- http://yourstory.in/2009/08/laboratory-in-entrepreneurial-motivation-prof-sunil-handa/
- http://lifeatiimindore.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/entrepreneurship-prof-sunil-handa/
- http://abhitaneja.blogspot.com/2007/10/enlightenment-by-prof-sunil-handa.html

But there was something in him which was causing sleepless nights.  Everyday whenever he was free and having no work, he used to ponder what he actually wanted from the life. That’s when he started to put deliberate hours to ponder over the question ‘What I really want to do with my life?’ The craving to find the answer and doing something used to be more whenever he used to visit India once in a year. Then he quit his job, cleared CAT and opted for a course from IIM in Agri Business. He opened his own business, bought 6 acres of land in Chandigarh and started farming. He set up a food processing plant and sold them to some Indian companies. Today his business has an annual turnover of around 30 million USD with local offices in Singapore and Canada.

I met Yogendra in a flight to Bangalore. Here are some excerpts:

Q. It’s quite interesting, your career from an IT professional to an agri-businessman?

A. Yes, it’s interesting but it really took a lot of energy and the introspection to change the career and shifting the gears. You know it may sound awkward but I spent quite a number of sleepless nights. But continuing as a software programmer was not convincing to me. I started weighing the options. I finally decided to do something in agriculture. This was pure interest because as a child I was used to go for long walks in the jungle with friends, roam around in the fields, eat first crop of guava, mango, radish (smiles), corn, amla etc in my home town. I still remember going to my house roof and feeling the morning dew drops on the leaves and plants. Also, I used to work in the kitchen garden with my mother and elder sister, planning the roses and other flower varieties. So apart from this interest, I needed an economical survival, so it was logical to go for an agribusiness course. The idea was to gather whatever learning I can have and use it as an entrepreneur and have some satisfaction.

Q. How did your family react on it?

A. My wife is quite supportive and he was observing the internal struggle that I was in so she was fine with it. But we have two kids and a full house to run. So she took up a job in MNC. This meant that she with kids stays in metro and I visit them on weekends. We also got support from our family not only financially but morally. My parents thought I am crazy but once they saw the passion they came forward and supported me. Brothers as usual were quite supportive.

Q. Where do you go from here?

A. Response from people is quite encouraging and I have around 20 people working with me in different capacities. Apart from that, demand is solid in local regions so we think that it’s time for expansion. I am planning to buy another 10 acre and will experiment with some new crops and hybrid farming. I also get couple of consultants from Agriculture University to get their opinions before embarking on the crops. So we hope to take it to new level. This will extend our strength to around 100 people. Also, we plan to move to food processing business.

Chetan has created a niche in the Indian story telling market, which started with Ruskin long time back. Ruskin also used small sentences and little wittiness sometimes. But Chetan has transformed the way you say it.  Also, the themes and the characters are so close to everyone that you buy to it.  The pricing is unique, just Rs 95/- for each of the book. The lowest prices for some books I noticed for good books from Jaico Publications which were somewhere Rs 195/- . But Chetan’s creations outdo them all.

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.
Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.

 But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?

They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.
You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

 One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.

But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember – if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.

 Disappointment’s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release.

Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts , having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life – friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness – this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.

In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.

 Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying – I come from the land of a billion sparks.
Thank You.

Also, while browsing Karan’ site, stumbled on a good poem from Ruskin Bond:

As I walked home last night
I saw a lone fox dancing
In the cold moonlight.

I stood and watched.
Then took the low road, knowing
The night was his by right.

Sometimes, when words ring true,
I’m like a lone fox dancing
In the morning dew.

Read the story here

But imagine this, a beautiful morning sun, climbing up the hills in a nice cool morning breeze. Imagine a hot cuppa of tea, and you just listen to the sound of flowing water in the nearby canal. Also, if you just relax and trust your ears (which are more attuned to the city traffic noise) you will hear chirping of birds and all so different. Now, observe the thin fog that is all around hills, and sun rays are trying to penetrate them. So that is how, my days used to start. You feel you are at your nest.

but end could have been better…

Still wondering why the title include ‘decides’ rather ‘wants’….

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