9 Things You Didn't Know About Gotham Chopra
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Q: As the son of a teacher to many, did you feel like you had a different perspective growing up than other children?
Gotham Chopra: Well, my dad wasn't always such a wise guy! Probably until I was about 13 years old or so, my father was a pretty traditional physician, working in various hospitals, working endless shifts, trying to make the ends meet, and had destructive addictions to boot—alcohol and tobacco, most notably. It was only after he had his own personal transformation that, I think, his professional transformation really followed. And then it pretty much culminated in 1993 when he was on The Oprah Winfrey Show! So all in all, yeah, it was definitely a different experience, and the exposure I had to people, from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Michael Jackson, was pretty wild, though I'm not sure that, as a kid, I ever really appreciated it!
Q: What has surprised you most about fatherhood?
Gotham Chopra: How it just keeps getting better. There are often times I am just so in love with my kid that I tell myself that this is it; it's all culminated in this moment, and it can't get better. And then it does! Really, it's just so great to watch the universe imprint itself on this fresh, curious consciousness of a child. This morning, we walked the dog super early and got to see the stars in the early-morning sky. When we came home, my 6-year-old asked if we could go online and look at star maps so we knew what we were looking at. So we did, and I'm a lot wiser for it!
Q: What's Deepak Chopra like as a grandfather?
Gotham Chopra: He's a lot more present than he was as a father, that's for sure! He's very patient, and humble, and playful—qualities that I don't think he really had time for when he was busy earning his way through his career so that my sister and I could get the educations we did and be set up to accomplish what we have. There was a time I was probably bitter over my dad never being the guy at my soccer game or taking me to Fenway Park (we grew up in Boston), but now I have perspective, and I am very grateful for everything both my parents sacrificed to provide for me.
Q: What's your idea of the perfect Sunday?
Gotham Chopra: Wake up early. Walk the dog. Work out. Farmers' market with the fam. "Super Soul Sunday," or course! Football. Football. Football. Family dinner. Did I mention I am a football fan?
Q: What three things can't you live without?
Gotham Chopra: My family. My health. My many sports packages on DirecTV. (It's the only way I can watch my hometown Boston teams [now that I'm] living out in L.A.!)
Tune in to the premiere of Help Desk with Deepak Chopra on Sunday, September 22, at noon ET/PT on OWN. Then, stay tuned for another episode of Help Desk with the Rev. Ed Bacon at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Gotham Chopra: Well, my dad wasn't always such a wise guy! Probably until I was about 13 years old or so, my father was a pretty traditional physician, working in various hospitals, working endless shifts, trying to make the ends meet, and had destructive addictions to boot—alcohol and tobacco, most notably. It was only after he had his own personal transformation that, I think, his professional transformation really followed. And then it pretty much culminated in 1993 when he was on The Oprah Winfrey Show! So all in all, yeah, it was definitely a different experience, and the exposure I had to people, from His Holiness the Dalai Lama to Michael Jackson, was pretty wild, though I'm not sure that, as a kid, I ever really appreciated it!
Q: What has surprised you most about fatherhood?
Gotham Chopra: How it just keeps getting better. There are often times I am just so in love with my kid that I tell myself that this is it; it's all culminated in this moment, and it can't get better. And then it does! Really, it's just so great to watch the universe imprint itself on this fresh, curious consciousness of a child. This morning, we walked the dog super early and got to see the stars in the early-morning sky. When we came home, my 6-year-old asked if we could go online and look at star maps so we knew what we were looking at. So we did, and I'm a lot wiser for it!
Q: What's Deepak Chopra like as a grandfather?
Gotham Chopra: He's a lot more present than he was as a father, that's for sure! He's very patient, and humble, and playful—qualities that I don't think he really had time for when he was busy earning his way through his career so that my sister and I could get the educations we did and be set up to accomplish what we have. There was a time I was probably bitter over my dad never being the guy at my soccer game or taking me to Fenway Park (we grew up in Boston), but now I have perspective, and I am very grateful for everything both my parents sacrificed to provide for me.
Q: What's your idea of the perfect Sunday?
Gotham Chopra: Wake up early. Walk the dog. Work out. Farmers' market with the fam. "Super Soul Sunday," or course! Football. Football. Football. Family dinner. Did I mention I am a football fan?
Q: What three things can't you live without?
Gotham Chopra: My family. My health. My many sports packages on DirecTV. (It's the only way I can watch my hometown Boston teams [now that I'm] living out in L.A.!)
Tune in to the premiere of Help Desk with Deepak Chopra on Sunday, September 22, at noon ET/PT on OWN. Then, stay tuned for another episode of Help Desk with the Rev. Ed Bacon at 12:30 p.m. ET/PT.
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