Let’s talk about Bhakti. A word that has been boxed into temple corridors, incense sticks, and Hindu hashtags. Most people hear “bhakti” and immediately think you’re about to break into a chant or wear saffron. But truth be told, bhakti is everywhere—and if we’re being honest, most of us live by it more than we admit.
Bhakti is not about rituals. It’s about devotion. Pure, unapologetic, logic-defying devotion. It’s about being so utterly into something—or someone—that you stop asking for proof. That’s it. No spreadsheets. No third-party validation. Just full-heart commitment. Think of a child’s love for their parents. No one asks for a DNA report before giving their father a hug. “Are you really my father? Show me the test results first.” Said no child, ever. That’s bhakti. It’s irrational, and that’s the point.
In fact, bhakti might just be the secret engine behind every great start-up story. Founders don’t create companies because the data is airtight. They do it because they’re head-over-heels in love with an idea that nobody else can see. It borders on madness, really. But here’s the twist: in the start-up world, that kind of madness is a compliment. “She’s obsessed.” “He’s a madcap.” “They’re crazy.” These are high praise.
You walk into an investor pitch with nothing but a slide deck and a sparkle in your eye, and you say, “This will change the world.” And when someone asks, “Do you have proof of concept?” you smile like a cult leader and say, “Not yet. But I believe.” That’s bhakti in a business suit.
It’s the kind of devotion that makes people leave six-figure salaries to build apps that may or may not make it out of beta. It’s what makes people wake up at 4 AM to train for marathons, or spend five years writing a book with no guarantee it’ll ever be published. Logic? What’s that?
Sure, in the corporate world, we love data. We make graphs and KPIs and run simulations. But at the root of it, the real game-changers—whether in business, science, or life—start with someone saying, “I don’t care if it hasn’t been done. I feel it must be.” That’s bhakti. It’s not anti-intellectual. It’s pre-intellectual. It’s the spark before the structure.
So next time someone tells you to “be practical” or “follow the data,” nod politely—but listen to your bhakti. Because bhakti is what starts the journey, even before the map exists. It’s not blind faith. It’s visionary madness. And sometimes, that’s exactly what’s needed.
And if someone calls you crazy for it? Take it as a blessing and hope a few more call you that. Your success is exponentially proportional to the number of people calling you that.