Bhagat Singh

The Jalianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 deeply impacted Bhagat Singh’s mind and at the tender age of 13, he turned freedom fighter. He ran away from home to escape marriage, and enrolled with Naujawan Bharat Sabha. Along with Chandrashekar Azad, Ramprasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan, Bhagat's revolutionary activities became the stuff of folklore.

To counter the revolutionaries, the British enacted the draconian Defence of India Act. Bhagat and Batukeshwar Dutt threw non-lethal bombs and leaflets, in the assembly, stating that ‘it takes a loud voice to make the deaf hear’ and that ‘It is easy to kill individuals but you cannot kill the ideas’.

Bhagat was a voracious reader and a very expressive writer. He wrote for and edited Urdu and Punjabi newspapers. His philosophical and political thinking is found in the diary he wrote in prison. When accused of vanity of not seeking salvation in the face of death, he wrote ‘Why I am an atheist’.

Bhagat Singh remains an inspirational icon but more as an image of a young martyr. We can keep him alive by aligning to his thoughts (found in his writings) that reflect a vision and mission to create a fair, just and humane world. But, the biggest lesson from Bhagat is to pursue the call of our thoughts.

So often, we play blind, deaf and dumb to our own thoughts. We see wrongs happening, but choose to be indifferent. We want to do the needful, but we hold back. We must remember that Bhagat made a difference because he chose not to wait!  We must remember that he died at only 23 years of age.

Thoughts that hold us back should not matter…
We must walk Bhagat Singh talk NOW, not later!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Steadfast

When Pedro was asked to share the secret of his well maintained gardens, he put it simply, ‘I took great pains to add the right top soil, arrange the drainage and choose the sequence of the various flora. I just keep reminding myself of those initial efforts and choose to do everything to ensure that they are not frittered away.'

Well begun is half done, but can be easily undone if we give up on the requisite follow up. We give our best while creating something. We manage the difficult part but falter at the easy part. If we do not maintain the steadfastness, our best start can be undone.

So often, so many of us start initiatives in great earnest and then give up on maintaining the same drive in doing the less interesting but crucial follow up. Resolves and resolutions start with a flourish and end in a whimper. If we look back at our life, we discover the way great initiatives went to waste.

Constancy is the characteristic of achievers. They maintain a positive attitude and approach to the things they start. Steadfastness holds the key to greater successes. Doggedness is a value that ensures the optimising of the good start.

Beautiful gardens are born of continued mission
we must back initiative with steadfast actions!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

VISIONING

 ‘A worse thing than not having sight would be to not have vision’ - Helen Keller

Arnold Schwarzenegger won the title of Mr. Universe at the age of 20 and went on to win Mr Olympia contest seven times. But he didn't retain his title by only pumping iron. As part of his workout routine, he would frequently go into the corner of the gym and visualize himself winning the title again.

Visioning defines achievers in every discipline… be it sports or performing arts, entrepreneurship or social mission, individual leadership or team working!  It is the mind process in which images of the desired future (goals, objectives, outcomes) are imagined as intensely real and compelling to act as motivators for the present action.

When we empower visioning, the actual efforts are less exerting. And even, if the road is challenging, the belief will pull us through. Hence, visioning is not just about imagination but about investing belief in those thoughts. The belief has to be further backed by imagining the path (action steps) that will lead to the desirable vision.

Let’s invest time in visioning the aspiration...
actual efforts will need lesser perspiration!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.

Choice

Born in a poor family, Napoleon worked his way out with a burning desire to be successful. He was constantly searching for ways to improve himself. He involved in various ventures: managing a coalmine, practicing law and business journalism. His big break came at a meeting with ‘Steel King’, Andrew Carnegie.

Carnegie asked Napoleon if he could devote 20 years of his life to put together a formula for helping others to become successful. Carnegie would provide him with letters of reference to meet successful people like Woodrow Wilson, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller.

In less than 60 seconds, Napoleon declared his choice to take up the challenge. Later he came to know that Carnegie had decided to give him only 60 seconds to make the choice. After 20 years of dedicated research, Napoleon Hill compiled the best seller, ‘Think and Grow Rich’ in 1937.

Imagine, history would have been different if Hill had procrastinated on making the choice. Effective people make up their mind fast and are slow at changing their mind once they make their decision. Others tend to be slow at making up their mind and quick to change after the decision is made.

In fact, most people do not make their own decisions, because their decisions are made for them or influenced by others. Decision making is not just about making the choice, but more importantly it is about making timely choices.

Surely, choice needs prompt timing...
to make worthwhile decision making!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.