The 3 people who affected me most in my life!

The ones who affected my THINKING and my DOING, for my good and hence human good.

Dear brethren, young and old,

This is my first blog. I have been wanting to write for long and today I decided I to take the plunge, taking ‘baby-steps’. For those who don’t know me, kindly visit www.linkedin.com/in/gnwravi I shall evolve this blog site shortly with proper templates and settings.Why today, on Ganesh Chadurthi ,Saturday, 11^thSept 2010? It’s incidental as it happens to be the 10^th birthday of Gates and Windows, started 1 Sep 2000, on Lord Ganesha’s birthday.

My mind used to race earlier, faster than Lewis Hamilton on an F1 track. Now, after 2009, thanks to NLP, I think I’m able to write coherently, sticking to one topic or activity, at a time, without internal dialogues, anger etc.! However, miles to go before I sleep…

What to write then? Well, thanks to those wonderful authors of varied topics, from watching TV to watching toddlers or simply ‘World Watching’, lot of topics spring into my mind. I thought the most prudent of them all is to write on the topic The 3 people who affected me most in my life. The ones who affected my THINKING and my DOING, for my good and hence human good. The idea originated last week, i.e. on Sep 5th, celebrated in India as Teachers’ day. I hope you enjoy reading it as I cherished thinking, feeling and writing about them.

Ravi, have you forgotten your lovely parents who are watching you from Almighty’s abode or your ever-doting wife, Chemistry teacher Dr. Vasudevan(at school), your pals, numerous authors etc. Not at all. Would require a book if I have to write about them. Sure, would do later. As I said earlier, till now, these 3 people influenced or affected my thinking to be a better human for human good, all the time. Tis’ not only Gyan and gusto I received from them, I am convinced that they have blessed me, forever, sending phenomenal positive energy, anytime I require, like how we fetch water when we are thirsty! One has to feel it folks, isn’t it? Mere writing by me may not convey the ‘feeling’ in me. However, am making an honest attempt.

Read on…

The first and the foremost influencers for many are one’s teachers. Yes, it’s no different for me as well. With reverence, I write about Prof. Dr. G.R.Krishna, my Vashishtar, the teacher who taught me Organisational Behaviour and Personnel Management subjects during my Post-graduation at MIT,Manipal, 1991-93. Many missed the content for his mannerisms. What I saw was the beauty of the ‘rich content’ in him, something I found amiss till then. In my 18 years of education, his was the only class I never missed, whatever the situation was. I confess I was once a cricket-addict and would forego anything, even skipping exams to watch and erupt-in-joy, on-the-field heroics of the Srikanth’s and Kapil Dev’s. Apart from the classroom sessions, I was bestowed with the friendly ‘gyan’ he induced into me, during our ‘Walk-the-talk’, in the hilly ambience of Manipal. There are many books that can be written(I still goad him to write despite knowing his hectic schedule, at his nonagenarian age!) from the ‘fountain of ideas’ in him. I would share only a couple which influenced me most. The first one is “Nothing is wrong, nothing is right and no-one is wrong nor anyone is right”. For the normal person at that age, it sounded funny, for some, highly philosophical to comprehend. However, I was able to quickly understand the beauty in that statement. Hence today, I have ‘only friends’, of all walks of life, across the religious spectrum on Mother Earth, maybe friends in our cousins in Mars tomorrow when we humans would ‘pollute and prosper’ in that atmosphere as well! The second one is more beautiful, very apt, in today’s “mostly Capitalistic Corporate” and “mostly materialistic human beings”! It is ‘Simply Share-and-Care’. Thank you professor for sowing the thought of being a ‘Capitalist-in-mind, socialist-at-heart’. I’m aware mere thanks wouldn’t do. I shall ‘walk-(y)our-talk’ sir.

While I wrote above para on Professor GRK, I did have tears out of reverence. I’m a normal human being, right?

If Professor GRK induced and influenced me with his ‘different thinking’ mindset ( In Tamil “Maathi Yosi”, or simply, take the path less travelled), the next person took me to the next level, and incidentally G&W was named by him as well. Before I name him, I have to thank my 2nd and last employer, the progressive Indian MNC with Indian values, ESSAR and Late. Shri. S.N.Roy, then MD of ESSMC for giving me an opportunity to interact with Shri. Perez Chandra, a man meaning much to many – from Value driven organizations like ESSAR to whom he lends his shrewd intellect and sage advise to the unsung farmers(some, who, ironically feed us only to commit suicide!) to the orphaned children! Trained as a seasoned journalist, Perez was/is well known in the print media- then and now. He taught me simply how to write, the learning and coaching one won’t get in the best of Media Schools! That was in 1995-96. I contacted him after 5 years when me and my wife were wanting to name our company, when I declared INDEPENDENCE for me! Our business baby, named by him on Aug 28^th 2000, was born on Sep 1st. In fact, for one month, we were struggling to name the company and here comes the ‘godsend’, from Mumbai, meeting me at my partial bedroom-cum-office, in our modest 2 bedroom flat, in downtown West Mambalam-listening patiently to the names we had coined and then in a flash named it Gates and Windows with the brand name G&W! Simply outstanding, isn’t it? Thank you Perez for being in touch, even now, sending me positive energy, all the time!

After Professor and Perez, both ‘humane human’ beings, rare among our human tribe these days, here comes the ‘angel’. Before that, my revered pranams to all those who brought out the most beautiful science till now man has known–i.e. Neuro Linguistic Programming(NLP) – ‘The Science and Art of Human Excellence‘.

In Aug 2009, I was fortunate to get under the ‘tutelage mode’ again. This time, under Ms.Reena Jabran, Founder of Jayakartha www.jayakartha.com The ten days I spent in the sylvan surroundings of Yelagiri Hills – What do I say? Umm… NLP through Reena simply transformed me, made me a better person, a person in absolute state-of-power, high-tide or low-tide, growth or no-growth. Of course, it’s a process and has to be applied in every transaction / situation. The proof of pudding is in eating, isn’t it?. My kids find me a better dad than I was! Also, my right brain, which was slightly dormant because of the environment became active, as though with a vengeance! (read environment as education system then and social/political system even now!) NLP harnesses the dormant Right brain in many of us and I was blessed to get it under a ‘pure practitioner’, who was earlier blessed to serve Swami Chinmayananda as his personal secretary. I understood the power of Energy - in our thoughts, words and actions and have started continuously observing me and things / people / events around me, all the time.

Well, that gives rise to my next blog – One-blog-a-week is good enough, right? Done. Next, I shall dare to write a kind of prediction based on this fundamental ‘energy principle’ which would affect India and Indian politics next month? Any guesses??? Will give you three clues-Relate it. Tsunami-CWG-Indian Govt! Could be controversial. So be it.

Do share your suggestions / thoughts so that I/V keep improving my writing ways. Thank you and good wishes to all of you and your wonderful families.

Anbudan

Ravichander Venkatraman