In the rainy afternoon of the 1^st of August’15, the Jaipur chapter of FICCI-FLO organized a session in which, the amazing entrepreneur, the witty columnist, an empowering social activist, and an appreciated author, Mr. Suhel Seth ascended the podium to share his views on the ‘Mantras for Success.’

The event started by lighting the lamp. The chairperson, Mrs. Alka Batra, accompanied Mr. Suhel Seth to the stage, presented him with flowers, and then, the talking began.His oratory skill could make the best of anchors envious.  His wise advice coated with a tinge of humor and satire isn’t easily perceived. The session started with him commenting upon how lighting the lamp before starting an event is a ritual which we must get rid of.

“India would contribute better to climate change if we got rid of lighting the lamp and expressions. One emits a lot of energy and the other disturbs the flow of events.”

He rhetorically questioned why he wrote his book ‘Mantras For Success’, and then stated that he never intended to. The CEOs whom he has written about are selected with an aim to inspire ‘the future of India.’Besides the tycoons, Mukesh Ambani and Ratan Tata, Seth has also included the young luminaries like Kunal Bahl, CEO, Snapdeal and Rahul Sharma, Co-founder, Micromax in his book.

“India has made it very difficult for people to do business here; Indians have made it even more difficult for Indians to do business in India. We are the ‘jugaadus’. “

To personify his image of an ideal leader, he named Vikas Oberoi, the billionaire hotelier and real estate developer. The detail he adds to the minutest of the affair is laudable. Moral of this story being, if you’re up to something, make sure that the tiny issues don’t miss your attention. Everything is important.

“We don’t realize the intricacies of life.”Why didn’t we Indians produce Google or Facebook? That is because we don’t allow innovation. We don’t allow people in open skies where their mind can actually be held high in the breeze of free thinking.

Inquisitively, a woman from the crowd asked who a good leader is.Well, that depends from business to business. A good leader would be the one who is able to maintain transparency in the organization. He must be firm and focused. A leader has to take a million decisions. Only with a steady head can he make astute decisions. A lot of people come up to you to speak their minds. One mustn’t get influenced. The ability to stick to your decision is a great virtue. Listening to everyone, but doing what one thinks is right, is one of the traits of a good leader.

The golden rule of business in his words is: Make friends out of clients but not clients out of friends. If you make friends out of clients, then be sure that you’re doing really well at your job.He also remarked upon how the money has changed people. People have their feet on the ground but their minds reach sky. The concept of ‘simple living, high thinking’ has somewhat changed. Referring to the parents, he added that people shower their kids with pricy gadgets and all sorts of exotic gifts, to boost their confidence. That kind of confidence is absolutely needless.

Let them be exposed to the world outside their bedroom walls. That would ignite their curiosity to explore the real world. Curiosity should be the lust of their minds. After all, they’ll shape the India of tomorrow.

A message he gave to the youth of Jaipur:

The day your thirst for knowledge ends, you are dead. You have nothing to live for.

The session we had with Mr. Suhel Seth was a really thought-provoking one. The man of intellect shared his views on leadership, parenthood, politics, and arts among many other things. Hope you have grabbed some useful insights from this man.

Picture Courtesy: Nupur Agarwal