Can You Fast for 400 Days Thrice, Run a Business, and Set a World Record? This Man Did.
Family, Faith & Fire: The story of a real estate visionary who didn’t renounce the world—but rose above it. No help, no shortcuts: A family man walks the path of renunciation without renouncing his duties.
In an age where spiritual journeys often involve Himalayan retreats and digital detoxes, Nikhil Pattani, a Mumbai-based real estate expert and sustainability advocate, turned inward—without stepping away from life. What makes his story astonishing is not just that he completed the rare and grueling Jain Varshitap fast thrice—a 400-day alternate-day fasting discipline—but that he did it while leading a business, nurturing a family, and fulfilling social duties. Alone. Without a cook, a caretaker, or time off.
Yes, can you run a business while fasting for 400 days or more? Nikhil Pattani did—and found not only peace but a profound spiritual awakening.
For those in the real estate world, Pattani is a familiar name. With over 28 years of experience across India and the UAE, he is the founder of Destiniva Realty and the principal at Scholars’ Takshashila, India’s pioneering real estate academy. His career is studded with accolades—from the National Icon Award, the APJ Abdul Kalam Samman, Excellence in Business Leadership Award, and an Honorary Master of Letters (MLitt) in Real Estate & Property Management, to being recognized as a torchbearer of sustainable real estate practices. He is also the mind behind India’s first Green Realtor Certification, a movement that’s shifting the Indian property sector toward eco-conscious development.
But while many know his boardroom brilliance, few are aware of his inner fire.
Between 2019–2021 and again in 2024–2025, Pattani completed Varshitap, one of Jainism’s most intense fasts. He cooked his own sattvik meals during the early dawn hours, handled client meetings on fast days, and went about his daily life without shortcuts. He undertook the Girnar yatra, climbing over 4,200 steps, visited eight of the 108 Parshwanath Tirths, participated in the Fagan Feri, and completed two Palitana pilgrimages during 2024–25—all while fasting and continuing his business operations.
And if that weren’t enough, he also completed the 18 Oli of Ayambil—a practice that strips nourishment down to its barest form, and with it, quiets the noise of desire. If Varshitap is the Everest of Jain fasting, Ayambil is its quiet cousin—a once-a-day meal devoid of salt, spices, or indulgence.
In a world chasing instant gratification, Pattani’s life feels almost countercultural. His journey is not about isolation—it’s about integration. It proves that you don’t need to escape life to find enlightenment. You can fast in a kitchen. You can meditate between meetings. You can renounce attachment without renouncing responsibility.
What sets him apart is not just his spiritual endurance, but his quiet consistency. No social media fanfare. No publicity stunts. Just one man walking the tightrope between material success and inner stillness.
As the Varshitap Parna Mahotsav on April 30, 2025 draws near, this story stands as a modern parable—one where the CEO is also the seeker. Where fasting doesn’t interrupt the family dinner but enriches it. Where dharma meets karma in the truest sense.
Nikhil Pattani didn’t run away from life to find peace. He found it right where he stood. He didn’t head to the Himalayas to seek serenity. He created it amidst the chaos. Between meetings and meditation, parenting and parna, he has shown the world that you can live in Mumbai and still touch moksha.
His story is a lesson in balance. In a world full of noise, he chose silence. In a city that never stops, he paused. And in an industry driven by numbers, he led with values.
