Quotes from Ananya Birla

Some relationships don't last for a lifetime but we still feel like it is the one that is meant to be.

As rural people like to maintain a good name in society, they are more honest about repaying loans.

Mumbai can be contagious. The pace of life is so fast that if I travel out of the city I am happy for a few days, but then I crave the Mumbai hit.

It is as imperative to take care of our minds as is our bodies and hence seeking help for mental illness is of paramount importance.

I wanted to prove to myself I can do something on my own. Not for the world, but for myself. To have that self-confidence.

I often take off with my friends for a beach break in Maldives.

I used to be locked up in my bedroom for hours, just listening to music, making some of my own, doodling and writing poetry.

When I was growing up, my father was naturally a very busy man and was not around for long periods of time. Despite that he was always emotionally with me.

If I want to dance, I listen to Meghan Trainor, Katy Perry, Justin Timeberlake.

I would say that for me while growing up, music was my best friend in many ways, and I hope my music can do that for others, to make them feel less alone.

I don't succumb to pressure.

I am my own person with my own experiences, personality, and definition of success.

My parents have always been very supportive. Whenever any of them says they are proud of me that's the highlight of my day!

My future was planned before my birth. I was supposed to get married or be involved in the family business. But I was all about breaking barriers and started thinking out of the box when I was 13-14 years old. Finally, at 17, I floated my own Microfinance Institution (MFI) called Svatantra.

It's okay to have moments where you feel weak; you don't always have to be strong.

The first song I learnt to play was Leaving on a Jet Plane.'

This would sound cliched, but my parents have been my biggest support system.

I think that when people see that a successful person who has suffered and is a survivor of mental illness, and is still very successful, I think it gives them a lot of strength.

What attracted me towards microfinance is it's a very sustainable business, which has an impact on people's lives yet it can be very profitable.

I've been hugely inspired by Khalid, XXX, Post Malone, and The Weekend. That's the kind of sound that has really inspired me.

I look up to people like Michael Jackson because he set up pop culture.

At university, I used to cheat and use precooked meals and then tell my friends that I've cooked it. They thought I had skills!

I believe that friendship is life's most precious and amazing gift and an incredibly powerful force.

There were certainly more conventional and predictable paths that I could have taken in life, but I believe in being true to oneself and following the thing that sets your soul on fire. For me, that is music.