AVIS Viswanathan

AVIS Viswanathan (born November 5, 1967) is the "happynesswala"[1][2][3] a life coach, a speaker, a
happiness curator,[4] author[5] and organizational transformation consultant. He leads change management,[6]
culture and leadership development mandates in the corporate sector. He co-founded and is the principal
consultant at A V Initiatives,[7] a specialist consulting firm that inspires workplace happiness.[8]

Contents
Early life and career
Books
Public speaking
References

Early life and career

AVIS was born in Chennai, and studied at the PSBB Senior Secondary School, Delhi Public School and at
Nutan Vidyalaya (Gulbarga, Karnataka) before pursuing physics at Sree Narayana College, Kollam, at Kerala
University. He is married to Vaani Anand and has a son, Aashirwad and a daughter, Aanchal.[4]

AVIS worked for ten years as an investigative, political and business journalist in India.[7] He worked with
The Indian Express, India Today, Business World and Business Today. He quit business journalism to join
entrepreneur C. Sivasankaran as his executive assistant in 1995. In 1996, he moved from Bengaluru to
Chennai to start his own business.[7]

In 1996, AVIS set up imagequity+[9] with his wife, Vaani, Asia's first reputation management consulting
firm[10] based out of Chennai. The firm went bankrupt in at the end of 2007.

While still in bankruptcy, AVIS and Vaani founded A V Initiatives, a consulting firm specializing in workplace
happiness. The company trains managers to be happy despite their circumstances.[4]

Books
AVIS wrote a book, Fall like a Rose Petal,[11] published by Westland in 2015. The book is in an epistolary
style as letters from a father to his children, narrating the incidents and learning from his journey.[8]

Public speaking
AVIS is a motivational speaker.[9] He was ranked among the Top Ten Motivational Speakers in India by The
Week magazine. He curates four events centred around inspiring happiness. As of April 2019 AVIS has
completed anchoring and hosting 100 curated, live, reflective conversations.[12] These 100 conversations have
been completed between January 2015 and April 2019.[13]
 The Bliss Catchers is inspired by Joseph Campbell’s awakening ‘Follow Your Bliss’
philosophy.[14] The event is a live conversation each month between AVIS and invited guests.
The Bliss Catchers began in January 2015 and is hosted by Odyssey Bookstore, Chennai.[15]
The Uncommon Leader looks at extraordinary entrepreneurship and leadership lessons that
can be learned from exceptional people. It is held once every two months.[16]
'the happyness conversations' is a live, reflective, non-commercial Conversation Series that
champions living Life fully with what is.[17] Through exploring the lived experiences of invited
guests, it inspires people to be happy despite their circumstances! While celebrating
imperfection and impermanence, it invites people to embrace their Life for the way it is and
implores them to never postpone happiness! The underlying theme of the Series is that Life
can, and must be, faced stoically - no matter what you are going through! This Series, curated
by the happynesswalas, Vaani and AVIS, is sponsored and hosted by the Odyssey Bookstore
in Adyar and is for anyone who wants to pause and reflect on Life.[18]
The Artist's Soul is a series of 90-minute conversations curated by AVIS Viswanathan at
Wandering Artist on the lived experiences and expressions of artists.[19]
AVIS delivers his ‘Fall Like A Rose Petal’ talk to audiences. He shares how he and his family
braved fear and pennilessness to discover a higher purpose in life.[9]

