Knowing

Be short and brief in everything

People will be grateful - and 

May find it sweet if it not inspiring.

Do not prolong, neither the talk nor the life

It becomes bitter and boring -and

People will pray for your absence.

Who knows? I am only guessing

If Bhagat Singh had lived longer, 

People might have called him a dictator - and

If Mahatma had survived longer, 

People might have considered him as nuisance.

Knowing when to begin is important

But knowing when to end is the secret to the greatness

Charisma

It was a country side with a beautiful beach. People gather there for picnic and take sea bath. At times the sea is rough and windy, and some people get drowned and die. A group of young guys watched these kinds of occasional accidents in dismay, and they decided to do something. They started an association, and the motto was simple and straight forward: “Save the people from drowning in the sea”. They were filled with the missionary zeal, and day and night performed their selfless service.

People of the city were impressed with the result produced by them. And they donated lots of money, and many joined the association. When the number increased, they needed to formulate many rules and regulations, grievance committee was formed, recruit cell was constructed, and parties and seminars were organized to engage the members. As the time passed, the association's main activities were many except saving the people from drowning. Some youngsters were shocked at the functioning of the association, they accused the authorities of betraying the original spirit, and they decided to form a new association with the simple motto:”saving people from drowning”.

The new association wanted to make a point and they made it. The general public was impressed with the courage and dedication of the new association and donated large amount of money to the new association. And many were attracted to the new association and joined it with great enthusiasm. As the time passed, and as the number increased they too decided that they need new guidelines and rules to govern the new association. New structure was established, recruitment policies were formulated and to engage the members, workshops, seminars and parties were organized. And they too became too busy with too many things except saving people from drowning. And this irritated some young minds; they felt betrayed and decided to start a brand new association which will faithfully serve the people from drowning. And the story continues….

Charisma is compromised with organizational structure and regulations. But without rules and structure charisma can disappear altogether. The one strikes a fine balance between the two, manages to maintain the creativity (charisma) and continuity for a long time. It is the art of eating the cake and have it too.

predicament

During the last academic year, representatives of an organization came to give a talk for students. It is more of students and company interaction. It is routine exercise where students come to know about companies and the managers getting the feel of students. It is optional for organizations but compulsory for students. 

On that day, all students were assembled and a manager of a company X, with much enthusiasm started his address with a tautological question: Can anyone explain the reason for your coming for this talk? One first year student answered spontaneously, “We are here, otherwise we will be fined Rs.500” All the students burst out laughing. The members of the placement committee started seeing stars in the day, and the manager laughed nervously.

Simple question and an honest answer, matter should have been over then and there. But the student became hero for few and a villain for many. The members of the committee were upset and agitated, because it is an integral part of placement process, and if a student irritates the recruiting company, it can result in unwanted reactions.

I could understand the anger of the committee members at the same time I could sympathize with the innocence of the student. As a student I have been in the position of that student many a times; innocently saying something outrageous, mainly to deal with the boredom that class room creates, and eventually finding myself in a thick of storm.

Once during the class on medical ethics, the professor asked the question; can the child who is mentally retarded be killed? Some said yes, and some others no. I was sitting in the last row, and the professor asked me what my opinion is. I said, “No, the child should not be killed just because he is mentally retarded” The professor further enquired, “Why do you say that, what are your reasons?” Spontaneously I answered, “See, all of us are mentally retarded, only degree varies, therefore that child can’t be killed” Surprisingly all my class mates laughed out loud, but the professor was angry.

My intention was neither making fun of the argument nor irritating the professor. Unknowingly I ended up doing both. In the eyes of the professor I became the villain, my friends congratulated me for being radical hero, and girls in the class thought I am a comedian. I did not want any of the roles; all I wanted was sleeping in the class. Sometimes, if the time is not alright, anything can happen. Now the irony is that I am teaching ethics too.

I still sympathize with that student and also understand the predicament of the placement committee. 

The Iron Lady

Simplicity is the beauty of this film. Starts with the hallucination of Margaret Thatcher in her old age. She instructs and corrects her husband who is no more in this world. The director mingles her present with her past brilliantly. She redeems her present with the memories of the past, just like John Nash used his logical thinking to overcome his hallucinations.

The film is narrated in a non-linear style. It is in the form of flash-back mode. The critical incidents that shaped the life and the leadership style of Thatcher are breath taking.  Intelligently chosen events tells us the story convincingly.

