Varun Singh Rajput Interview
Q. For readers meeting you for the first time, how would you describe who you are and what drives your work?
I’d describe myself first as an observer of life, of people, of the small details that often get overlooked. That way of seeing shapes everything I do, whether it is writing, speaking, or creating.
Writing was my first language of expression, and over time it has grown into different formats such as podcasts, campaigns, and voice-led reflections. In parallel, I’ve spent over 18 years in leadership roles with some of the biggest IT giants, which gave me a close view of how people think, work, and respond in different situations.
The kind of loss I’ve gone through in life has expanded that observation even further. Today, I value peace and meaningful reasons behind what I do. While I respect the financial part, I no longer make it the core. What drives me is staying anchored in focus and creating work that makes people pause, reflect, or feel a little deeper.
Q. You wear many hats—writer, podcast host, brand strategist, artist. Which of these identities feels most ‘you’ and why?
Among all the roles I play, whether writer, podcast host, brand strategist, artist, or even entrepreneur, the one that feels most true to me is being a writer. Writing is not only the act of putting words together, it is how I process what I observe. It gives shape to thoughts and emotions that otherwise stay scattered, and it allows me to turn observation into clarity.
The podcast, the campaigns, even the strategy work I do, they are all extensions of that same base. They give the writing a voice, a visual, or a direction, but the essence is still the same. Without the writer in me, none of the other roles would carry the same weight.
What makes writing feel the most authentic is the way it brings me to a slower pace. It makes me look closer at things, question them, and stay honest about what I choose to put out. That rhythm of thought and presence is what I connect with the most, which is why the writer in me always stays at the core.
Q. Has your personal background or upbringing influenced your interest in mindset, communication, and cultural clarity?
Yes, a lot of it comes from my background. I grew up in a middle-class family where discipline, responsibility, and respect for people were non-negotiable. My father was a government employee, and my parents did their best to give all three of us the best education they could afford, even with limited perks. Being the youngest in the family, I observed closely the challenges they faced to pay rents and cover our educational expenses.
Those experiences shaped my thought process deeply. They taught me to value both time and money with respect, and that slowly became a part of my character. That environment also made me pay attention early on, not just to what people said, but to how they said it and why they meant it. Over time, that shaped my interest in communication and clarity, because I saw how much difference it makes in both personal and professional life.
Q. Culture is nuanced. How do you decide which cultural shifts to decode next, and how do you make them accessible for your audience?
For me, it always begins with observation. I don’t feel the need to chase every new trend just because it’s loud. Instead, I try to notice the subtle patterns, the things people are actually living through, sometimes without even naming them. When something makes me pause, or I see it echoing across different situations, that’s usually the sign it’s worth exploring.
Culture, in my view, isn’t only about the big debates or the headlines. It shows up in the small things. I’ve seen it in how the younger generation views work-life balance very differently from the one before them. I’ve seen it in how conversations about mental health, something that was barely spoken about when I started working, have slowly found their place in everyday life today.
What I try to do is take these shifts and present them in a way that feels human. Not oversimplified, but clear enough that someone reading or listening can say, “Yes, I’ve felt this too.” That honesty matters more to me than making it sound clever. In a world where attention is short and noise is everywhere, I think people connect more when you respect their intelligence but also speak in a language they actually live with.
Q. In brand strategy, clarity is currency. What’s one storytelling principle you carry from your branding work into your personal writing?
One principle I’ve always carried from branding into my writing is that clarity matters more than volume. In branding, I’ve seen campaigns with huge budgets and flashy visuals fall flat, simply because the core message wasn’t clear. And I’ve also seen smaller campaigns succeed, not because they shouted the loudest, but because they said one thing so simply that people remembered it.
It’s the same with writing. I’ve learned that people don’t hold on to every word, they hold on to the line that feels honest, the one that cuts through. I remember once working on a project where the whole debate was about how much detail to pack in. My instinct was to strip it down, focus on one clear idea. And that’s the version people connected with. That moment reinforced for me that clarity isn’t just about being understood, it’s about being remembered.
Even now, whether I’m writing a reflection or shaping a campaign, I remind myself that complexity doesn’t create trust, clarity does. Look at the way people respond today, attention spans are short, but sensitivity is high. They know when you’re adding noise, and they also know when you’ve respected their time with something precise. For me, the goal has always been to say less, but say it in a way that stays.
Q. How do you stay creatively curious in an age where both information and attention are fleeting?
For me, staying curious comes from slowing down, not speeding up. We live in a time where information rushes at us constantly, and the temptation is to keep up with everything. But I’ve realised curiosity doesn’t grow from running faster, it grows from stepping back and noticing the details, whether it’s a conversation, a film, or even a moment of silence.
