Family’s Day Out

More than money, entrepreneurs are always strapped of time. And even when they are not, the hangover of marathon meetings and daily travel spoils their precious family time. Entrepreneur reaches out to few such new-age leaders across sectors, to find out how they balance family life with an over-demanding professional life.
Arjunpreet Singh Sahni, Founder and Executive Director Solitairian Group- In Selfless Service
Being a localite, I have been visiting Bangla Sahib Gurudwara in Delhi with parents since childhood. Even now whenever I can take time out, whether on weekdays or weekends, I always head to the Gurudwara along with them. Offering prayers and doing ‘sewa’ (selfless service) at the ‘langar ghar’ (community-kitchen/canteen hall) gives me immense satisfaction. Moreover, I donate ration at the langar every month, it rejuvenates me.

Ashish Baheti, MD, Vectus Industries- For Family Values
Like every father, I believe that it is my responsibilities towards my children to inculcate good habits in them, right from their tender age. This includes making them understand that respecting elders is important. However, staying in a nuclear family doesn’t allow them to experience the love and affection of grandparents. So I take them to an old age home, whenever I can. This way, I can spend time with my children and also help them understand family values. They call everyone at the old age home as ‘dadu and dadi’, and ask them to recite stories.
Nina Lekhi, Managing Director & Chief Design Curator, Baggit – Pedaling for Strength
Cycling down the slopes of Katharkadak, surrounded by peaceful, tranquil and beautiful hills overwhelms me and my family with the feeling of immense well-being. I relate climbing a slope or trudging a dirt track to various ups and downs in life. I love cycling and had cycled from Mumbai to Ganpatipule (small town in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra) which was quite crazy and risky. Such risks help me to become stronger, both spiritually and physically.
Mitali Tandon, Co-founder, Morning Fresh- The Gardener
The garden at our workplace allows me to experiment with a lot of fresh food in the kitchen. We grow kale, banana, papaya, herbs like basil, rosemary and tulsi. Recently, I have also added some romaine to my garden. Kale chips, avocado, pineapple and chia seed smoothies, rocket and beet salads, almond milk are served at our dinner table. It’s an activity that my family find cathartic, especially at the end of a long day or week.
Ritu Grover, Founder and CEO, The Global Helpdesk – Experimenting with Design
As an interior designer, whenever I find time for myself and family, I experiment with designing something or the other. The charm of designing something new gives me immense satisfaction. So be it my home or my offices across India, me and my daughter go for a re-designing expedition of spaces, instead of holidaying somewhere.
Nitin Aggarwal, Founder and CEO, Prayag- For the Love of Food
I rarely get free time from work, but whenever I do, I try to spend every second with my kids. We are passionate about food, and I am also a cooking enthusiast. So I love experimenting with my cooking, trying new cuisines from around the world. Moreover, we often do small pool side parties and enjoy swimming.
Pankaj Anand, Founder and Director, Sabhyata- Cooking Therapy
I prefer to spend my leisure time cooking different recipes. For me it is the most therapeutic exercise on the planet. I have always been passionate about cooking, so I unwind by doing it. In fact, I have learned a number of recipes by browsing cookery websites during free hours. Whenever free, I try to treat my family with some interesting experimental dish.
(This article first appeared in the Indian edition of Entrepreneur magazine (October 2016 Issue).