'The purpose of our lives is a life of purpose': Ally Matthan, entrepreneur

(The Proust Questionnaire is a questionnaire about one’s personality. It has its origins in a parlour game popularised by Marcel Proust, a French essayist and novelist, who believed that in answering these questions an individual reveals his or her true nature)

Ally Matthan turns her passions into business enterprises. First with fragrances and her natural and organic line of bath and skincare, she launched Areev. Now she has turned her passion for textiles, textile art and history into The Registry of Sarees – the only resource and study centre for textiles in the south of India. The Centre offers curatorial, design and research facilities for all those who share her passion.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A swim in the ocean.

What is your greatest fear?

Mediocrity.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Laziness.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?

Lack of initiative.

Which living person do you most admire?

Mary Kom.

What is your greatest extravagance?

My fitness routine.

What is your current state of mind?

Focused.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

Lady-like behaviour.

On what occasion do you lie?

When I finish a box of Kaju Katli on my own.

Which living person do you most despise?

Donald Trump.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

A sense of humour.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Reliability.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

“Really?!”

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

Fragrances.

Which talent would you most like to have?

Green fingers.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My impatience.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Still working on this…..

If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?

A dog in my own home.

Where would you most like to live?

By the sea.

What is your most treasured possession?

My two dogs.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

A broken heart.

What is your favourite occupation?

Creating fragrances!

What is your most marked characteristic?

My ability to see the best in the worst situations and people.

What do you most value in your friends?

A good shoulder to cry on.

Who are your favourite writers?

Anais Nin, Asimov, Jane Austen, Neil Gaiman, Richard Bach.

Who is your hero of fiction? 

Heathcliff.

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

Estee Lauder.

Who are your heroes in real life?

All the people I work with: they inspire me to get up and give my best each day!

What is your favourite name? 

Dhruv.

What is it that you most dislike?

Ragi mudde.

What is your greatest regret?

Not eating that street food!

How would you like to die?

In my sleep.

What is your favourite journey?

My route to work every morning.

What is your motto?

The purpose of our lives is a life of purpose.

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