We must summon the courage to leave behind a comforting status quo to embrace change. To embrace liminality.

We transcend by pushing boundaries. Boundaries can be made to expand and disappear.

This transcendence is the essence of human progress.

The Yali, a mythical being, symbolises this liminal state1 and the possibilities that come thereafter. It is neither lion nor horse nor elephant. Perhaps it has the courage of a lion, the agility of a horse, and the wisdom of an elephant.2 But it transcends the composite, serving as an ever present reminder that tomorrow’s sum can be greater than today’s parts.
 
Widely featured across the ages and mediums—from Sangam poetry3 to temple architecture to the veenai to the art and craft we consume, the Yali is an ode to this timeless, fundamental truth: Change is the only constant in business and in life. There is never a perfect union (or company); there can only be the striving towards a more perfect union (or company).
 
At Pāri Washington, we aim to invest primarily in businesses that are capable of transcending themselves to the Washington stage of life.4
 
And, with the Yali exhorting us on, we aim to embrace change and thereby serve as an enduring custodian of client capital.


Notes:
1. Devdutt Pattanaik, Liminal Beings, Sunday Midday (18 October, 2008).
2. Stella Kramrisch, The Hindu Temple.
3. M. S. Purnalingam Pillai, Tamil Literature, Asian Educational Services 87 (1994).
4. See Pāri Washington’s The Story Behind Our Name.