Drawing inspiration from legendary investor Warren Buffett, Dhandapani spoke about filing detailed income tax returns for decades and completely avoiding unaccounted money.
In the lengthy post, he recalled discovering Buffett while spending time reading in libraries during his stay in the United States. The businessman said Buffett’s disciplined financial habits and success through legal investing deeply influenced his own approach towards money and taxation.
Dhandapani explained that from the early days of earning, he began maintaining complete financial transparency by submitting detailed documents such as cash flow statements, balance sheets and profit-and-loss accounts along with his tax returns. He also claimed to have preserved records of every financial year, including bank transactions and supporting documents.
“I don’t have a single rupee of black money,” he wrote, adding that he believed “Building significant wealth through legal means is 100% possible.”
‘Role model matters’
The entrepreneur credited Buffett as one of the biggest influences in his life and stressed the importance of choosing the right role models.
“Warren Buffett says it is very important as to who you have as a role model in life. I have a few role models in life, and probably he was the first to join the list,” he wrote.
He further stated that honesty and financial discipline are often underestimated, especially in India, where he believes transparent financial practices are sometimes viewed as unusual.
Social media users praise message on honesty and discipline
The post sparked widespread discussion online, with many users sharing their own experiences about maintaining financial records and paying taxes honestly.
One user wrote, “My father saved all payslips and tax returns from when he started earning, and I have preserved them to this date.
Nowadays, the tax department has digitised everything, including ITR copies!”
Another commented, “The fact that you started filing detailed returns even when wealth was just a few lakhs — that’s the mindset that separates the truly wealthy from the rest. Being disciplined before results. 🙏
‘Role model matters’ — this one line hits hard. You chose Buffett. And now unknowingly, you’ve become one for many of us.”
A third user highlighted the peace of mind that comes with financial transparency. “I don’t know whether declaring all your income makes you rich or not, but it surely gives a good sleep.
And that’s what I prefer the most. In the last 3.5 yrs of doing business, I’ve not accepted a single rupee of revenue in cash.”
Another entrepreneur shared a similar sentiment, writing, “This is beautiful, sir. As a founder, I learned the same lesson, only much later than you. Keeping every record clean feels like extra work in the moment. But the peace it gives you later is worth more than the money itself. You never have to remember a lie or fear a knock on the door. Honesty is the cheapest insurance there is.”
