I joined HZL in 2004 and, by a stroke of luck, was placed at the corporate office in Udaipur, working out of the COO’s office. It was the beginning of what I can only call the most carefree and adventurous phase of my life—long days of work, followed by evenings that often slipped into stories worth retelling. One such night still stands out. Naveen had left for his hometown that weekend, casually tossing me his car keys with a grin that suggested he knew exactly what might follow. That evening, after a couple of beers and no particular plan, Krishnan and Vaibhav dropped by. Someone suggested a drive to Badi Lake—a place that, at night, was as beautiful as it was unpredictable. I was already a little tipsy, but confidence tends to rise faster than caution in your early twenties. We picked up a few more beers “for the lake” and set off, the road gradually narrowing into darkness as the city lights faded behind us. The drive was quiet, almost eerie. The kind of silence that makes you awa...