Sundeep Raichura’s quiet philosophical time and masala tea

With his greying hair and Zen-like proclamations, he is taking stock of his life. The time he almost joined medical school. That moment when the masala tea in his cup hits the right spot.

He sounds chummy and omniscient, like a monk meditating on a mountain, an unconscious unravelling of a notion, an ideology, or an identity stripped bare to its bones, to say the unsayable, to reach a point of reckoning, enlightenment, or understanding, if not universal, at least primal. This is his guiding philosophy.

It must be working. He has not a wrinkle on his face. Is it the masala tea? No, he says. “Diet, exercise and time for myself,” he says. With skin clear as rain, it’s hard not to believe him. Stellar wisdom retains an allure, even as time takes its toll. 

What’s it like being you?

I am the CEO of a major financial services company in Kenya and Africa, but there is a part of me that is very introverted. Although my position has put me in the limelight, as a person, I am happier within myself. I believe that true happiness comes from within, and every human being strives for it.

However, for me, it is a state that you create, based on how you handle the circumstances of life. I fundamentally believe that the purpose of life is to have a purpose in life.

You have quite clear skin. What’s your routine?

I have a very mkali wife who keeps me on my toes in terms of what we eat, which is a healthy diet. I also exercise every day without fail. At 4 am, my trainer is at the door. I believe in the simple things of life. What did Leonardo Da Vinci say? Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. There is nothing I put on—this is diet, exercise, and time for myself.

What do you do during this time for yourself?

I am not a golfer. For me, it’s about reading a good book and having a nice cup of masala tea. But silence is highly underrated — that is my pure joy. I believe seclusion is the price of greatness, and carving out that time to be alone and supremely still is sacredly enriching. I can deeply connect but also deeply create, do what I do well at work, and for myself.

How do you find the said time within your schedule?

Work to me is almost a hobby, and it can be difficult to switch off. In the last three or four years, I have become quite intentional in making that me-time, for the family, and work. It is all a work in progress.

It could also be because I am getting older, but age is just a number [chuckles], so I think I am getting younger, that’s what I feel. I am also hanging out with a group of friends who are helping me see my blind spots and challenge me, ‘If you believe this is the purpose of your life, what are you doing about it?’

What lifestyle did you have to adapt to for the life you are living now?

My job as CEO is intense and takes a huge amount of my time. The weekends are a chance for me to unplug and disconnect and spend time on things I want to do.

During the day, I make a deliberate effort in my calendar to have me-time, my daughters are now abroad, but I used to set aside time for them, and of course, my wife. The intentionality is what is really helping me.

What has it been like raising daughters?

Real fun and joy. With my daughters, I can be who I am. One regret I have is that they grew up so fast, and I was so consumed with my work that I didn’t see them grow as much as I should have. But the last four years, I have cultivated a relationship with my girls—they can call me out, they can disarm me with their charm, and they can put me in my place as well. It is a relationship that is growing, and I’d do anything for them.

What did fatherhood reveal to you about yourself?

That there are two people I could do anything for. They are my first clients, which is what I tell them. They have helped me see my vulnerabilities — you learn parenthood on the job. My daughters see me more as a person now, that a parent is not perfect. My work has consumed me, but there is a very new intentionality about how I am repurposing myself.

What tips do you have for surviving parenthood?

Before, I would tell my daughters what they needed to do. Now, I just share experiences. I’d tell them what I would do if I were in their shoes, or do you want a hug, or do you want advice? Learn to treat your children as adults. That is the ingredient for success. Give them the time and the love, but don’t tell them what to do; share your experiences.

Was that how you grew up?

Probably not, we were brought up to do what we were told. The new generation won’t listen to that, because the world is changing. When I use that approach with my children, it works wonders, but when I try to tell them what to do, it backfires.

What would you teach your father about fatherhood?

My father was one of my key business mentors. I would tell him, ‘See us for what we are, do not see us for what you hope we would be.’

Any particular reason why?

Growing up, I had not worked out what I wanted to do in my career, but my father had really wanted to be a doctor himself. He wanted to live his dream through me. Out of deference to him, I decided to become a doctor and got into one of the top medical schools in Europe. But, three weeks before I joined, I didn’t think I could go through with it. I took a year out, and that was the best turning point in my life. I tell my daughters they can become what they want to be.

How does that make them feel?

They know they can experiment and that they have parents they can fall back on.

What tradition do you hope is carried throughout your family?

We are a traditional Hindu family. I understand the Hindu values, our scriptures, and the concept of extended families staying together. I have many arguments with my daughters from politics to society and environment, and their views are quite different from mine.

Without being judgmental, I feel that marriage is sacred, and the relationship happens in the marriage but today you have to live first. It is different from my thinking, and I am adapting my own thinking to the way the world is changing, but I am very firmly rooted in my values.

Speaking of, how has marriage been for you?

