THE SMELL OF THE MOGRA
Can we remain simple as we achieve great
success in life – name, fame, power and position?
For most of us, it’s extremely difficult.
When we succeed – when name, fame, power and position come – we do change; often,
we change beyond recognition!
So, whenever I see successful people who
have chosen to remain simple in their lifestyles, I feel very inspired. Their
choice poses a challenge to me… and, I feel a lot humbled, apart from being
inspired. Yes, it’s very difficult to make that choice; it’s very difficult to
remain firmly planted on the ground when we are so successful…
To me, two such people are our former
President Dr. Abdul Kalam and Mrs. Sudha Murthy, the Chairperson of Infosys
Foundation and a well-known author.
Dr. Kalam was born in the temple-town Rameshwaram.
He father was a fisherman and a boat-owner, who was also the imam of a local
mosque. Dr. Kalam’s mother was a housewife. With seven siblings, his family was
poor. As a little boy, Dr. Kalam helped his parents earn a little extra-income
by distributing newspapers in the locality. So, with his sheer determination
and father’s encouragement, he went about completing his
studies in the field of physics and aerospace engineering, and became the ‘Rocket
Man of India’. Eventually, he became our country’s 11th President.
His stupendous success did not change Dr.
Kalam even a bit… He remained unpolluted in his speech, behavior, interactions,
attitude, and lifestyle. He, always, remained approachable… and a darling of children,
youth, media persons and every one. He chose to remain one among them on or off
the dais… He spoke the way he always did – with utter simplicity and devoid of pretense. He did not want his words and ideas to reach people as a ‘rocket
science’!
Dr. Kalam was, always, a teacher at his
heart. So, even after his Presidential tenure, he went about giving lectures at
various educational institutions. His last lecture was at IIM, Shillong, during
which, he collapsed… Following this, he died of an apparent cardiac arrest. He
was 83. A recipient of nation’s highest civilian award, ‘Bharat Ratna’, Dr.
Kalam was a real jewel of India!
I am a huge admirer of Mrs. Sudha Murthy. I
admire her for her achievements in life… She was the only girl-student in her
engineering college… Her entry into Telco was an inspiring tale… How she fell
in love with her husband, the legendary Mr. Narayana Murthy and helped him and
his few friends build one of India’s top IT giant, Infosys… yes, these are
stories that give us Goosebumps, no doubt. But, I admire her more for her work
as the Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, and even more for her fabulous
story-books…
Mrs. Murthy has written some 17 books which
are translated in seven Indian languages. But, what is endearing about her is
her utter simplicity… She has remained what she was, always, a genuine, simple
woman… Her stories emerge from this space… We all can relate to them… We can
smell the Mogra (Jasmine) flowers which she loves to wear in her hair… Perhaps,
it signifies the essence of the soc-called ‘success’ in life: ‘It’s short-lived…
Smell it when it is there.’
Yes, with all the money, name, fame, power
and position, to remain as simple as Mrs. Sudha Murthy would be extremely
difficult.
Last night, I was watching on YouTube a
video of the launch of her latest book, ‘Here, There, Everywhere’. As I was watching,
my wife, who, too, admired Mrs. Murthy the way I did, joined me with full excitement.
It was late in the night…
After watching the video, my wife recalled
one of her regrets… It was a couple of years ago. My wife had received an
intimation/invitation from a popular bookstore in Mumbai. The event was the
launch of one of her earlier books. My wife, being a die-hard fan of Mrs.
Murthy, decided to attend the event. A few meters ways from the bookstore there
was a gift shop, where some months earlier, my wife had bought a lovely synthetic
piece of sparking-white Mogra. That was a favourite of my wife and me, both…
Whenever she wore it on her hair for a formal function, invariable, women would
compliment her for her Mogra. So, that day, knowing well that Mrs. Murthy loved
to wear fresh Mogras, my wife walked into the gift shop and picked a piece for
her idol. But, then, there was so much crowd at the venue, somehow, my wife did
not find enough comfort to offer the Mogra gift to Mrs. Murthy…
Last night, I could see a silent regret in
my wife’s heart… “I wish I could offer her the Mogras,” she said.
Maybe, there was a message in that…
Mrs. Sudha Murthy does not like to wear the ‘synthetic
success’ on her head. To her, Success is simple and fresh, just like the Mogras
she wears… She loves the smell of those white flowers; but, she is conscious of
their short life… Here, There and Everywhere!
GERALD D’CUNHA
Pics.: Internet
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