THE ROAD OF THE GIANTS





















“I am an unabashed admirer of accomplished people.”

-      Mr. Narayana Murthy


Today was the last session for the students of class 12 (HSC Board) in my classes. So, I was telling them about the importance of having personal bench-marks. From my own experience, I was telling them, that the best way to become better in life was to observe and learn from successful people… Yes, learn from our heroes, our icons.


My own idea about ‘success’ has changed constantly over the years... So have my heroes. But, the need to look up to my heroes has never ceased. I am sure, the same need inspires most around us


The other day, I was watching a video, in which Mr. Narayana Murthy and his wife, Mrs. Sudha Murthy, were answering questions of young students at IIT Kanpur (Mr. Murthy’s alma mater). Towards the end of this session, a young girl asked Murthys this question:


“You have been meeting so many people in your life, famous and non-famous; how has it affected your life?”


I was impressed by Mr. Murthy’s sincere answer. He said:


“As far as I am concerned, whenever I meet a person, who has some characteristics, that I can learn from. Therefore, I am highly focused on observing people who have achieved something in life and I want to learn good things from them.  So, I am in awe of those people… I want to learn from those people… and I want to improve myself. Therefore, I am an unabashed admirer of accomplished people… I want to learn from them and I want to become better.”








If a man like Mr. Murthy, at 73, and even after such phenomenal accomplishments in his life, says, that he still needs ‘role models’ and bench-marks in life to help him still improve, who are we to say, that heroes don’t help?


A few inspiring stories, I think, are enough to provide us that much-needed ignition in our success-journey… “How successful people did it?”  The answer to this question has a lot of power packed in it… We all need to seek this answer from successful people, from all walks of life…


Today, as I was saying ‘Farewell’ to my young students, I spoke about Gita Gopinath. Incidentally, almost none of them knew who she was. “You need to read about such people, watch videos about them,” I urged. After they left, I shared this video in my students’ group…








In life, my students, you and I may not become great economists or IT giants. But, to be ‘giants’ in our own fields, all of us need to tread the same road… There is no other road!



GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.:everydaypowerblog.com

Videos: 1. Yogesh Kanaujia, IIT Kanpur 2. thestate.news

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...