I stay curious by filtering what I let in. Not every piece of information deserves attention, and not every trend needs to be followed. Instead, I choose what feels meaningful and then sit with it long enough to see what it’s really saying. That process of slowing down and filtering allows me to go deeper rather than wider, which keeps my creativity alive without getting lost in the noise.
Curiosity, for me, is less about chasing the new and more about looking at what’s already in front of me with fresh eyes. That shift in perspective has made all the difference.
Q. If your communication style were a book, what would it be, and what qualities would its protagonist embody?
If my communication style were a book, I think it would be one of those steady reads you return to in different phases of life, each time finding something new. Not loud, not trying to shock you on page one, but something that lingers and makes you pause even after you’ve put it aside.
The main character in that book would be observant, someone who listens more than they speak, who values time and doesn’t waste words. They would carry the weight of loss, but instead of letting it harden them, it would make them calmer, more grounded, more focused on what truly matters. They would care less about noise and more about meaning. Not perfect, but deeply human.
That reflects how communication has unfolded for me over the years. In leadership roles, I saw how a well-timed pause or a clear line could shift an entire conversation far more than a long speech. In writing, I’ve felt the same, a single sentence, if it is honest, can stay with someone longer than pages of explanation. Even today, when attention spans are shrinking and content moves faster than ever, I believe people still look for words that feel true, not just clever.
For me, that is what my book would try to do, stay real, stay human, and offer something people might want to carry with them, quietly, into their own lives.
Q. When considering a brand collaboration, what elements or values do you look for to ensure it aligns with your personal and creative ethos?
Whenever I think about a brand collaboration, the first thing I look at is whether the values feel genuine. If it’s only about quick numbers or a push to sell, it doesn’t feel right to me. I’ve always been more drawn to campaigns that allow space for creativity, that respect honest storytelling, and that see people as human beings, not just as potential buyers.
The people who connect with my work know me through my own journey, including the kind of personal loss that changes how you see life, and the way I’ve tried to rebuild while holding on to what I truly value. That is why trust matters so deeply. If I put my name behind something that feels forced, it wouldn’t just affect me, it would break the bond I’ve built with those who stay with my craft because of its honesty.
That’s why I choose collaborations that feel like a natural extension of who I am and what I already share. Before saying yes, I ask myself a simple question: will this leave people with something they can carry, even if it’s just a moment of reflection? If the answer is no, then the campaign isn’t for me.
For me, alignment and respect will always matter more than short-term noise. It’s not about doing more, it’s about doing the ones that stay true to both me and the people who give their time to what I create.
Bio:
Varun Singh Rajput is a writer, storyteller, entrepreneur, and creative brand strategist with nearly two decades of leadership experience at some of the world’s top IT giants. If you ask him, though, he will say he is first an observer of life, of people, and of the small details that often go unnoticed but reveal the most.
Writing was his first language of expression, and it remains the foundation of everything he does, from podcasts and campaigns to personal reflections. For Varun, clarity has always mattered more than noise. He believes in saying less, but saying it in a way that stays.
Over 2 million people connect with him on Instagram, drawn not just to his work but to the life behind it, one shaped by the kind of personal loss that changes how you see the world. Instead of letting that loss define him, he rebuilt, holding on to the values and memories that mattered most. Today, he stands for peace over noise, meaning over speed, and trust over quick wins.
As an entrepreneur, he is the brain behind brands in healthcare, lifestyle, and creative ventures, each built with clarity, purpose, and trust at its core. His collaborations have also included some of the top brands and one of the biggest streaming platforms, reflecting the same philosophy of honesty and depth.
What makes him unique is how he holds on to his community. Unlike many public figures, Varun continues to personally respond to thousands of people who reach out, especially those who have lost loved ones. He does not behave like a celebrity or influencer, but as someone who knows what silence and grief feel like.
Beyond words and work, fitness is another anchor for him. Weight training, for Varun, is not just about strength; it is about logic and design, about how the human body adapts, rebuilds, and grows stronger after being tested. Much like life itself.
And then there is coffee, something Varun loves almost every day, whether in a quiet café or his own personal space. For him, a cup of coffee is more than a habit; it is a ritual of reflection, a small way of rewarding progress, and a companion to the creative flow that drives his work forward.
Through his writing, speaking, and creative ventures, Varun continues to share reflections that feel real in a world that often feels staged. At the heart of it all, he is not chasing numbers. He is building something that lasts, something people can carry with them.
Interviewed by - Divya Darshni
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