nandoosky - Tattyappa’s journal

Nandoosky,

 

Some things that I wish to share with you are, perhaps, too adult-like-thoughts to be shared with a child like you. However, I do find it important to put them in a place where you can see, read and reflect upon when you grow up.

 

There are times when you do a lot of things with a lot of enthusiasm, keenness and personal initiative. Painting, for instance. Or the craftwork. I have seen you immersed in these activities for long stretches of time with no need for any handholding. Swimming is one more such activity. I feel wonderful on those occasions.

 

There are also times when you are reluctant to do some things as suggested by Kutta or tattaya. While you love dancing and would not want us to discontinue your dance classes as a part of our (mock) threats,  I do find you less enthusiastic about doing your dance practice at the pre-agreed times.

 

Those moments are very interesting for me, as a parent. Dozens of thoughts, reflections go through my mind in those short intervals of time. Many of those thoughts are so precious for me to leave behind – as these thoughts range from highly elevating to the absurd J

 

Needless to say, we can take refuge in the ‘why should I do ?’ for any piece of suggested action in life. In fact, it is important that we question every aspect of life without exception. I believe there is nothing holy and beyond question. Our norms, practices, choices are all open to be questioned.

 

There is one truth, however. Any area that one wishes to pursue in life needs a lot of devotion. It needs a lot of unconditional commitment and dedication. Rigour in what you want to do and pursue,  enormous amount of patience, appetite to put endless hours of hardwork are minimal criteria for any of us to achieve anything in life.

 

I know these are all words that are from the adult world and would make no sense to you. However, you will be one even before we realize.

 

I would want you to know that tattyappa has a million things to share with you and find myself challenged to be able to share this with you in your language. Poor education of mine has not helped either.  Some time soon, you will chance upon this somewhere and have fun reading this up.  I hope I will be around for another round of tongue-lashing or a huge ‘KKT-Huggy’ from a grown-up Nandoosky.  To me, both are equally endearing.  (Apr 28, 2010)

  

CK - The gentle giant moves on

 

Ever since I recall,  I had a strange wish to maintain a diary of well-known / known people who have passed away after touching my life. This is particularly true of the people with positive influences on the world around them – the corridors they walked through, the people they touched, the rooms in which they spoke and so on.   I also carry a mental list of these names and unfortunately (yet true to life), I have found myself adding a few names to it every year. The mental picture that I carry ends on the day when I will have moved on.  Some one might just add a name to his / her list!

 CK – The affable Giant :

Professor CK Prahalad, the Guru whose life can best be summarized by two broad bodies of work – “Core Competence” and “BOP” (Bottom of the pyramid), has moved on. Another giant has moved into the pantheon of ‘do-gooders’ as per my list. It sounds clichéd but I do find myself at a loss for words – ‘Shocking’, ‘devastated’, ‘sorrowful’ etc, etc,…..none come anywhere close to what I feel.  Quite simply put, I feel a sense of deep personal loss.

 

CK’s work did not stop at deep insights that have become street argot in the world of management education, corporate boardrooms as well as in entrepreneurship, at large. His invention (‘Core competence’ and ‘BOP’) have become much more than jargons over the past decades. CK converted them into practiced processes and mantras for whoever was willing to learn and implement. More than a dozen companies in every country would vouch for the mantra in their own successful journeys as organizations.

 

CK’s work, in fact, began after he gave these inventions of his to the world. CK was a tireless evangelist of his work. He believed in going across the globe and sell his ideas with as much passion and research as possible for a human being.

 Much more than his body of work :

I have always experienced CK and his thought-leadership as much broader and deeper than what he was most well-known for.  CK was also a tireless crusader for a few things that are much less known or published in the media. The themes such as – India and her potential, Entrepreneurship, Sanskrit (as a language) are some of the themes that can take him to the far corners of the globe without his batting an eyelid. He was passionate when he spoke about any of these. His allocation of time and efforts for these themes spoke even louder about his commitment to these causes. And, I am quite certain that I knew only a few aspects of this proud son of India.

 CK – The family man :

In over a decade that I have known CK, I have almost seen CK and Gayatri inseparable even in his grueling travel schedules. Running into them at an airport, spending a quiet conversation time on the sidelines of TIE Summits – I have seen CK more often than not in Gayatri’s company.  I have always felt very comfortable in the joint conversations of this affable pair of ‘CK Mama-mami’, as we address in the south of Vindhyas.

  

CK also was a very proud parent and the quintessential family man. And, those who knew CK well would know a great deal about Deepa, Murali, Ashwin even without ever meeting them in their lives. He would share the few things about his children/family that he felt very nice and proud about. 

 

I feel fortunate to have known this gentle intellectual giant of our era who surely made us proud as Indians.  I also feel personally rich for the little windows of time that we spent together in various parts of the world – whether the jovial never-ending and anecdote ridden conversations about Nobel prizes at Kaula Lumpur or a meagre meal when he came for the inauguration of our first school (IWS) at Hyderabad or the lovely time ‘CK thatha and ammamai’ spent with Nandu, Uma and me at the Khimsar resort in Rajasthan.

 

With silent and sincere prayers

 

Affectionately,
Satya