My guest today is Akhil Aryan who is a technology entrepreneur and content creator. He has built and sold multiple businesses and is currently the co-founder and CEO of Altergo, a company whose software is helping accelerate Earth's transition to new energy. Akhil is also on a personal mission to 'enable everyone to do their life's best work'. He creates content on topics related to business, philosophy, decision making and financial freedom. We first met in 2014 on a startup accelerator program at Google Campus in London, where we bonded over entrepreneurship, spirituality and creative expression. In a recent catchup, our conversation turned to literature, specifically Hermann Hesse's novel Siddhartha - and we ended up discussing the book on this podcast. Siddhartha is a philosophical story that follows the journey of a young man who is on a quest for enlightenment. It's a novel that I first read as a teenager and have come back to, every few years. It has always offered me new perspective, meaning and even refuge during turbulent times. Now what I really love about this conversation with Akhil is that it takes places in parallel dimensions. In the first, we're talking about the book. And in the second, we are applying the lens of Siddhartha to everyday life and work situations. I've always felt that fiction and reality share a powerful bridge and episodes like this one only reinforce my belief. It was truly a pleasure speaking with Akhil. He is one of the most fascinating people I've ever met and I'm sure this won't be the last time he appears on this podcast. --- Say hi to Akhil on IG: www.instagram.com/akhilaryanofficial Say hi to Dhru on IG: www.instagram.com/dhrupadkarwa Say hi to Dhru of Twitter: www.twitter.com/dhrupadkarwa --- Mentioned: www.litvisions.substack.com - for essays, podcasts and fiction Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Being and Nothingness by Jean-Paul Sartre --- Show notes: 0:00 - Introduction 02:42 - What Siddhartha means to Akhil 03:31 - Akhil as Siddhartha 07:41 - On knowing yourself 10:35 - Subject-Object relationships 12:30 - Siddhartha’s different personas 14:50 - I can think. I can wait. I can fast. 19:55 - Thoughts are maps, Actions are vehicles 22:05 - What is essence? 29:05 - Why I am? Who I am? 32:57 - Siddhartha does not procrastinate 37:15 - The power of clarity 39:08 - Difference between truth and meaning 42:45 - The mystery of Siddhartha 44:14 - Akhil's sequence of sentences 48:15 - On Govinda 57:03 - Hermann Hesse’s depression 01:02:46 - Why should someone read Siddhartha