After all Entrepreneurship is all about being cool and happening!

According to the Business Dictionary “Entrepreneurship is the capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business venture along with any of its risks in order to make a profit. The most obvious example of entrepreneurship is the starting of new businesses. In economics, entrepreneurship combined with land, labor  natural resources and capital can produce profit. Entrepreneurial spirit is characterized by innovation and risk-taking, and is an essential part of a nation’s ability to succeed in an ever changing and increasingly competitive global market.”

Entrepreneurs are generally considered to the people who possess super powers and thus outshine the mediocre, which is a clear myth. There are no special qualities to be an Entrepreneur, it is all about taking a step back, looking within and thus discovering the Entrepreneurship qualities that have already been packed into all the humans by the omnipresent. At this moment there are a number of people who want to see themselves as successful entrepreneurs in a while but the fact is that very few of these actually survive till the end. The whole journey of becoming an entrepreneur isn't about aiming to become a successful entrepreneur but it is about the desire to become an entrepreneur and staying true to the goal in all possible circumstances.

Talking about the business venture, there are a number of books and audio programs available in the market which talk about the basic requirements for a person to set off on one of these ventures. People generally believe that without the basic prescribed means it is impossible to become an entrepreneur; they invest a lot of energy in getting all the told prerequisites and moving towards the flagged starting point. In my opinion or rather in accordance with the statistical data available after analyzing a number of existing entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerburg there is practically no need to spend time in acquiring all the means externally; rather one should assess what one already possesses and evaluate the potential of the available means. The basic means that are practically essential are the ones he already has: his identity, his desire to become an entrepreneur and existing contacts. There is seriously no need to move towards the flagged start point because there actually doesn't exist one and even if it appears to be one, believe me it is just that lethargic part of your brain trying to delay things. In fact the point at which you are totally aware of all that you have and take a decision to jump into the suit of an entrepreneur is your starting point; wait don’t get me wrong when I talk about the suit of an entrepreneur, what I mean is when you turn yourself into an Entrepreneur even your very own normal suit transforms into that of an entrepreneur’s.

Now once again, there is a certain philosophy that talks about life to be full of high and low tides and if one wants to make a progressive beginning he should wait for the right tide and only then make a start. I am neither going to criticize this statement nor going to support it whole heatedly  I would just say that jumping into a storm is no doubt a fatal idea; but at the same time waiting for the right current is also a feeble idea; the right level of tide may never appear as the person who starts assessing the wave pattern will find faults in all of them and when he does realize

 that the former was a better one it actually turns out to be too late. A person who wants to thus sail his ship of entrepreneurship must set his sail right away without giving things much of thoughts.

Various people talk about making a plan and then working in accordance with it, which would require a number of things to be acquired externally. It’s like reading a particular recipe, buying all the ingredients and then moving ahead to make the pie. When a person makes a stand to become an entrepreneur it is important for him like I’ve mentioned before to begin with what all he already has. So this would appear to be like making a note of all the ingredients one has and then deciding the recipe accordingly, deciding what could be prepared from the available means and finally coming up with a delicious dish. Now this shouldn’t be misunderstood to be shooting an arrow in the dark because here drafting the plan is not the first step but it is the second step after knowing the available means. Let me elaborate on this particular point, I’m talking about channelizing the existing means into a right direction after knowing the potential of the existing means and thus drafting out a short term plan with a long term vision to get the best possible outcome. A long term vision is the one which involves visualizing a possibility that is way more desired than the present scenario; also vision is the power to bring this particular visualization to reality by consistency and commitment in one’s work. The plan that I’ve stated is a short term one because the external atmosphere changes at such an oscillating rate that sticking to one long term plan is something only a fool would do. Thus the right idea is to like I’ve said before to have a futuristic vision; and have short term plans which should be revised, modified or even completely changed in accordance with the changing circumstances.