We are coming up to 29 years of marriage soon. I am lucky in life to have found a partner who understands and puts up with me. We are almost soulmates, we have a lovely relationship, we have different views on many things, but we connect well together, and we love each other so much.

What does she know about you that the boardroom never will?

I am a pretty shy person by nature. I don’t love the limelight. She says, silent waters run deep. I don’t talk much.

After 29 years, have your views about marriage changed?

Marriage teaches you the need to adapt, to be patient, and to appreciate that there will be ups and downs in a relationship. Both of us are aligned. It has been a wonderful experience, and I’m looking forward to many more years.

I don’t want to make this a marriage conversation, but are you a better husband or father?

I am a perfectionist in life, dotting every i and crossing every t. And that goes to my work, husband, nephew, uncle—all the roles I occupy. I am not perfect, but I try to be.

What could you do better as a husband?

You promised that was the last marriage question [chuckles]. Well, giving my wife a bit more time. She appreciates that I am engrossed in my ambition and my plan for Zamara, but sometimes I feel she would love a gesture where I am spontaneous and treat her.

When is this ambition enough?

That’s a tough question. For Zamara, ambition is about impact, touching people’s lives and changing the narrative about savings and enabling people’s financial futures and getting them to see the importance of taking charge of their own financial destinies.

I feel that my work-life has been quite intense for over 30 years now. I am now reflecting and what I have learned is that rest is not a reward for work, but it is part of work.

Two, time goes by fast, and there are other things I want to do with my life, family, and I keep time for that. Creating the balance for Zamara and the part of me that I need to explore.

How do you break free from routine?

I am a disciplinarian by nature. Every minute counts. And I want to give it value. In my structured life, spontaneity is perhaps lacking. There is a part of me that feels like I don’t need to snap out of it because it works for me, I am who I am because I am disciplined and exerting on myself.

What’s a small joy you have?

A cup of masala tea. My wife taught me the recipe, but I like it when she makes it for me. When I go somewhere, the first thing I ask for is a nice cup of masala tea, with a nice book.

What’s a book you’ve read that has shifted the way you think?

I read a lot of biographies and philosophies of improvement. I recently read, ‘The Wealth that Money Cannot Buy’ by Robin Sharma. There is a nice quote in there, “Some people are so poor they only have money.” It’s about happiness that you can create, healthiness, and connectedness.

What do you have that money can’t buy?

I love what I do, and I enjoy my life and work. We live in a world of chaos in the business world today, but I think I am carrying this reservoir of silence within me, that I don’t allow any battles, any trials, disharmonies, and that’s powerful for me.

When you look at your life 10 years from now, what do you hope you will regret the least?

I have two lovely daughters and a lovely family. And two, a business that has impacted lives across Africa and that will outlive me.

You’ve brought up your daughters a lot. Are you regretful that you haven’t spent enough time with them?

My first daughter went abroad five years ago, and my second daughter three years ago. It has been an empty nest for a few years now, and that has led to more time for reflection.

Has it been tough being an empty nester?

I love having my girls around, but I am happy to say that I am proud of everything they are doing. I enjoy my own company, and I love that me-time.

What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself in this period?

Time is something you cannot get back, so I need to be intentional about what I want and make sure I get it.

What did you truly want from life that never happened?

[long pause] So far, I can’t say what’s not happened. I am a firm believer that if you create the right frame of mind and apply yourself, the universe will work to get you what you seek. Perhaps nothing yet, but we don’t know about the future.

What’s a misconception people have about you?

People can think I am hard because I am exacting on myself. My position puts me out there, but I am happier within myself.

What’s the next question people never ask you but you wish they would?

What is Sundeep passionate about?

Go on…

I am passionate about nourishing my soul. There is more to life than what is there. I am on that quest, and searching for it, and that should be the polestar of my life.

Do you think people get to these questions only when they have achieved financial freedom?

Financial freedom is important to have, but it’s more than that; it’s contentment that one must have.

If you could teach the world one thing, what would it be?

To be calmly active and actively calm. I don’t lose my cool even in the most insanely stressful conditions. I can be calmly active, but I can also be actively calm, like when I need to get into myself, I can do it.

Describe your perfect weekend.

Spending time with my family is important. Spending time in nature, rather than the hassle of the city, or at a party, I prefer to go to the Kakamega Forest for the serenity of nature trails and the sound of the birds, where nature is calling. That’s me.

What will people mourn about you when you are gone?

Here is a person who was a very deep thinker. I philosophise about life when I am done for the day, and during my cold morning showers. Do I like the train my life is taking? If not, what do I do? It’s a search I need to do.

Where are you finding the answers?

In reading. In silence.

What is something you long believed to be true but, realised over time it isn’t?

That there are perceptions you can form about people that turn out not to be true. I am not judgmental, but the more I interact with people, the fundamental thing I see is that every human being is good, and the onus is on me to find the good in every person.

What never fails to make you laugh?

Tough question [chuckles]. A nice comedy.

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