06/25/2024

Proust Questionnaire 2025

it comes so soon, the moment when there is nothing left to wait for

Every year, I return to this set of questions as a gentle reckoning, a way to catch up with myself. Inspired by the tradition Marcel Proust unknowingly began, I answer them annually to trace the shifting contours of my inner world: how my values bend, how my fears evolve, how my hopes endure.

This year feels especially liminal. The questions remain the same, but the person answering them never is.

proust questionnaire 2024
proust questionnaire 2023

My 2025 answers

5/29/2025, brooklyn

Aishwarya Khanduja, age 27, Wednesday 6/25/25 @ 10:57pm, nyc

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
a calm nervous system at all times (or most)
What is your greatest fear?
health of loved ones
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
oversharing, sometimes talking too much, giving too much information too early
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
lack of integrity, nonchalance
Which living person do you most admire?
andy weissman, he’s one of my fav humans alive. i met him recently
What is your greatest extravagance?
i like expensive clothes and shoes
What is your current state of mind?
calm and serene
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
credentials
On what occasion do you lie?
white lies are important, especially when someone cannot change the thing within a minute or two. i also catch myself bending the truth when i feel the need to justify my existence
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
i have proper abs for the first time in my life so i am loving my appearance atm
Which living person do you most despise?
no one
What is the quality you most like in a man?
independent critical thought
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
a secure attachment with reality
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“incredible amounts of”
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
myself!
When and where were you happiest?
a few days ago walking around union square after a meal with a person i admire a ton
Which talent would you most like to have?
i’d love to be able to sing. alternatively, have a killer vocabulary
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
i would like to seriously make an effort to reclaim my attention
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
sitting in the discomfort of uncertainty long enough, making difficult decisions to leave certain relationships that felt misaligned and making a very serious effort over the last year to be disciplined about all of the above
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
grasshopper
Where would you most like to live?
new york or no where
What is your most treasured possession?
my vestoj collection, my vintage scientific american collection
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
inauthenticity, living for others, being a passive participant in your own life
What is your favorite occupation?
gardener at analogue
What is your most marked characteristic?
my vibrance and charisma
What do you most value in your friends?
loyalty, honesty, people who don't put me on a pedestal, don't feel triggered by my success, and are able to reflect back my enthusiasm
Who are your favorite writers?
hernan diaz rn
Who is your hero of fiction?
sherlock holmes, any genius white men doing math in movies
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
jim simons lol although i am not as intelligent
Who are your heroes in real life?
my entire village: my therapist, my somatic coach, my mom, CG, EL, and KM
What are your favorite names?
[redacted], [redacted]
What is it that you most dislike?
inauthenticity, lack of humility, lack of integrity, lack of curiosity, NONCHALANCE
What is your greatest regret?
no regrets, i accept reality as it is
How would you like to die?
in my sleep, painless
What is your motto?
slow is smooth, smooth is fast
ease means you are in flow