Aashish Dutt

On the path of Self-Discovery via a ‘breaking-open’ that life-altering changes and age-old rites of passage such as Grief/Loss can trigger, in their power to ‘shaken’ & ‘awaken’ ; to ‘teach’, ‘transform’ & potentially ‘transcend’ the universal suffering that characterises and deludes our human condition; by ‘showing us the mirror’ through which a ‘realization’ of our true selves shines through, ‘reflecting’ the essential ‘lightness’ & ‘oneness/connectedness’ of the underlying reality; secretly unveiling & revealing the purpose, meaning & gift of Life beyond the physical and material world of form & appearances; and the illusory dualities & separation of the embodied, egoic ‘I’ we take at face value.

Drawing from the timeless Teachings of ‘Autobiography of a Yogi’ (Paramahansa Yogananda) and Kriya Yoga; my own personal experiences and journey through existential depression & anxiety (I can tell you there ain’t no medicines for mortality!), loss, grief and now coming out the other side as documented in ‘Maa and the Master’ and ‘Grief Manifesto’; Ancient Wisdom Traditions & Philosophies esp. of the East and emerging Human-Centric Schools of Psychology such as Existential Humanism (completed Foundation Therapy course from EHI California); I would be honoured to share, exchange and play that ‘mirror’ to help others’ in their own unique yet universal suffering, to walk with and not for them in their existential quest and individual journey towards “mental health”, self-awareness and a more conscious approach to work and life; to help unearth & unlock the potential, gift & best in others and thus my own freedom; all from an ever curious, beginner, unlearning and learning mind and in the spirit of the free seeker, free thinker, fellow traveller and ‘one love’ yogi I wish to remember to be now and forever. A lifelong Student of Existence & Consciousness, curious & ‘experienced’ enough to know that ‘The more I know, the more I know I don’t know’.

When not pondering and philosophizing over life’s greatest mysteries,  I’ve been involved as an early mover in the clean tech, renewable energy, wastewater recycling and waste management sector in India, on both sides of the investing and start-up table, with a special affinity for nature inspired innovation, biomimicry and circularity. This expressed itself via the setting up of one of Asia’s first and largest biowaste to compressed biomethane projects  in India and the founding of a recent environmental venture called www.saafenergy.in specializing in nextgen plug and play digesters to help transform ‘organic waste into quality of life’ and align ‘profit, purpose & sustainability’. The company is making early strides with systems  in India, Middle East, Australia and Europe (coming soon).

In the midst of juggling the above with my limited multi-tasking skills, I never miss an opportunity to stay in touch with my first love, Economics, and regularly ‘go back to school’ and Teach what I hope Dr. Ernst NG would qualify as a stream of Conscious Economics, frequently taking refuge in my 21^st century ‘yogi cave’ i.e. container house on the outskirts of Bangalore, India.