Note to readers: While we accept the reality of the coronavirus, it is important to be optimistic. We must believe that there will be a day when the disease will no longer be the all-destroying scourge it is today. And when that day comes, we will be able to enjoy life, maybe with a few adjustments, the way we did before COVID-19. To that end, we are starting ‘If Covid Vanished ...’, a series of interviews with corporate heads and achievers, where we ask them where they’d like to travel or eat, who’d they like to meet, and so on, if the world became Corona-mukt. Follow the series here.
The communication technologies of UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) company Telebu has been used by managers as well as mantris this election season. But the company’s founder and CEO, Satya Kalyan Yerramsetti, awaits the day when good old face-to-face interaction between people becomes risk free again.
“It has been ages since I have participated in any activity that gives me a sense of community experience,” says Satya, who lives in Hyderabad, where, as a student, he studied mechanical engineering at Osmania University.
A chat with the verse and Latin-quoting boss on his wishlist for life after COVID.
If COVID went away or became easily manageable, which city would you like to travel to first and why?
I have always been fascinated with Stockholm. It has maintained its old-world charm, being surrounded by the Baltic Sea. It scores on gender equality, has a 30-hour work week. The people of Sweden have their work-life balance figured out. Swedes are meticulous, detail-oriented and innovators. We could learn a ton about efficiency from them.
Which restaurant/ bar would you go to first and why?
The bars I would like to go and celebrate would be 10D in Hyderabad, Arbor Brewing Company, Bengaluru and Atlas in Singapore. I will choose Amara, Trident for food and glut on pani-puri at a street-side stall.
Which famous stranger would you like to invite home and talk to and why?
Jeff Lawson, founder of Twilio. I want to talk to him about his journey as an entrepreneur, his failures, his highs and lows in building one of the world’s largest Cloud Communication Platforms as a Service Company.
The other famous stranger would be Reed Hastings, founder of Netflix. I would love to learn how he inculcated a Freedom and Responsibility culture across Netflix.
What public performance/ occasion would you like to attend?
I am looking forward to attending the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this June.
Oh, it could be anything. I would enjoy any group activity. It has been ages since I have participated in any activity that gives me a sense of community experience. It can be something simple like watching a movie in a packed theatre, attending mixers and networking events, boot camps, music festivals, exhibitions, plays, trade fairs. I would soak it all in. The pandemic has been a rare event where everyone across the globe felt the same emotions, same challenges and fought the same enemy. The pandemic has drained a lot out of us emotionally. We need to reconnect with humans, feelings and nature to feel like ourselves again.
What new skill would you like to learn?
I have a bucket list and I keep adding skills to it. I have meant to take up taekwondo, learn French, baking, tap dancing and pottery.
The first song that comes to mind when you think of a COVID-free world.
It’s a wonderful world
I’m just walking on air
Talk of heaven on earth
I’ve got more than my share
Haven’t got a care
‘What a Wonderful World’ by Louis Armstrong.
Another gem I often listen to as we wait for the world to open its arms for us is :
Chhoo loon main itna kareeb
Chal padoon to kitna door
Sapnon ka buna sweater so warm
Safed baadalon ke paar Mera jahan..
What bad habit will you work on eliminating in a world that is open again?
Littering and public hygiene. The world would be so much better if we continue to be particular about cleanliness even after the pandemic subsides.
What will you do with your masks?
Frame them. It will remind us of the time when families were there for each other, when parents bonded with their children, when big guys cared for the little guy, and when the little guy fought for survival every day without giving up. It will remind us of all the good that came along with all the bad. It will remind us that for everything that we lost, we gained and learned a lot as well.
What would your motto be for life after the pandemic?
Non est ad astra mollis e terris via. There is no easy way from earth to the stars, as Seneca said.
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