PVLF 2026

Interview With Prachi Garg, Author of “Startup Secrets from the Ramayana”

Prachi Garg’s Startup Secrets from the Ramayana blends mythology with entrepreneurship, offering timeless lessons in resilience, vision & values.
on Sep 26, 2025

Frontlist: Startup Secrets from the Ramayana uniquely blends mythology with entrepreneurship. What inspired you to reinterpret Ram’s journey as a roadmap for modern startups?

Prachi: Honestly, the idea struck me when I realized how deeply the Ramayana resonates beyond mythology—it’s a story of vision, challenges, teamwork, and resilience, which is exactly what every startup founder goes through. As a storyteller and entrepreneur, I couldn’t help but see Ram’s journey as more than just a divine tale—it felt like the journey of every dreamer who dares to build something from scratch.

For me, Startup Secrets from the Ramayana is about reminding today’s youth that the struggles they face—self-doubt, resource crunch, building the right team—are not new. Ram too faced them in different forms, and his story gives us a powerful blueprint to navigate those hurdles with clarity and values. I wanted to bring that timeless wisdom into a language startups and young entrepreneurs can instantly connect withFrontlist: The book shows Ram rebuilding his empire after betrayal. How do you see this reflecting the real struggles entrepreneurs face when forced to start over?

Prachi: That part of Ram’s journey is very close to my heart because it mirrors the reality many entrepreneurs face—failure, betrayal, and the pain of starting over. Ram lost almost everything he was entitled to, yet he chose resilience, rebuilding step by step with vision and values.

I’ve lived a similar chapter. My first venture, Managing Minds, didn’t work out, and it felt like starting from scratch. But that setback became my “forest exile,” shaping me to build Ghoomo Phiro, which went on to become a successful travel startup.

Entrepreneurs often reach these crossroads. What matters is not the fall, but the courage to rise again. For me, starting over was never a failure—it was the foundation of resilience.

Frontlist: In today’s startup ecosystem, ambition often clashes with ethics. How does your book use Ram’s story to highlight the importance of value-driven leadership?

Prachi: In Indian mythology, every story is deeply rooted in values—and the Ramayana is one of the finest examples. It teaches us that leadership is not just about victories, but about the choices that lead to them. Ram’s journey shows us that even in the face of loss and pressure, staying true to dharma was his greatest strength.

For today’s entrepreneurs, this becomes a timeless lesson. Ambition may fuel the startup journey, but it is values that give it direction. Just as mythology placed ethics at the heart of every tale, startups too must weave integrity into their DNA. That is what builds trust, loyalty, and long-term impact.

Through Startup Secrets from the Ramayana, I wanted to remind readers that ambition and values are not opposing forces—they are like the bow and arrow of Ram. One gives the drive, the other gives the aim. Together, they create meaningful success.

Frontlist: “Literacy to Liberation” is about applying wisdom to transform lives. How does your book empower readers, especially entrepreneurs, to liberate themselves from limiting beliefs?

Prachi: I love the phrase “Literacy to Liberation” because it perfectly captures the journey across all my books—whether it’s Superwomen, Legends of a Startup Guy, or Startup Secrets from the Ramayana. Each one is crafted not just to tell a story, but to spark a transformation—to guide readers from simply knowing to truly believing in their potential. What holds them all together is a deep celebration of our Indian roots.

Our mythology and contemporary narratives are rich with timeless lessons—courage in adversity, clarity in chaos, integrity in ambition.

They remind us that real liberation isn’t about escaping external boundaries—it’s about freeing ourselves from fear, doubt, and self-imposed limits.

For entrepreneurs especially, this is powerful. My books invite them to embrace the resilience and wisdom embedded in our heritage, to lead with values, and to see limiting beliefs as the very thresholds they must cross to grow. Each book becomes a bridge—from literacy to liberation, guided always by the luminous spirit of our culture.

Frontlist: Many entrepreneurs fear failure. How does Ram’s resilience in your narrative serve as a guide for founders facing rejection, loss, or betrayal?

