The King Maker Who Lives A Simple Life With Extremely High Standards

Around four years ago, I was facing a challenge with social media messaging and marketing strategy, regarding a SaaSBoomi annual event. It was a struggle, and we couldn’t come up with what we really wanted, and it seemed just out of reach despite our best efforts. I am sure you’ve faced it too — when that elusive X factor continues to flirt frustratingly.

Suresh Sambandam, always ready to roll up his sleeves and empathetic as he is, suggested that I get in touch with this gentleman. The man was much younger, and he knew the pulse of Gen Zee and was also well-conversant with growth strategies which would cater to new-age consumers.

What happened was magic. The magician was Varun Thirumalai. And today’s protagonist.

As the months unfolded and I got to know him bit by bit, I learnt that he lives by the credo, “Let good enough be good enough.” His approach to digital marketing — an area which is constantly expanding — is about being real and not giving in to the shimmer of flaky ideas that wannabe marketers often fall prey to. Perhaps it has something to do with his lifestyle, a very simple one, and that’s why he has the courage to play out his conviction. Often, we are constrained by external pressure that overwhelms and prevents us from being our real selves that find expression in work.

Not, him. He is as real as they get!

He lives it 24/7/365 (and in leap years too). He says in one of his posts that creativity is not a faucet that can opened and closed as you please. It’s a waterfall.

Over the years as we continued to work together on several projects and caught up during offsites, he started narrating his childhood. As a child, he faced a severe challenge — dyslexia. This meant that he had to put in a lot of effort to remain at par with his peers. That discipline and constant striving to be exceedingly good at whatever he is doing is a trait that has remained.

He has a great sense of humour too which is not always evident in gatherings/meetings.

However, on social media communication, he stands out. Over time, he has helped me tremendously with my posts and without his magic doing rounds, I wouldn’t have secured the readership.

He approaches people with a kind heart and gives his best. I know for a fact that he helps many other people like me, and every assignment is a new avenue which he explores with creativity and to the fullest. He wrote once that in a world full of relationships that are transactional, giving without expecting anything in return is true power. Well, not many people can follow such powerful words and put them into practice.

He is one such, who does it every day!

I visited him in Chennai at his residence. Simple living and high thinking, a motto which was perhaps lived by the older generations in India, has a taker in Varun and his family.

It’s great to see him so contented with his life and supremely focused on what he does best. As a freelancer today, he has been doing some incredible work.

Varun wears many hats. His personality is shaped by soo many qualities such as creativity, art, communication and of course, great humour too. If you really want to know this very interesting human being, you’ll have to spend time with him and get to understand the unique way he approaches his work.

Varun, it’s been a great experience to have you as a friend — someone who has constantly worked with me to create that elusive X factor in my content.

If content is King, with Varun around, it becomes THE EMPEROR!