Aram-Aanavam-Adhikaram: A Moral Architecture for Leadership in a Fragmented World

 

A Mother’s Blessing. A Guru’s Guidance. A Life Anchored in Righteousness.

On the third day of the sacred month of Ramadan, I find myself sitting quietly to write this - not as an act of visibility, but as an act of remembrance.

Ramadan has always represented more than ritual for me. It represents a return to the inner architecture of being. It is a season that asks us to slow the pace of the world and listen to the quieter language of the soul - the language of intention, humility, and gratitude. In a world that often measures success by acceleration and volume, Ramadan reminds me that the truest forms of leadership are forged not in speed, but in stillness.

Today, my thoughts return to my mother. Today is the day I discovered a precious gift she left behind for me within the pages of my diary.

On February 21, 1989, almost a year after my mother had left this world, I discovered something that would forever stay with me. While going through my diary, I found a message she had written.

She had written it on February 22, 1988, before leaving to bring my siblings to the United States.

Yet she had dated it February 22, 1989 - a date she would never physically witness. Alongside her words were slokas, prayers, and blessings, asking the Creator to protect me and guide me on the path of righteousness.

I carefully removed those pages, preserved them, and had them laminated, so that her handwriting, her prayer, and her love would remain protected - not as a historical artifact, but as a living reminder accompanying me through every season of life.

Some memories are meant to be kept in frames. Some are meant to be carried inside the heart. This was both.

My mother passed away on July 7, 1988.

Cancer weakened her body, her memory was failing her, but it never diminished her spirit, her intellect, or her devotion to life and learning. Through the most fragile chapters of her illness, I was not only her daughter, but I was also her companion, her caretaker, and her silent witness to resilience.

Even in the face of mortality, she continued teaching me.

As she lay on her deathbed, a day before she slipped into a coma to pass away fifteen days later, she made me promise that I would dedicate my life to educating, employing, and empowering people. That promise became the invisible compass of my existence.

I was twenty-six years old when I began giving form to her vision through an education initiative under Aptech Computer Education, helping bring technology literacy and opportunity into lives that had previously remained distant from the digital world.

That moment was never about entrepreneurship alone. It was about honouring a covenant made in the shadow of a mother’s love.

Through the years, I have come to understand that my life has been guided by a triadic philosophical compass: Aram, Aanavam, and Adhikaram.

This framework did not emerge from academic design or intellectual curiosity alone. It was shaped quietly by my mother’s teachings and refined under the protection and mentorship of my Baba Jaan - my guardian, my mentor, and my spiritual anchor.

My mother planted Aram in my consciousness.

My Guru taught me to watch Aanavam.

My life journey taught me the meaning of Adhikaram.

Aram: The Righteous Foundation

The wisdom of the Thirukkural begins with Aram - virtue as the foundation of civilisation. My mother was a PhD scholar in Hindi and Tamil literature, and her life was a living embodiment of the philosophy she loved. She taught me that knowledge must refine character rather than inflate pride, and that success detached from compassion is spiritually incomplete. She was a great fan of the Thirukkural and always recited wisdom from it. My young mind could only listen but not understand, but as life has passed, the wisdom and learning has become a tapestry of my existence.

Across spiritual traditions, the message is universal.

The Bible speaks in Proverbs 11:3: Integrity guides the righteous.

The Qur’an declares that justice, excellence, and goodness are divine imperatives.

Aram is therefore not cultural; it is human.

In my professional and entrepreneurial journey within the UAE today, particularly in designing inclusive vocational ecosystems for People of Determination, Aram has always been the silent operating system.

Education, to me, has never been a commercial transaction. It has been a moral commitment.

I believe that technology must expand human dignity. Artificial intelligence must reduce structural bias and innovation must serve society before it serves scale.

Aanavam: The Invisible Enemy of Leadership

"If Aram is the heart of leadership, then Aanavam is its greatest vulnerability."

Aanavam is not ambition. It is ambition that forgets its source.

The Thirukkural repeatedly warns against pride because pride slowly separates the leader from truth. The Bible warns in that pride precedes destruction. The Qur’an reminds believers not to walk upon the earth arrogantly.

My Baba Jaan would often tell me that gratitude is the strongest defence against ego and that humility is greatness leading to success.

In my entrepreneurial and strategic leadership journey, I have experienced the subtle seduction of recognition.

Awards. Media visibility. Professional acknowledgement. These can quietly reshape the inner narrative of identity. I have learned that leadership maturity is not measured by applause but by the ability to remain teachable even when one is publicly validated.

There were moments when I had to redesign ideas I deeply believed in because ecosystems were not ready, or timing was not aligned, or humility demanded correction. Each such moment was not defeat.

It was protection.

Adhikaram: Authority as Sacred Trust

Adhikaram is authority - but never domination.

The governance philosophy embedded in the chapters of the Thirukkural presents leadership as stewardship rather than control. The Bible declares that greater responsibility accompanies greater privilege. The Qur’an commands that trusts must be honoured with justice.

In my work within AI-driven human capital ecosystems, I am constantly reminded that technology is not neutral when governed without ethics.

• Hiring pathways shape families.
• Policy frameworks shape opportunities.
• Inclusive learning systems shape independence.

Authority must therefore be exercised with reverence. Adhikaram without Aram becomes control. Adhikaram coloured by Aanavam becomes collapse. Adhikaram guided by service becomes legacy.

Ramadan deepens this reflection. Fasting is not only abstention from food and water; it is a reminder that human beings are not driven solely by material appetite. The month invites introspection about how we use influence, power, and knowledge.

It asks a simple but profound question: Are we building success, or are we building meaning?

Today, I feel a profound sense of gratitude.

• To my mother - whose life, love, and final blessings continue to guide me. 

• To my Baba Jaan -whose mentorship and protection have kept my spirit resilient when surrender felt easier than perseverance. 

• And to the Creator - whose grace has carried me through every chapter of uncertainty. 

My mother’s blessings gave me my Guru. My Guru keeps my promise alive.

Life has travelled through many seasons. Ventures have been created. Strategies have evolved. Roles have transformed. Yet one promise remains unbroken.

- To educate.

- To employ.

- To empower.

 And when my journey eventually ends, I hope what remains is not achievement alone, but alignment.

• Alignment with Aram.
• Freedom from Aanavam.
• Integrity in Adhikaram.

Leadership, for me, has never been ambition. It has always been answered prayer.

May this Ramadan bring peace to every heart, dignity to every life, and light to every path that seeks the Creator’s grace. And may I continue to walk -  protected by my mother’s blessing, guided by my Guru’s wisdom, and anchored in Aram, guarded against Aanavam, and entrusted with Adhikaram -until my journey is complete.

With eternal gratitude, humility, and love.

Kavitha Srinivasan (Kay S)