Gurus' Grants

For the last few years, thanks to social networks, I have been experiencing this phenomenon in July and this year was similar. A number of messages flash on the pods remembering, thanking, wishing … for Guru Purnima. I had earlier penned about the Guru’s while studying. At work too there are a set of Gurus who I believe shape us, not as much by what they teach us or tell us to do, but what they show us with their beliefs and way of doing things.

While I continue to learn from a whole lot of guru’s to date, I am recalling a few. It is not exhaustive or in any order of importance, but more to give a flavor of how Gurus end up touching lives, that leave a lasting value print.

Gabrial was senior at Tata Steel when I started working as a trainee. While people use boss, saab, sir he was fond of using ‘Partner’.  He would say to get best work done with the workers and operators, elevate the dialogue to align expectations and actions. So one could get people to work on Sundays, allow them to go see Mahabharat and come with agreed timelines but work would get completed often exceeding expectations.  What we call as shared goals etc. fall in place in partnering. I don’t know if he started this at work, but he made our batch see it.

Ravi. Kannan. Me

The first time I had an official direct boss was with Ravi at Madurai. Well he was one who could mingle freely and get work done without anyone feeling he is the boss. And it worked well. He also had this approach of breaking any crisis into parts making it manageable and addressable. Without saying it in as many words, the devil got detailed and fixed, often with a joke and laugh while doing it.

with PM at the pyramids

I got picked from campus by P M Murty (popularly just PM).  Never one to make other feel the decades of seniority, action orientation was his dharma. The belief that talking doesn’t take you anywhere unless it translates into action reflected all the way. Very principled – would not take a new car till the vehicle policy got changed for the whole team or have shrink sleeves in packaging as it is

not bio-degradable.

fun together with Bharat extreme right

Bharat is the epitome of a Boss being a friend philosopher and guide, not just to me but to almost everyone who has worked with him. He was clear ‘no excuses’. Excuses never gave the full picture and never accepted it. It had to be a realization and acceptance of what went wrong and how it will not recur. Work was fun as he always made us believe “Do what you enjoy and Enjoy what you do”. Another facet he uniquely rubbed off on the larger set who worked with him was how to have fun after work with the many fun-togethers as a host or guest. 

Me. Jalaj.Late Mr.Chari
at the Hatshepsut temple, Luxor

The late Mr.Chari is a legend. He would urge us to look at culture and people. The belief that there is so much that history has to offer and it is important to know the past before you step is a great perspective. He would ask who wrote the national anthem of Bangladesh to make us realise that Tagore authored both India and Bangladesh’s national anthem. Knowing the past  enabled better understanding and stronger partnerships.

One can go on… this is but a glimpse mainly from the 90's of Gurus’ pearls of wisdom that leave a lasting impact. I would call these Grants, made selflessly that work like endowments and procreate value sets.