Shillong, Nov 13: Stop trying to become someone. Start unbecoming everything you are not.
That was the powerful message from author Kartikeya Vajpai at the Shillong Literary Festival on Friday, where he discussed his book _The Unbecoming: Let Life Reveal Its Purpose_ with Patricia Mukhim, Editor of The Shillong Times, at Ward’s Lake.
In a world obsessed with achievement, Vajpai asked a different question: What if purpose is not found by adding more, but by letting go?
“We live in an age of information, but not necessarily wisdom,” he said. “When we attach our identity to outcomes – a win, an achievement, someone else’s approval – we lose sight of the present moment. Detachment is not indifference; it is the courage to act without being enslaved by the result.”
The conversation soon turned to technology, intellect and wisdom.
“Intellect operates in the domain of the known – memory, recall, past patterns. But wisdom requires us to step into the unknown, to become seekers,” Vajpai said. “Technology is a powerful tool, but it cannot access the ‘unknown’ where true human growth happens. The real challenge is to use it consciously, without letting it manufacture our identity.”
Published by Penguin Random House India, _The Unbecoming_ draws on Advaita Vedanta and Buddhist thought, urging readers to question assumptions and live with greater awareness. It carries forewords by the 14th Dalai Lama and Swami Sarvapriyananda.
A lawyer, author and speaker, Vajpai’s journey is shaped by Advaita Vedanta, Buddhist philosophy, Transcendental Meditation and Kriya Yoga.
His Shillong session is part of a wider tour, including engagements at IIM Shillong, IIT Kharagpur and SRM University.