It is always the unique talents which separate a person from others elevate her/him to the leadership position. It is these talents which attract other people to support her/him. At the same time it is these very talents which bring her/him down eventually. Every talent and strategy comes with an expiry date. Unless a leader is aware of this predicament, she/he will live longer only to become villains.

Thatcher was a woman of great substance and conviction. Her fresh and bold approach to the ailing Brittan brings hope and a sense of purpose to the people of that nation. Her no-nonsense style of taking decisions makes her the only man in the parliament. The journey to the top was smooth and fast in spite she being the only woman among the elected representatives. As she produces results, critics take back seat, and she moves from being bold to bolder and boldest. Then the inevitable takes place, her strength becomes her weakness. And like most of the high achievers, she too fails to notice the dissent among her loyal supporters.

It is an irony; when something does not work, we repeat the same approach harder and longer, blissfully closing our eyes and heart to different alternatives. Thus Thatcher’s glorious era come to an abrupt end.

The film is a must for every aspiring leader in any realm of life.

Shadow in Us

We all are endowed with sufficient amount of weakness, shadows, problems, negative experiences and sins. Some are obsessed with overcoming them and  others are blissfully unaware of them, and some inadvertently boasting about them. All three groups are in no win situation. spiralling down is inevitable.

External forces do not create the negatives within us, they might have triggered the problem in us but they are not the authors of our problems and sinfulness. Being in darkness is an existential condition; we are born with the potentiality to become psychopaths.

Most of the self help books are busy highlighting the problem behaviors and then advise us on how to control and overcome them. They forget that it is battle that is lost before even the first shot is fired. Valli in Ramayana is the classical representation of fighting with shadows in us. If you fight against him half of your strength will go to him, and added to that he himself is a powerful person, so the battle against him will result in failure for anyone.

Our mind has a tendency to look at reality in a binary system. Either we must overcome it or surrender to it; Win or lose; defeat or get defeated. But there is the third way, an alternative we often fail to recognize. Transform the negatives; it is not same as overcoming. The process of transformation is slow and tedious. It is not a conclusion but remains a process which will lead us to the conclusion. It is always three steps forward and two steps backward journey. It is not a linear but essentially not linear.

People who do not transform their  shadows and problems will invariably transmit them to others and the next generation. And keep the society sick perpetually.

Graduation

In the month of march, 2011, one of the graduating student (second year completed) met me on the corridor by chance or may be by mistake and with utmost sincerity said to me, “Two years at XIMB is the best of my entire life, at least so far. And I am very sad to leave the campus.” I too with utmost sincerity responded to him, “If you do not want to go away from XIMB, I can make necessary arrangements for you repeat the course.” The student literally jumped away from me and said, “No sir, I did not mean that.” I did not leave him, “OK, if you do not want to repeat, then you can join FPM program, and it will keep you on the campus for four years and afterwards you can become a faculty. Since you had best of time here, why not have it for longer period of time. More is merrier. You will be an example of perpetual happiness which is just little short of enlightenment.” He did not buy any of my improved offers and my persuasion skills failed miserably. He said, “Sir, I have important work, I must leave you now, see you latter” I knew that he will run for cover if he happens to see me in future.

I went to my room and I was in a rather deep reflective mood. How is that he could see his entire two years at XIMB as one of happiest days in his life. Does it mean that he did not have any negative experiences? What the hell are we doing as professors? That can’t be true, I have seen in the facebook, our students hitting the blackboard with their heads while preparing for exams, condemning the entire educational system. So what has really happened? The possibility is that he along with his friends might have discussed how they enjoyed their life in the last two years, narrating positive events from JLT to outbound learning. Then took those positive and pleasurable experiences and painted the entire two years with those positive feelings. Thus his mind erased negative experiences and made him see only positive things.

It is then I started feeling guilty that I have spoiled his game. I should have allowed him to continue to live in that positive state of mind; at least till he leaves the campus. I am sure there will be some other students who will recollect only the negative experiences and paint their entire two years with those negative feelings and remain in the state of depression, whereas, this student, fortunately, had selected only positive events and generalized them in a generous way.

This year, on the same corridor, on the same month another student (graduating) said the same things – life at XIMB was the best etc… Having become bit wiser, I just congratulated him and wished him all the best. Having a positive illusion is not a bad thing. After all what is reality? Whatever our mind projects are the reality as and when that happens.