Prachi: Failure is every entrepreneur’s biggest fear, but Ram’s story reminds us that it can also be the greatest teacher. He faced exile, betrayal, and

loss, yet he never allowed those moments to define him. Instead, he treated each setback as a lesson, transforming hardship into strength. That resilience is what carried him forward—and it’s the same resilience every founder needs when facing rejection or betrayal.

For me, this is where the idea of literacy to liberation comes alive. Literacy is when we know failure is part of the journey; liberation is when we live it with courage, when we refuse to let setbacks chain us down. Ram embodies that liberation—he shows us that resilience is not about avoiding the fall, but about rising each time with deeper clarity and stronger purpose.

As an entrepreneur myself, I’ve lived this. Managing Minds was my exile, and Ghoomophiro.com became my liberation. That personal journey, reflected in Ram’s story, is what I hope to pass on to every reader:

Failure is not your full stop—it’s your turning point. Liberation begins the moment you choose to rise again.

Frontlist: You’ve built ghoomophiro.com and written extensively about entrepreneurship. Did your own entrepreneurial journey influence the way you interpreted the Ramayana’s lessons?

Prachi: Absolutely, my entrepreneurial journey deeply shaped how I interpreted the Ramayana. When my first venture, Managing Minds, didn’t work out, it felt like my own exile—lonely, uncertain, and filled with self-doubt. But just like Ram’s years in the forest prepared him for a greater purpose, that phase became my foundation.

With Ghoomophiro.com, I rebuilt from scratch, carrying forward the resilience, patience, and clarity I had earned through failure. That’s when I truly saw how Ram’s journey mirrors that of an entrepreneur—losing almost everything, yet rising again with a stronger vision and deeper values.

The Ramayana reminded me, and I hope reminds every entrepreneur, that setbacks are not roadblocks—they are stepping stones. Your toughest trials are often shaping you for your biggest triumphs.

Because sometimes, your exile is not your ending—the training ground for your empire.

Frontlist: Storytelling is a powerful tool for education and empowerment. Why did you choose the Ramayana as your framework to simplify and communicate complex startup challenges?

Prachi: Storytelling has always been the heartbeat of our culture. For centuries, Indian wisdom has been passed down not through rules and frameworks, but through stories that inspire, guide, and linger in memory. That’s why I chose the Ramayana as a framework—it’s not just mythology, it’s a timeless narrative that makes even the most complex dilemmas simple and relatable.

The struggles of Ram—facing exile, rebuilding from betrayal, leading with purpose—mirror exactly what entrepreneurs experience when building startups. Instead of management jargon, the epic offers living, breathing lessons in resilience, leadership, and vision. That’s the kind of wisdom today’s youth connect with instantly.

In many ways, this approach reflects my writing journey as a whole. Whether it’s Superwomen which bring forward the real-life stories of women entrepreneurs, or Legends of a Startup Guy, which narrates startup challenges through Ganesh—storytelling has always been my chosen tool. Each book uses stories, whether mythological or real, to simplify the toughest journeys and to empower readers to believe in their own strength.

Because in the end, stories don’t just teach—they liberate. They help us see that if others could walk the path, so can we.

Frontlist: If there’s one “startup secret” from Ram’s story that every aspiring entrepreneur should carry as their guiding principle, what would it be?

Prachi: If there’s one startup secret from Ram’s story that I believe every entrepreneur should carry, it is this: anchor yourself in purpose, and let every step you take be about creating a difference. Ram’s journey reminds us that true success is not measured by speed or shortcuts, but by the courage to stay patient, the strength to hold on to values, and the vision to serve a greater cause.

For entrepreneurs, this is a timeless guiding light. A startup is not just about building a product or chasing valuations—it’s about touching lives, solving real problems, and leaving behind a legacy that outlives you. Ram teaches us that when you build with purpose, even the toughest battles turn into stepping stones for impact.

Because in the end, it’s not about how quickly you succeed—it’s about how deeply you matter.