Forbes India featured Dr Sanjay Sarda in its 15 November 2024 edition as a music therapist, lifestyle coach, startup mentor and author. The piece follows a man who left the corporate world at its peak to look for the talents he had never had time to find.
Some people collect titles. Dr Sanjay Sarda seems to collect beginnings. Forbes India set out to explain how one person keeps finding new things to do, and its answer is simpler than it first appears. He is neither an enigma nor a maverick. He has a great deal of energy, he spends it on what he loves, and that work gives back more energy than it takes.
Treasures we never discover
At the heart of his outlook is a belief that every one of us carries gifts placed there by God, and that most people never find them. Caught up in the daily grind, they go through life without opening what they were given. A deliberate journey of self-realisation, he holds, is how those treasures come to light. It is what makes a life meaningful and purposeful rather than merely busy.
The foundation first
His own journey began with a practical step that is easy to overlook. He believes health, career and relationships deserve equal weight, and that none should be pursued at the cost of the others. He also believes in a lifestyle that does not need a fortune to sustain it. With a reasonable foundation in place, a person is free to explore without the constraints of a career.
He took that step at 52, at the peak of his corporate career.
A difficult instrument, a late start
Music came first. He took up the Santoor at 51, an instrument known for its difficulty. Nearly everyone around him, his Guru included, expected him to give it up before long. Fourteen years later, when Forbes India met him, he was still playing.
He now plays about ten instruments and keeps adding more. At the time of the feature, he was waiting to start on the Zendrum. Along the way he opened music academies and turned music into therapy. At 64, he was awarded a Doctorate in Music Therapy by the United Nations Global Peace Council for his work with people undergoing long-term treatment, including cancer and IVF. In his sessions he uses the Santoor, the Handpan, the Tabla and other instruments.
A spiritual turn
His path took a further turn when he began studying the ancient Vedic scriptures. He found their message strikingly relevant to young people and set out to reach them, making that wisdom relatable through YouTube and his writing. He has authored many books, including My Spiritual Journey of Finding Krishna, Understanding Ram, Bharatiyata, Kabir -the Mystic Rebel Saint and have found readers among the young generation. Alongside this, he mentors startups.
Wealth of a different kind
The feature closes on what he values most. For him, the greatest wealth lies not in possessions but in self-discovery and personal growth. That journey has brought him an abundance of love, joy and purpose. He puts the positive energy it gives him into touching lives, adding value and making a difference for others.
Forbes India summed him up in three images: a soul on fire, a heart that is ever grateful, and a body that refuses to tire. It ended by saying it was waiting to see what he does next. Given his record, that seems a safe bet.
This article draws on Dr Sanjay Sarda’s feature in Forbes India, 15 November 2024 edition, page 61.