Experience and Energy

Work is a blessing when it helps us to think about what we are doing; but it becomes a curse when its sole use is to stop us thinking about the meaning of our life.

 The Supreme Court has given final opportunity to the Sahara group of companies to mobilize funds for the bail of its chief, Subrata Roy. The group was required to deposit Rs 5000 crore in cash and an equal amount in a bank guarantee to secure the bail. Roy is lodged in the capital’s Tihar Jail for failure of two of his companies to comply with the court order to refund Rs 24,029 crore collected from about 29 million investors by issuing bonds, found to be illegal by SEBI, the securities market regulator.

Leading e-commerce company Snapdeal is set to spend about $1 billion on a series of acquisitions this year.  Rohit Bansal, a young chap,  co-founded the company in 2010.  In 2014, Snapdeal had raised about $1 billion and investors are keen to infuse cash in the company at a valuation of $6-7 billion. But the company is still not profitable. Bansal said, “If we want, we could turn profitable tomorrow…we are here for the long term, at least two to three decade, and we have to keep building infrastructure for higher growth…If I care only about profits, I could flip the switch and turn profitable. But we choose not to and instead, invest ahead of time”.

Sometimes I get confused what is more important- the experience of Subrata Roy or the energy of Rohit Bansal. Perhaps Roy was as energetic in his youth as Rohit today, that is why he was able to build a big empire of Sahara group. He would also have taken dreams and to realize them he might have put everything at stake. He has got prime properties to meet out the commitment to the investors and the Supreme Court, but he prefers to be in jail than to sell the  properties at throw away prices. 

Even bonafide decision may also turn out to be wrong, but we should always pray God:-

“Lord, protect our decisions, because making Decisions is a way of praying. Give us the courage to be able to choose between one road and another. May our YES always be a YES, and our NO always be a NO. Once we have chosen our road, may we never look back nor allow our soul to be eaten away by remorse”.

Amitabh Bachchan had also taken a decision by starting ABC & Co. That wrong decision, (as it turned out) has given him so much aftermath success that he is and will never get old. The spirit wills its own will and he who had been lost to the world now conquers the world.

Let us not live a life when people say, “He passed through life, He did not live it”.

Let people say, “He died when he was living”.

I remember the words of the poet, Manual Bandeira,

“Be like the flowing river,

Silent in the night.

Be not afraid of dark.

If there are stars in the sky, reflect them back,

If there are clouds in the sky,

Remember, clouds, like the river, are water,

So, gladly reflect them too,

In your own tranquil depth”