Awaken

Epilogue: Healing the Patriarchy

Why was my soul born in a place like Kesur to a father and a mother like mine? To a casual observer, my deeply feudal origins are completely at odds with the person I have become: a modern multicultural global citizen who embraces the need for feminine and masculine energy in business and in family. It just doesn't add up, which means there is probably a deeper purpose to it.

The way I have come to make sense of it is this: I left India to make a life in the United States of America, to thrive in the “land of the free.” But wherever you go, there you are. I carried inside me the DNA of Kesur as well as the traumatic history of the Rajputs. My journey of healing and the reason I helped launch Conscious Capitalism is that through the lens of business, my real work has been to try to heal the patriarchy. Unconscious capitalism was clearly the product of patriarchal traditions. Conscious Capitalism has been a stepping‐stone to my greater purpose, which is to challenge patriarchal mindsets across all sectors of society. I believe I was destined to connect these worlds and do this kind of healing work.

The Need to Heal Kesur

For much of my life, I thought of Kesur as a place of darkness and decay, of abuse and tyranny. I assumed that it had always been that way, with some exceptions like my great‐grandfather Hari Singh, who was renowned and loved for his kind, generous, and forgiving nature. He reflected the benign paternal side of the patriarchy. ...