Unilever’s Nitin Paranjpe shares an endearing story about his lack of musical talent

Nitin Paranjpe, flips the script on self-improvement narratives. In a disarmingly honest story shared on LinkedIn, Paranjpe talks about the power of persistence and how its not about the end result but more about the joy in the journey.

By  Storyboard18| May 3, 2024 9:37 AM
Almost 20 years ago Paranjpe found someone to teach him the keyboard. “If you want to know the outcome of that study, I still play badly. That’s how I challenged I am,” he said.

Unilever's Chief People and Transformation Officer, Nitin Paranjpe, took to LinkedIn to share a story about defying self-doubt and finding unexpected joys in embracing a personal challenge, even if the results are... well, let's just say entertaining.

“I am musically challenged. I struggle with rhythm; I don’t have any natural talent. Around twenty years ago, I decided to test this. I wanted to see, if you are challenged in a particular field, what can you do with effort and discipline,” he said in his post.

src="https://www.linkedin.com/embed/feed/update/urn:li:share:7191801373401792512" height="747" width="504" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" title="Embedded post">

Almost 20 years ago Paranjpe found someone to teach him the keyboard. “If you want to know the outcome of that study, I still play badly. That’s how I challenged I am,” he said.

But then it was still a win for him because he always thought he wouldn't be able to string together a tune even if he was given the notes. Paranjpe goes on about his tryst with music.

He didn’t find a lot of success in his learning story but definitely found joy. “Anyone who listens to me today could well say-My god! After so many years you still suck,” he said.

And to that he’d say, “Yeah, and that's okay. You have no idea where I was compared to where I am now.” Paranjpe ended the note with a profound thought. He said, “What started off purely as a challenge has turned out to be a lot of fun.”

First Published onMay 3, 2024 9:37 AM

SPOTLIGHT

Brand MakersDigital Entertainment Summit 2025: The Highlights

The Storyboard18 Digital Entertainment Summit (DES) unpacked India's strategy for leading the digital entertainment economy, with top policymakers where they putlined how talent, technology, and governance would fuel future-ready growth.

Read More

In Photos: At DES 2025, India charts ambitious course for digital entertainment leadership

At the Storyboard18 Digital Entertainment Summit in New Delhi, policymakers and industry leaders outlined how talent, technology, and governance will drive India’s push to dominate the global entertainment economy.