Change your life

Dr Saurabh Srivastava Shares His Biggest Mantra Of Success

Nandika Mogha, AIS Noida, XII

An entrepreneur, an investment professional, Dr Saurabh Srivastava, Chairman Emeritus, TiE Delhi/NCR has turned everything he has touched into a success. Former chairman of NASSCOM and founder of Infinity Venture, he is also the recipient of Dataquest Lifetime Achievement Award, Distinguished Alumnus Award from IIT Kanpur and the prestigious Padma Shri in 2016 for his contributions to the world of trade industry. During his visit to AUUP, Noida on the occasion of ICEL 2018, he was awarded Amity Lifetime Achievement Award for promotion of Entrepreneurship. In an exclusive interaction with GT Reporters, the man shared what allowed him to climb the ladder to success, the word which brought a wave of ‘change’ in his life.

Change your perspective
One of the biggest misconceptions in the world is the belief that we can only be successful if we have abundant resources and assets to back up our projects and our dreams. If you believe that, I advise you to change your mindset right now. Not everyone is born in affluent families, but that does not mean that they cannot be successful. History is replete with examples of people who changed the world with great ideas, despite of having meagre resources. Having fewer financial resources is not the end of the world and we need to change how we think about it.

Change your actions
Merely thinking about wanting something, achieving something and changing something is not enough. All of us can sit on our couches and wish for the world to be different, for us to be successful, but what are we actually doing to bring in the change? We need to get off the couches and work towards achieving our dreams. Even if you have plenty of resources and a good idea, none of it will matter if you do not work towards turning that idea into reality. It takes a lot of hard work to turn your surname into a brand name. At the end of the day, you need to be determined about what you want to do and have a plan of action. You will only be able to achieve it if you dream it and do it.

Change the world
As citizens of this country, I think we should make sure that everything we do is for the betterment of everyone around us. A lot of unfortunate events have been happening in the world, but that does not imply us closing our eyes to the reality and living in a bubble. We need to get up, realise our responsibility and try to change the world. But we need to remember that bringing a change does not always mean doing something dramatic. We can actually bring a change even with our small contributions, because no contribution is actually small. If you are determined to change the world, trust me, you will do it.

 

Being positive

Does Optimism Always Work?

 Nivedita Kapoor, AIS Noida, XI A

‘Stay positive’ is a phrase that we hear when we go through a crisis. In fact, the whole world counts on this so much so that this has become a consolation for every hurdle.  Whatever is the problem, we are advised to be optimistic and everything would fall in place. But, is it really the ‘cure-all’ for every problem that we come across?

The problem
Now, being optimistic might be a major step towards getting over crisis, but it cannot be the only step. Sitting there, being positive that the problem will go away, will not make it go away. It will only find a solution when you get cracking on it. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Several health concerns are trivialised by the society because it is undermined by another disease  ‘optimism’. Quite often ‘be positive, sab theek ho jayega’ is heard as the solutions to even grave health concerns. Yes, positivity helps you fight the battle and heal faster, but only when you are enroute treatment.
The realisation
Let us consider the fact that keeping a sanguine disposition during a difficult situation might be taken as a good way to steer clear from negativity. But the question is - for how long? This is where we need to be real. Staying positive might seem an effective way to get rid of the problem, but you need to realise that it is not the only way.

The way out
A realistic approach to any problem is to accept that life is not a bed of roses. It is a never ending roller coaster. A positive attitude can help you sail through the highs and lows but add a little pragmatic thinking and hard work to your problem in the right direction and you would be good to go.

To those who believe that success will come to them by mere positive attitude, it’s high time that you start cultivating your optimism while welcoming the challenges that stand before you. It is on an optimistic note that we should start working out on our problems because there is absolutely no obstacle that comes without an answer.

