Cultural expectations surrounding the elderly are being challenged today, and with good reason!
While it was the norm to slow down and retreat into a quieter life post-retirement, more men and women are finding purpose and joy in doing the opposite.
WisdomCircle honours such men and women by shining light on their journey through an inspiring series called “Wisdom Stories”. These people have successfully smashed stereotypes, and their stories remind us that life should be lived to the fullest, no matter what age or stage.
There were quite a few turning points in my life. The first was when I started my entrepreneurial venture in 1981 at 31 years of age. There were innumerable lessons I learnt on the job, that came in handy when I started teaching as a Visiting Faculty at IIM Kolkata in 1989 while running my company. In 2015, I started writing seriously, and in 2017, I shifted my focus exclusively to teaching and writing.
I spent significant time with Australian Jesuit Priests at my School, St Xavier’s, Hazaribagh. Here I learned It’s Never Over till it’s Over, and that more lessons are learnt on the sports field than in any classroom. I learned to write English with simplicity, and I was inspired to create something that was bigger than me. As a result, I am still trying to change the world.
My professors at IIM Kolkata have also played a big part in shaping me. Professor Kamini Adhikari gave me an understanding of human behaviour. She was also instrumental in starting my teaching career at IIM Kolkata. Professors like Savitri Chattopadhyay and Barun De inspired me to a lifelong yearning for knowledge after that.
Professor James O’Toole of Aspen Institute has left an indelible mark on my life. Jim trained me as a co-facilitator for the Aspen ‘Leadership by Values’ seminars for India. He helped me put together my scattered lifelong readings into a cohesive unit, that delves into aspects guiding the best in humanity.
A lesson I would like to share is never to stop evolving. I invest in continuous reading, upskilling my knowledge and staying in touch with cutting-edge field research. My entrepreneurial experience encompassed dealing with unions, employees, distributors/dealers, government, bankers, press, global technical collaborators, international customers, politicians, legal entities and international regulators. The combination of academic rigour and hands-on entrepreneurial experience has given me a big advantage over others. It is for this reason that my classes have been received well, at reputed institutions like IIM Kolkata, XLRI, IICM, MTI-SAIL etc.
I have served on the Board of XLRI, was CII’s HR & TQM Chairman (East) and was part of the team for drawing up training needs of SAARC called the Colombo Document. I was assigned as coordinator for XLRI to prepare the Planning Commission’s Jharkhand Report when the state was newly formed. I am the only non-Tata founder member of the Society for Promotion of Professional Excellence which owns the Centre for Excellence at Jamshedpur, housing the archives of Tata Steel and providing a range of services to create excellence.
Today, I am in the midst of all that I love doing. I am teaching forward-looking theories in management that will appear in textbooks in 3-5 years. I am trying to master golf with my caddy, who hasn’t studied beyond school, but shares wonderful tips on Mindfulness with me! I am consuming high-quality content on topics I have a passion for – movies, documentaries, sports events and music. I would love the day to have 48 hours, as I have so much ground to cover!
Interview & Photograph credit – Saonli Bedi of WisdomCircle