Let me sight the example of Richard Branson, the founder of virgin airlines. Neither did he have any set goals nor an action plan to act upon; all he did was that he began with all the means he already had and managed to find Virgin Records and Virgin Airlines before Virgin Galatic. He is the one who has initiated commercial space travel in spite of the fact that he was dyslectic as a child. Once again this might appear to be contradictory to the statement which states that an entrepreneur is the one who has a mission in life and also possesses a powerful vision to foresee the future. But let me clear it out, having a mission in life is a very broad term and hence has a broad spectrum too. A person with a life mission holds that particular mission close to his heart and moves ahead keeping it in his mind. No matter what kinds of situations arise he always acts in accordance with his mission and lives up to it. Moving over to vision, foreseeing the future is something no man can ever do in the world of business, it can only be roughly estimated via certain statistical calculations. A true entrepreneur is the one who keeps his eyes open and has a vision that keeps him moving forward no matter what.

People often say that just because a person came up with a unique idea he has become successful and it was a rare hunch; once again a myth; the fact is that a number of people get various ideas and only a few of them are actually able to execute them into a successful business venture. Also, we many a time come across entrepreneurs who take up a very common business idea and turn it into a more successful business  venture than the others This sum up to basically two options when it comes to ideas, either one must begin with a unique idea so that he automatically stands out or present a very common idea in such a way that you succeed to get a good business. Creator of Apple inc Steve Jobs should be held as an ideal when it comes to business ideas.

One of the teachings given by your granny: you were told that you mustn’t aim to be better than the others or compete with others but you must constantly try to be better than what you were before and hence compete with thyself, she told us that one mustn’t compete with the others and only work towards enhancing ones very own potential to achieve success. This is actually a very idealistic way but In the world of entrepreneurship it is important to introspect oneself and to move ahead towards a progressive self being and at the same time keep an eye on the market and make sure that you don’t lack in any of the aspects when compared with the others. Do you not wonder why Nokia was not able to sustain his business in the present scenario when and earlier 60% of the world mobile business was under them.

The most important thing for any Entrepreneur seems to make a big hit; that is to get maximum profit; but this aim will only make him paralysed and prevent him from taking any decision at all; instead the initial venture should be such that the Entrepreneur should aim at making affordable losses. Only when one decides the amount of loss that is affordable for him he gets the courage to make giant leaps and this ultimately takes him towards his progress.

Darwin´s law of “Survival of the fittest” is closely applicable in the world of Entrepreneurs, one has to make an effort to stand strong come what may. Entrepreneur should be a committed person, he must take complete responsibility of all the decisions that he takes even if the outcome turns out to be not a desired one. He should have the heart to commit his mistakes and also go all the way to set things right. On a broader perspective a number of resources, human lives, employees, technology, R&D team, inter dependent service provider, government revenues are all inter dependent. He should have the power to take full charge of all the situations good or bad,he just cannot be a quitter or a runaway kid, he has to be prepared to face all the ups and downs that arise and also have the courage to face the challenges that appear. After all there isn’t any success story without an interesting set of ups and downs.

On a broader perspective a nation’s strength very much depends upon the quality of the entrepreneurs it possesses, it depends upon how inherent entrepreneurs are doing. He himself is a wealth creator and provides services, products that may be tangible or intangible. When an Entrepreneur rises up he creates an opportunity for a number of others to join him in his venture; the direct terminology would be that he is an employment creator. Thus apart from a commitment that he holds to himself he also owes to the ones who work along with him. In a country like India Entrepreneurship should be highly encouraged as it ultimately leads to the development of our nation. Though the Indian mindset is such that anything apart from being a Doctor or an Engineer is a crime it is time that the youth works towards changing this so that the people develop a broader vision. On a lighter note Varun Agarwal, Writer of “How I braved Anu Aunty and others” and the founder of ”Alma Mater”, one of the youngest Entrepreneurs constantly highlights the pointless opposition by the Indian parents against anything that is different, no doubt he does have to face terrible consequences for sharing his views so openly. Anyways, India needs youngsters to make a stand and give all that they can to this developing nation.

