Zoho Founder Reveals Skills Children Should Learn To Excel In Life

Zoho's founder Sridhar Vembu believes that children should learn certain skills to excel in life, beyond just academic excellence. Vembu emphasised the importance of skills like art, music, poetry, sports and cooking. According to him, these skills help develop pattern recognition, creativity, balance and critical thinking.

Pure mathematics, carnatic music, bharatanatyam, classical art, sculpture, chess or go, mridangam, classical poetry, fine cooking - what is common to all of them? (apart from the fact that I am not good in any of them 😁, at least I get to appreciate some of them)

We need…

— Sridhar Vembu (@svembu) July 22, 2025

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In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Vembu wrote, "Pure mathematics, carnatic music, bharatanatyam, classical art, sculpture, chess or go, mridangam, classical poetry, fine cooking - what is common to all of them?"

"We need children to have a decent exposure to these at a young age - not because we expect them to grow up to be brilliant mathematicians or world class chess players or world class chefs but because an exposure to these help them to be good at whatever they end up doing."

Vembu stated that by exposure, he doesn't mean competitive pressure. Exposure to art and sculpture can help someone become a great architect, he added.

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He stressed that exposure to these skills is more important than becoming an expert, as it can help children become well-rounded individuals.

His approach focuses on nurturing curious, sensitive and well-rounded individuals. According to him, these foundational skills can quietly enhance how children think, create and solve problems, regardless of their future paths.

Internet reacts to the post

The post revived massive traction, users praising his thoughts. "Foster CURIOSITY - children develop pattern recognition, creativity, balance, and critical thinking that enrich whatever they pursue," one user wrote.

"Ancient India was good at everything. Unfortunately we are losing touch and unfortunately there are people abandoning it for the sake of being modern. We need to embrace our roots," a second user said.

"Beautifully said. These disciplines cultivate attention, abstraction, rhythm, structure, and taste with aspects that improve thought within every field. Rather than mastery, early exposure to depth is what matters. Goal, not prodigies, is the perspective. Learning of any true notice comes from a child following of a Go board or listening to Carnatic music," a third user wrote.