the East as in the West, I find the commonality of people in different geographies overwhelmingly more dominant than differences. These commonalities include the good (genuine warmth on an individual level), the bad (pervasive, common human biases wherever one looks), and the ugly (tribal loyalties, religions, and other fixed ideologies).
• What — As a student, I studied physics (I.I.T. New Delhi), materials science (University of Dundee), and general management (INSEAD — Fontainebleau). A couple of years ago, I am now 58, the weight of knowing that I still do not deeply understand even small parts of the universe (myself and other humans included) energized me to begin courses in mathematics and physics, remote learning, part-time, at the fantastic Open University in the U.K.
• Family and Next-gen — My wife and I have three children, all grown up and active in creative fields (fine arts, music, writing-journalism). My advice to them is that we need to make a living, but that true meaning in life comes from pursuing creative activities and keeping one’s expenses below one’s income. Real poverty attaches to those whose minds scurry about all day without…