GT M@il

Dear Editor,
This is with reference to the story ‘The train uphill’ in October 8 issue of The Global Times. It tells us about how tough times bring forth our true strengths. The story is about a saint and his disciple who are travelling by train. When the disciple realised that the coaches were starting to disconnect from the engine and that they might all die, he started panicking. He was amazed to see that his guru was very calm and wanted to spend the last moments of his life in peace. The story was very short and crisp which made it an interesting read for me. This taught me a valuable lesson that, ‘Death is inevitable. If we spend our life worrying about death, we will regret not enjoying the precious gift of life.’ I feel that we should read more such stories so that we can apply these morals in our lives to become better people.
Naisha Abbey,AIS Noida, VII J

Dear Editor,
We think that everything we have ever touched, believed, seen, done or felt is the ultimate truth and there isn’t a single thing – living or dead – beyond our restricted world. ‘The simulation game’ from October 1 issue of The Global Times makes us question our existence – are we really living on our own accord; are we being played or are we a part of just the biggest reality show ever? Frankly, no matter what goes on in our minds, we will still be here and the situation will still be the same. Nothing is going to change just because we finally realise that there could be more advanced beings in the universe capable of controlling us. The author has left the Sims hypothesis open ended which makes readers wonder ‘What if…’ If you already aren’t amongst those with an existential crisis almost on a daily basis, then this story will alter your reality, even if it is for a brief moment; it will give you goosebumps and  leave you with doubts that maybe our life is nothing but all a big lie.
Drishti and Aviral, AIS Gurugram 43, IX D

Navratras for Nine rivers

Navratras, it’s that time of the year again when every morning the fragrance of flowers and incense, sounds of hymns, chanting of mantras fill up the air. As we worship nine forms of Goddess Shakti, I am reminded of the nine great rivers of India, called river systems. The waters so pious that even a drop is known to cleanse you of all the evils and sins as per our ancient spiritual beliefs. The rivers so powerful and full of energy that they have nurtured thousands of civilisations and nourished billions of life forms since ages. No doubt, in India every festival is invariably associated with rivers. Be it the ritual of taking a holy dip, floating earthen lamps with best wishes for beloved ones or the immersion of idols in rivers. However, today, our precious heritage are weeping loud and bawling with the pain of pollution and filth. They are screaming to be cleaned and to be restored to their natural self. Ganga, Kaveri, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Yamuna, Narmada, Tapti, Godavari, Indus all these huge river systems comprise many small and large tributaries and distributaries. Every plastic bottle thrown, every chemical effluent released, every bag of trash thrown into any one of these systems plays havoc with the river and entire planet. It is high time that we show respect to our rivers. Let us evolve our customs and rituals in such a way that we add to their glory. At Amity, as part of our ‘heritage education’ we have been studying  rivers and sensitising the children to save rivers and ensure that they can breathe again. This Navratra, let’s also take upon ourselves to kill the Mahishasura of water pollution and let our rivers cleanse our minds, body and soul again through their pious waters.

Revamp festivals

A week ago I decided to clean my ‘pooja ghar’ at home as I realized it looked cluttered. At the end of the cleaning process I had accumulated a bagful of things like vermilion packets, multiple copies of religious prayer books and pictures, ‘shringaar’ items, ‘chunnis’, over Rs 300 collected in cash and coins, etc. Now, while my ‘pooja ghar’ looked clean, I could foresee another problem ie how to dispose off that bag. All through my growing up years, I had seen my elders dump it in rivers. But, I had been witness to the ill impact of this practice and could not gather the courage to do so. So, I decided to visit a temple and seek the priest’s advice. To my surprise, none of them knew what to do with it and refused to take the bag. They also advised not to waste money on such items and instead give cash or useful items in future. As for the money, no one refused. The visit was truly an eye opener.
We take pride in our feisty festivals and grandiose celebrations. But have we ever wondered, how much waste is generated in the name of customs and rituals? While our Vedic texts have prescribed all the customs in a very ecofriendly and sustainable manner, over time we probably moved away from nature. Well, now it’s time for us to get back to roots and revamp our religious practices. Thankfully, I have observed that youth and especially school children today have started celebrating festivals in a very ecofriendly manner. From silent Diwali, to playing Holi with flowers they are doing everything for Mother Earth. This festive season let’s step closer to our real culture and celebrate for sustainable development.