When Zerodha Co-Founder Nikhil Kamath Thought Adopting A Child Was 'Cool'

Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s recent comments on parenthood and not having children have stirred a discussion on the internet. While the Indian entrepreneur earlier mentioned that he did not want to “ruin” his life by babysitting a child, there was also a time when he wanted to adopt a child.

During a candid chat on his WTF podcast, Kamath shared how he researched adopting a child, only to realise that it is nearly impossible for a single Indian man.

“At one point in life, I had a phase when I wanted to adopt a child, and I tried. I researched about it,” Hindustan Times quoted Kamath as saying.

Later, Kamath learned about child adoption regulations in India and met a dead end. Noting that he felt adoption was a “cool” choice,” he said, “Just like that. I thought it was cool at the time. See, most of the things we do are because we think they are cool, right?”

It was during the same episode that the 37-year-old spoke about his choice of not becoming a parent, as he does not feel the need to continue his legacy.

“This is also partly why I don’t have kids. I’m going to ruin 18–20 years of my life by babysitting this child, and then, if luck serves me right, the reverse will happen at some point. What if he says ‘scr** you’ at 18 and leaves anyway? I think we all feel that we are more important than we actually are. You are born and you die like every other animal on the planet, and then you are gone and nobody remembers anybody,” he said, further emphasising the need to live well and be nice to people.

These remarks opened to mixed reactions online, where many objected to his view while some agreed with Kamath.

In the meantime, while Kamath’s surprising statements are making the rounds, he has once again made it to the headlines by investing in Vijay Subramaniam’s Collective Artists Network. With this, the deal will facilitate an exit for InMobi’s Glance, which invested in the company in 2021.

This is the second time the two sides have come together for a venture. Earlier, they introduced the Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund to support consumer-focused enterprises and get external investments.