Walking with the flow is something that everyone does but there are very few who actually take a stand and turn about to walk along the direction of their inner voice which often takes them in a direction opposite to that of the flow. Moving against the stream is no doubt a tough job and the person who does it has to have the courage. It is pretty obvious that the person will get chocked up by the gushing of the flow but only the one who is able to fight this resistance will ultimately be able to stay firm to his will is the one who survives ultimately. Thus, Entrepreneurship is all about the ability to take a stand and rise up to move about in accordance with what your heart has to say. After all, Entrepreneurship is all about being cool and happening in life. 

There are no real life fairies!

The fairy comes when the troubled state reaches its brim, and saves the souls from the misfortune. She fights the witch and chases away into the dark hollow from where no person ever made a came back. This is the plot of the story we all hear during our childhood; not only that but also watch such scenes on the TV. We start believing that someone like this goddess fairy is always there to watch over us; we start to believe into that magical power which no matter what will always protect us from all the atrocities, and take us away far into  a land where no one could ever do us any harm. We all look for a hero to take all the trouble away from us; a hero who would have a back no matter what; a hero who has the power to change the minds of the ones troubling us and make them stop treating us the way they are; a hero who will understand us and help us no matter what.

We humans live an extremely protected life right from childhood; we are protected by our parents no matter what. This is contradictory to what the animals generally do to their offspring;  animals put their newly born to the ‘survival of the fittest test’ as soon as they are born and accept them into the herd or, accept them to be their own baby only if they seem to be fit enough, no handicap or un-fit animal is acceptable to them.  I don’t generally watch Animal Planet but one fine day I happened to watch that channel and the program about the birth was on. I saw a pregnant giraffe deliver her baby which fell from say a height of seven feet from birth on to the ground. It could not move for a while and the mother giraffe without even helping it, started walking away. The baby struggled to its feet and fell down the next second; it tried to straighten its legs but failed; it tried frantically for a number of times and finally when it did manage to walk straight only then did the mother lick him and displayed affection towards him.

Now here comes the thought that the animals have to keep only the fit ones with them otherwise one weak member in the herd will eventually put the entire community to grave danger. It is totally practical for animals to look for the fit ones only as they are the ones who will survive and looking after the weak or the unfit ones will turn out to be a total waste of time. Animals who wander all over; who survive only if they work for it and at the end of the day have to take care of themselves, are not wrong in any way if they chose a way of life so rigorous in its god damn approach. Humans on the other hand are said to be the smartest animals on the planet; they can perceive, interpret, feel and use their potential for purposes apart from serving themselves. Human babies are protected right from the moment they are born. It isn’t restricted to the rich or the wealthy families to look lovingly after the new born but even a beggar on the street clings her baby to her chest while she begs for both their survival. A human child is taken care of not only by the parents but also the grandparents, siblings, cousins, neighbours so on and so forth voluntarily come forward for the ‘Baby protection program’. Apart from the babies, small kids and teenagers are protected by all and are helped much before they even ask for it. This is a very friendly gesture and it expresses the intensity with which human beings desire to shade the similar little ones.

In relation to how I began talking about the hero who seems to be the only hope and the way humans are sheltered throughout somewhere the question comes to me that is it this over protection that makes humans so feeble when it comes to difficult situations. Do we look into the night sky and wait for the appearance of the magnificent ‘lord of all times’ on the white chariot driven by fierce mane horses because we have always had someone to take care of things for us when everything seemed to be totally out of place.  I have no intention to rubbish the whole approach of humans raising their small kids because even I like everyone else was raised with utmost love and protection.

What really bothers me is that why the hell do we have to wait blankly for someone else to fix things for us when in practicality we do know that no one could possibly make things straight the way we could do ourselves.  I am not against looking for a ray of hope and waiting for things to get better in that dark hour when survival seems to be difficult. Every possible inspirational or spiritual book or guide does speak of getting up and doing things for ourselves and not waiting for the magical happening by some person whose sole objective is to help you.