References
1. Feb 13, TNN | Updated:; 2019; Ist, 20:10. "Musicians Sunil Gargyan, Vedanth Bharadwaj to
share their experience | Chennai News - Times of India" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/cit
y/chennai/musicians-sunil-gargyan-vedanth-bharadwaj-to-share-their-experience/articleshow/6
7980087.cms). The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
2. Majumdar, Meghna (2019-04-11). "Against the odds" (https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/t
p-features/tp-metroplus/against-the-odds/article26802106.ece). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X (h
ttps://www.worldcat.org/issn/0971-751X). Retrieved 2019-04-24.
3. "When happyness hits a century" (http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/apr/1
4/when-happyness-hits-a-century-1964339.html). The New Indian Express. Retrieved
2019-04-24.
4. Saraogi, Varsha; Saraogi, Varsha (2017-05-22). "To love and life" (http://www.thehindu.com/tod
ays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/to-love-and-life/article18521555.ece). The Hindu.
ISSN 0971-751X (https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0971-751X). Retrieved 2017-11-28.
5. "What happens when two pens meet?" (http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2017/
may/17/what-happens-when-two-pens-meet-1605583.html). The New Indian Express.
Retrieved 2017-11-28.
6. Schweitzer, Sharon (2015-04-07). Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Guide to Building Trust,
Inspiring Respect, and Creating Long-Lasting Business Relationships (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=NPjzBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA145&lpg=PA145&dq=avis+viswanathan+the+hindu&sou
rce=bl&ots=goBX6M8Ui4&sig=7kA9ELmNGw8SeQYmUhqTDwQivVg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0a
hUKEwjrhPSwluPXAhUIQ48KHZgLDtc4ChDoAQg8MAQ#v=onepage&q=avis%20viswanatha
n%20the%20hindu&f=false). John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118919026.
7. "From bankruptcy to happiness: An amazing journey" (http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/ac
hievers-from-bankruptcy-to-happiness-an-amazing-journey/20160407.htm). Rediff. Retrieved
2017-11-28.
8. "The Times Group" (http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31807&articlexml=Liv
e-life-king-size-02082015002016). epaperbeta.timesofindia.com. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
9. "From Bacnrupcy to Life Coach, Speaker, Author. AVIS Viswanathan, ep43" (https://audioboo
m.com/posts/4401431-from-bacnrupcy-to-life-coach-speaker-author-avis-viswanathan-ep43).
audioBoom. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
10. "The Hindu : Going bonkers... er... Bonzer" (http://www.thehindu.com/lf/2003/09/04/stories/2003
090403100200.htm). www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
11. Joseph, Raveena (2014-10-24). "The upside of penury" (http://www.thehindu.com/features/metr
oplus/society/the-upside-of-penury/article6530473.ece). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X (https://w
ww.worldcat.org/issn/0971-751X). Retrieved 2017-11-28.
12. Majumdar, Meghna (2019-04-11). "Against the odds" (https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/t
p-features/tp-metroplus/against-the-odds/article26802106.ece). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X (h
ttps://www.worldcat.org/issn/0971-751X). Retrieved 2019-04-24.
13. "When happyness hits a century" (http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2019/apr/1
4/when-happyness-hits-a-century-1964339.html). The New Indian Express. Retrieved
2019-04-24.
14. Joseph, Raveena (2015-08-03). "The pursuit of happiness" (http://www.thehindu.com/features/
metroplus/happiness-conversations-series/article7495740.ece). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X
(https://www.worldcat.org/issn/0971-751X). Retrieved 2017-11-28.
15. "Three bliss catchers to share dais in Chennai on June 24 - Times of India" (https://timesofindi
a.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/three-bliss-catchers-to-share-dais-in-chennai-on-june-24/articles
how/59179255.cms). The Times of India. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
16. "On this Independence Day, freedom to me" (http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/
2017/aug/14/on-this-independence-day-freedom-to-me-1643214.html). The New Indian
Express. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
17. Jan 31, Priya Menon | TNN | Updated:; 2019; Ist, 16:56. "Want to know what made Vidya Singh
a happy princess? | Chennai News - Times of India" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ch
ennai/want-to-know-what-made-vidya-singh-a-happy-princess/articleshow/67774369.cms).
The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
18. Feb 27, TNN | Updated:; 2019; Ist, 20:58. "Dancer, journalist to share their inspiring stories at
Chennai event | Chennai News - Times of India" (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chenn
ai/dancer-journalist-to-share-their-inspiring-stories-at-chennai-event/articleshow/68189439.cm
s). The Times of India. Retrieved 2019-04-24.
19. "The Artist's Soul to celebrate Amitabh Bachchan's life - Times of India" (https://timesofindia.ind
iatimes.com/city/chennai/the-artists-soul-to-celebrate-amitabh-bachchans-life/articleshow/6243
3367.cms). The Times of India. Retrieved 2018-01-10.

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