Page 23 - Seniors Today - Jan25 Issues

narrative, challenging the very notion of 43 Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, 72,
being ‘driven’. According to him, we should
not be driven by anything; instead, we must
take the wheel of our own lives.
His perspective on consciousness is
equally provocative. “Anything you are not
conscious of—even if it’s the biggest thing
in the universe—it doesn’t exist for you.”
Consciousness, he explains, isn’t selective;
it’s like light. “You turn on the light, and you
see what’s here. You don’t only see what you
like—if you do that, you’ll go insane. One
day, you’ll see only what pleases you, and
the next, you’ll be overwhelmed by what
you dislike. Only when you see everything
as it is can you truly navigate your way
through life.”
He creates ripples where he goes, and he
goes places.
42 Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, 68, Spiritual
Guru
Being reticent doesn’t
make Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar less influential.
In fact it is exactly his
soft-spoken manner and
gentle aura that have
made him hugely sought after the world
over. He travels roughly 100 countries
annually, spreading his art of spiritual
living to countless followers.
His contributions are plenty. He has
mediated peace negotiations in conflict-
stricken regions such as Sri Lanka,
Iraq, Venezuela, and Colombia. His
humanitarian efforts dedicating his life to
spreading meditation across 180 countries
has been exceedingly successful.
His status on Instagram: My Vision is a
Stress-Free, Violence-Free World, and to
See a Smile on Every Face.
Here’s hoping he succeeds.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #67 | JANUARY 2025
Entrepreneur
A self-made woman and
one of India’s richest,
Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw,
Executive Chairperson
of Biocon Ltd. and Biocon
Biologics Ltd.
A first generation entrepreneur and global
business leader with over four decades of
experience in biotechnology. Recipient of
Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.
The lady deservedly rakes in the awards
y-o-y with élan. Among the latest feathers
in her cap, in 2024, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw
received the Jamsetji Tata Award for her
work in the biosciences sector in India.
Says Mazumdar-Shaw, “As a scientist, I
was inspired by the vision of creating an
organisation that leverages science and
technology to widen access to lifesaving
drugs for patients on the lowest rung of
the economic ladder. It is through our
philosophy of affordable innovation that we
have been able to make a difference to global
health equity by ensuring that no patient
anywhere in the world is denied essential
and lifesaving biologic drugs on account of
affordability.”
44 Prathap C Reddy, 92, Doctor,
Entrepreneur
Over the last three
decades, India’s medical
landscape has seen a
massive shift, and in no
small measure, Apollo
Hospitals and Dr Reddy
have played a major role in bringing about
this revolution.
After a flourishing (cardiology) practice of
his dreams in the US, Dr Reddy was asked
by his father to return to India. He soon
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