Drawing Inspiration from Ganesh Chaturthi and the White Revolution of India
Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival that honors the wisdom and strength of Lord Ganesha, symbolizes the removal of obstacles and the importance of innovation in times of adversity. In the spirit of this festival, we can draw parallels to a compelling real-life story: the transformation of India’s dairy industry under Dr. Verghese Kurien, the “Father of the White Revolution.”
“What inspired you to leave your job and start on this journey?”
is what a kid asked me following a talk I gave on “Entrepreneurship and Innovation” at IIT Kanpur, one of the kids caught up with me in the corridor. I believe where words fall short, poems come to the rescue!
I wish I could have shared with him this poem that I wrote 9 years back, to give him a glimpse of the mindset that inspired my life altering shift to experiential learning from the good ol’ corporate life.
Two plus two makes four my boy, “Walk along the straight line”. Don’t dare turn left, when we say right, Fall in line, obey, comply.
March on, look right ahead, Stomp your foot – straight in line. Up goes the hand, that chin up too, Not a thought from you – Robot man.
This is your world – one size for all, Everyone a bottle of coke. Same size, same shape, standardize, Same thoughts, no voice – you realize?
ok, here’s the dare: First fall out of line, Walk zig-zag – hop skip and then jump. Now take that lane, yes that offbeat one, Go on – walk on – explore.
Out at the other end now, What did you see? What did you learn? What did you uncover?
It’s not the “what” that’s important, But the fact that you “did”, Just listen to your own drummer my friend, For the music always tops the coke!!
The risk, most of us are told, is in doing things that are unconventional. But, every time I sit and look back at the 9 years past, and I know that is, in fact, flawed thinking. The actual risk is
In following the tried and tested path, In not living life on the edge, In playing safe; In knowing with a fair degree of certainty how the next month and the year after will turn out to be, In knowing all the answers, In not ever having butterflies in your tummy!
My two cents to it all is that –
“Don’t ever take such risks in your life. After all, you just have one!”
I first met Sunil during my first firewalk seminar in Vizag (Visakhapatnam, India). He was a Senior Manager at a 5-star hotel, where the workshop was held. He was responsible for handling the entire event for us. Let me tell you something about the ‘behind the scenes’ work – a firewalk setup for 100 participants isn’t a cakewalk, especially in a city where we faced a language challenge, tight timelines, and lengthy road travel. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, we did have an outstanding firewalk that belittled the challenges we faced before. It was such a great feeling to see those 100 firewalkers, beaming with confidence. All is well that ends well. The credit for this successful firewalk goes to the most supportive and extremely efficient team of Sunil.
In the airline industry the most critical factor is safety. This is such a high-risk business and even the slightest mistake can lead to havoc that may cost many lives. That’s why airline companies, in addition to the government, can’t afford any mistakes. Despite the highest regard for safety, the industry is still susceptible to mishaps. Many aircrafts and lives have been destroyed in devastating accidents. However, there is one thing that makes this industry stand apart. Those in the airline business don’t let any misfortune fade from memory until they find the root cause of the accident and learn from their mistakes.
