No pain, No gain

By N.K.A. Ballal, Retd. Sr. Vice-President, ITDC

Another interesting story from the stable of Gaur Gopal Das:  In the middle of a beautiful city there was a Museum. The floor in the Museum was laid with marble tiles. Right in the centre of the foyer was a huge marble statue, as part of the display.

Many people from all over the world visited the Museum everyday and admired the beautifully crafted statue. One night, one of the marble tiles on the floor started talking to the marble statue… Hey statue, we are originally from the same mines, transported on the same lorry, brought to the same sculptor, why then do people from across the world come all the way here, step on me, stamp on me, but stand and admire you so much? This is so unfair. The marble statue replied, My dear friend, oh tile, do you remember how both of us sat there side by side in the sculptors workshop in our original forms as marble blocks? And do you recollect how the sculptor chose to work on you first? When he started using the tools on you simply to turn you into a masterpiece you resisted and started to fall apart.

Of course, I remember, said the marble tile. I hate that guy. How could he use those sharp tools on me? It hurt so badly.

The marble statue continued…That is right, then you could not take the pain of his tools, so he decided to give up on you and started to work on me instead.

I knew at once that if I had to be something different I would have to bear the pain. Thinking so, instead of resisting the pain, I bore all the pain of the sharp tools he used on me, my friend.

There is a price to everything in life. Since you decided to give up half way, you cannot blame anybody who steps on you now. The sculptor wanted to make a masterpiece of you but you resisted and became a floor tile.

The question is whether you are ready to handle every test, every hard knock, every trouble, every failure, all the pains that come from these cutting tools and become a masterpiece or do you grumble and crumble down to simply become a tile? That is what decides whether people step on you or admire you as a role model for some one to emulate.

An interesting and imaginary story no doubt but the essence or the moral of the story is very simple: If you want to come up in life, be prepared to struggle. You may fail several times but without losing hope if one continues, success is guaranteed.

There are three mantras for success — hard work, hard work and hard work. Of course,  some element of luck is also  important to be in the right place at the right time.

Many ask me as to what is the definition of hard work. Is it just working 12 to 14 hours? The answer is “no.” Apart from working, one has to constantly try to upgrade their own skills to ensure that the employer is forced to acknowledge the effort and retain him or her even in times of recession. Take for example the present problem in the IT Industry. Senior Executives who refuse to upgrade themselves are being phased out. Imagine a situation at the age of 40-plus, with commitments of family looming and without a job.

I have conducted hundreds of departmental interviews. The usual grouse of all departmental candidates is that even though they are seniors, they are not being considered for promotions. But when I asked them as to what efforts they had made to improve their own skills, they become silent. A typical government servant, expecting the government to lift him up in every stage of his career without making any personal efforts. Many exceptions are always there and I would like to quote two exceptions,  who impressed me.

I was working as a Deputy Manager of the front office, Airport Hotel, Calcutta. One day a Houseman, N.C. Das came to me and requested me whether he could get some training as a telephone operator, after his duty hours. Looking at his enthusiasm, I agreed. Six months later, a post of telephone operator fell vacant and since he was a departmental candidate trained in the work, he got the job. Later I came to know that he had anticipated the vacancy and got the training to get the job. Smart guy.

Next year, he again came to me with another request. He said that he had discussed with his colleagues and wanted to do night duty for one year as he wanted to do a Diploma course on Labour Management in the day time. Since all the arrivals in an Airport Hotel is mostly at night, there is no sleeping time in the night shift. So I warned him about the consequences but when he insisted that he was ready, I agreed. He finished the course and just before my transfer he came to me and told me, “Sir, with your help, I was able to finish the course. I applied for a job in Indian Oil and got the job too. I am now resigning. I am happy to inform you Sir that I have got a higher salary than you too. In 4 years time, a Houseman became a Deputy Manager!  This is an example of hard work combined with self-skilling.

Another prime example of hard work combined with an element of luck is of Sanjeev Kapoor, the Celebrity Chef.  When I was posted at Varanasi, he was the Chef in that hotel for nearly 2 years. An online Chef, he tried his hand in every aspect of the kitchen, including the Tandoor! A positive influence, his luck took a U-turn when he went on a deputation to Centaur, Mumbai. Zee tv was launching a cookery programme called  “Khana Khazana” and they had called 6 Chefs for the interview including Sanjeev Kapoor. Chefs from major hotel chains like Taj and Oberoi were present and frankly nobody gave him a chance to succeed. What tilted the balance in his favour was his fluent Hindi, which he had developed as a College Union President! Rest, of course, is history. Recently, he became the first Chef to get the coveted Padmashri too.

God also helps those who want to help themselves. An old saying. So if you are ready to work hard, re-skill yourself, you will be noticed and your time will come. One has to just grab the opportunity and go ahead in life. Do you agree?

ananthballal@gmail.com