A day with Anuj Dhar

I observed easiest way to amplify my learning is by meeting people who sets right example through their work.

Anuj Dhar was in city for a talk on the mystery behind Lal Bahadur Shastri and Subhas Chandra Bose death, an event organized by Indic Academy.

At first, I felt these topics are about rediscovering the history. Later nearing the end of the session, I realized the take away for me is more about understanding the leadership or its lack.

I encourage readers to listen to Anju Dhar to witness a personality who has put his best at the work. It makes one move by the energy and the commitment he shows towards his craft.

Getting such work done in democratic India takes extraordinary courage and perseverance, I felt looking at the vast supportive material collected by the author. Anyone who has ever tried hands at entrepreneurship, investments seeking with government schemes would vouch for it easily, though it is only a fraction of efforts as compared.

In such a scenario, believing in one's reason for their craft, putting energy, time and money when no one believes in such possibility, itself sets them apart from the crowd. Take it as an example for Pareto 80:20 principle; with such a mindset, one can accelerate progress ahead of the contemporaries in their chosen field.

Makes me feel that author has done a heroic job in disclosing the mindset, heart set behind the major political decisions that were taken bygone years. It’s an eye opener for me.

First half of the day discussion was on the book ‘Your prime minister is Dead’, now screened as a movie’ The Tashkent Files’. Second half of the day was on the book about Subhash Chandra Boss, ‘India’s biggest cover up’ to be screened as, BOSS: Dead or Alive.

Bose reappearing in political front would damage the narratives which were accepted and would disturb the general goodness, hence the necessity of the cover up . This was the explanation audience received. I asked Anuj Dhar, ‘did you had a chance to meet Gumnami Baba?’, ‘No, I could not, but has interviewed people who had met Gunnami Baba’.

In the book, ‘Your prime minister is dead’ I found facts are presented objectively and left to the opinion of the reader without concluding. I asked author for his personal opinion about the conclusion, he said, ‘for me it makes more sense that let readers decide the good, having gone through the factors which leads to their decision making’.

By the day end my focus moved from the facts, figures and narratives, to the leadership questions which were raising in my mind. I have listed a few here.

• What do you do when you know your leader/s has not taken the right decision and yielded to the ideas of majority or to the idea with a personal gain.

• What happens to your emotions, if above pattern takes place in your team or in your family, where decisions are usually taken up as granted and right.

• What is the leadership and lack of leadership means to you.

• What you do when you are not watched by others.

• What is your personal philosophy which enables you on how to react in such situations.

• What are your value system which you live by (action always speaks louder).

• What example we set by keeping quiet, for similar situations in our generation.

• What you do when people around you are okay towards a biased approach.

• What if the facts you know for sure, cannot be proven.

And the last one after watching the movie ' The Tashkent Files',

• Are you able to see through the masks people wear, like Shyam sundar tripathi.

When I travel few belts of interior Andhra, I experience village women folks block the road for vehicles and demand cash. This I have not seen in Karnataka, Kerala or Tamil Nadu. Hence invoke some agitation having to pay like toll for the village you cross. One may accept it as a norm or as help for downtrodden or may argue if you happen to know the local language.

Kind of leadership we show there is individualistic and it affects only those who are involved.

What I understood by observing leaders that, the events which trigger deeper emotions making people get energy to withstand all odds to produce the results which one feel as essential and be ready to live or die for it. And such reactions create history.

What one tolerates, what can be ignored and what can be taken up as a reason to fight for and grow within, is entirely depends on personal value system. Hence personal philosophy matters. It helps to save time for worthier pursuit, by knowing the opportunity cost involved.

Considering the Wheel of life, to arrive at worthy goals, focusing on the identified priorities, staying alert on how the time is being spent, being aware of the limited energy we all have and having cautious approach about our infinite desires. I encourage readers to arrive at a personal philosophy and review them often and at every major decision making.

If you need any assistance towards it, don’t hesitate to ask!