What is ‘Mister PVG’?

‘Mister PVG‘ (or its shortened version ‘Mr. PVG‘) is the personal brand name of Kenyan polymath and entrepreneur Paras V. Gudka.

After many changes to his usernames across multiple social media accounts and websites since the mid-2000s, he settled on a combination of his initials PVG and the mister prefix to be his permanent brand identity in October 2026 and is now working to strengthen it across all channels, and to rebuild lost trust and brand equity from all the upheavals of the past.

Who is Mr. PVG / Paras V. Gudka?

Mister PVG (full name: Paras V. Gudka) is a chess, branding, marketing, design, photography, and communication professional from Nairobi, Kenya temporarily based in Bangalore, India since April 2023.

He is currently planning and executing a gradual return to part-time work as a digital nomad after a career break of 3+ years due to health issues.

Educational Background

Mister PVG studied Fine Art at Karnataka Chithrakala Parishath, Bangalore from 2002–2003; Advertising and Graphic Design at Wigan & Leigh College, Bangalore from 2003–2006; and Business Administration at Oshwal College, Nairobi in 2010.

In 2022, he completed the Essential Proofreading certificate course from the Institute of Publishing (formerly known as Publishing Training Centre), London, and his next goal is to complete the Essential Copy-Editing certificate course by Q3 of 2028.

Work Experience

Mister PVG has worked as a Graphic Designer, Web Designer and Developer, Copywriter, Photographer, Proofreader, Copy-Editor, and Chess: Organiser, Equipment Seller, Trainer, Arbiter, Journalist/Press Officer, and Administrator, and has operated the following registered business entities since 2006:

  • Blue Lime Studios / 2008–2010 / Bangalore, India
  • Paras Gudka & Co / 2010–2013 / Nairobi, Kenya
  • Parch Creative, Parch Play / 2013–2013 / Nairobi, Kenya
  • Paras Gudka Photography / 2015–2015 / Nairobi, Kenya
  • Motochess Ventures / 2016–2017 / Nairobi, Kenya

[To see the complete timeline of his work experience, visit his LinkedIn profile here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/misterpvg/]

His formal chess titles awarded by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) are:

  • As an arbiter: FIDE Arbiter (FA), conferred in 2014 from an arbiters’ seminar in New Delhi; later upgraded to International Arbiter (IA) in 2017 from norms earned as a FIDE Arbiter officiating in continental (Uganda & Tunisia), zonal (Mauritius), national (Tanzania), and international (India) tournaments in 2016–2017.
  • As a trainer: Developmental Instructor (DI), conferred in 2015 from a trainers’ seminar in Cairo, Egypt.
  • As a player: Arena Candidate Master (ACM), conferred in 2015/16 after maintaining an online rating of 1100 across 50 rated rapid games on FIDE Online Arena (now World Chess); the official certificate confirming this title was issued in 2023.

[To view some of his chess qualifications and accomplishments, visit his FIDE profile here: https://ratings.fide.com/profile/10801626 and his World Chess profile here: https://worldchess.com/profile/156040]

Giving Back to Society

Mister PVG tries to give back to society, whenever possible, through volunteering, social initiatives, and sponsorships. Some examples of this:

2006 / Maidstone, England:

  • Volunteered at an Oxfam charity shop during his time as a student at the University College for the Creative Arts (UCCA).

2010–2013 / Nairobi, Kenya:

  • Served Nairobi Chess Club as its ‘Director of Play’, assisting with the organisation of a series of tournaments and a chess clinic by Dutch Grand Master Dimitri Reinderman.
  • Founded and ran Chess Events EAC as its ‘Chief Blogger and Editor’ – a website dedicated to covering chess events in East Africa.
  • Founded and ran Westlands Chess Club as its ‘President’ – a chess club hosting regular weeknight meetups and monthly tournaments in the Westlands neighbourhood of Nairobi.
  • Instigated NBO Tweetup – a monthly in-person gathering of Twitter users in Nairobi, featuring a debate by two speakers on a topic chosen beforehand.

2015–2017 / Nairobi, Kenya:

  • Served Festival of Friendship (FoF) as its ‘Secretary of Sports Committee’ – a biennial event bringing together Nairobi’s many Asian communities through sporting and cultural events.
  • Founded and ran Anchor Chess Club as its ‘Chairperson’ – a chess club formed specifically to participate in the national league that evolved to become the only private chess club to organise sponsored closed and open championships for its adult and youth members in classical, rapid, and blitz formats.
  • Sponsored an all-expenses-paid trip to Kampala, Uganda for a Kenyan arbiter to participate in a FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar held alongside the 2016 African continental championships.
  • Served Chess Kenya as its ‘Rating Officer’.

2022–2023 / Nairobi, Kenya:

  • Revived Westlands Chess Club by organising one blitz and two rapid tournaments, a friendly match vs Nairobi Chess Club for youth players, and entering a team in the national league.

2023–2026 / Bengaluru, India:

Hobbies and Interests

Mister PVG is addicted to learning and requires a lot of intellectual stimulation. Some of his hobbies and the topics/subjects that interest him are given below:

Hobbies:

  • Reading: non-fiction (self-help, psychology, memoir, business, philosophy); fiction (classic, travel, magical realism)
  • Photography: nature, architecture, travel, abstract, black & white
  • Playing board games: chess & Scrabble (competitively); others for fun
  • Solving jigsaw puzzles
  • Learning languages (currently: French, Spanish, Portuguese)
  • Travelling
  • Hiking and long walks
  • Riding and driving (really fast)

Interests (Topics/Subjects):

  • Psychology
  • Health
  • Geopolitics
  • Aviation
  • Business
  • Investing
  • Geography
  • History
  • Erotica

Personality Traits and Quirks

Mister PVG is an introverted loner who prefers existing in the realm of ideas, possibilities, and abstract reasoning over the drab realities of the material world.

He rarely gets bored in his own company and most of his trips since turning 18 have been solo expeditions.

Some Test Scores and Results:

  • IQ: ~130
  • Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): INTJ
  • NERIS Type Explorer: INTJ-T (Architect)
  • Enneagram: 5w4 (The Poet)
  • Otherness Scale: Otrovert
  • TraitLab Personality Wordcloud (top 5): Complex, Introverted, Intellectual, Introspective, Deep
  • TraitLab Strengths (top 5): Creativity, Love of Learning, Judgement, Curiosity, Integrity

Online Presence

Mister PVG has been an active user of the internet since March 2000 when he was introduced to Netscape (web browser), AOL, Yahoo Messenger, and USA.net (email provider).

As of October 2026, he maintains an official presence for his personal brand on these platforms:

[Last updated: Fri, 30-Oct-2026]