Trust me there is no freaking person in this world who has all the time in the world to do nothing but come and set things for you or get you out of trouble you have caused to yourself. There are people who will help you, who will have a shoulder when you need it, guide you when you wonder in to the maze of the unforeseen; but there is no such person who will give you a hand every time you manage to fall into that ditch, give you a hand tell you smilingly to call him the next time you find yourself to be in a soup.

I suppose the whole idea of what I really want to convey is that for one I am still in a delusion about why does everyone out here have to be so stupidly dependent on that special power that just wont come as it is only a sculpture of one’s imagination and day dreaming. The second thing to have a reality check and stop waiting for the mystic power, get up, gear up and do the needful ON YOUR OWN!!!

Why did the Britishers 'actually' leave India

When BP Chakravarti was acting as Governor of West Bengal, Lord Attlee visited India and stayed as his guest for three days at the Raj Bhavan. Chakravarti asked Attlee about the real grounds for granting Independence to India . Specifically, his question was, when the Quit India movement lay in ruins years before 1947, what was the need for the British to leave in such a hurry. Attlee’s response is most illuminating and important for history. Here is the Governor’s account of what Attlee told him:

 

“In reply, Attlee cited several reasons, the most important were the activities of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose which weakened the very foundation of the attachment of the Indian land and naval forces to the British Government. Towards the end, I asked Lord Attlee about the extent to which the British decision to quit India was influenced by Gandhi’s activities. On hearing this question Attlee’s lips widened in a smile of disdain and he uttered, slowly, putting emphasis on each single letter mi-ni-mal.”

 

This ‘unimpeachable’ truth will come as a shock to most Indians brought up to believe that the Congress movement driven by the ’spiritual force’ of Mahatma Gandhi forced the British to leave India.

 

But both the evidence and the logic of history are against this beautiful but childish fantasy; it was the fear of mutiny by the Indian armed forces - and not any ‘spiritual force’- that forced the issue of freedom. The British saw that the sooner they left India the better for themselves, for, at the end of the war, India had some three million men under arms. Majumdar had reached the same conclusion years earlier, as far back as 1948 as he records. The most dramatic event after the end of World War II was the INA Trials at the Red Fort — not any movement by Gandhi or Nehru. This led directly to the mutiny of the naval ratings, which, more than anything, helped the British make up their minds to leave India in a hurry. They sensed that it was only a matter of time before the spirit spread to other sections of the armed forces and the rest of the Government. None of this would have happened without Subhas Bose and the INA.

 

The crucial point to note is that thanks to Subhas Bose’s activities and the INA, the Armed Forces began to see themselves as defenders of India rather than upholders of the British Empire. This, more than anything else, was what led to India’s freedom. This is also the reason why the British Empire disappeared from the face of the earth within an astonishingly short space of twenty years. Indian soldiers, who were the main prop of the Empire, were no longer willing to fight to hold the Empire together.

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Do not serve the poor!

Serve the poor!

Help the needy!

Assist the unfortunate!

...these are the few things we grow up listening. For me these 'quotations' were(attempted) imbibed much deeply because of my great parents. I hail from a family where helping the needy & serving others is the motto of life. Since childhood my parents have always taken me on donation trips to small villages or to the local slums. Sometimes it would be old clothes, sometimes old books and at times it would be huge budget. For example, few years back my parents raised funds with collaboration with few trusts and donated washing machines to the leprosy patients accommodation in my native place.

In these trips I would always observe them like a third person and act as if I didn't exist there. Seeing me my mom would ask me to participate & I had to, I bet no living thing in this world has the courtesy to disobey my mom. 

Anyways, I guess I've kind of portrayed myself to be a very stubborn and selfish girl. But let me explain myself now. What I really feel is that all of us are born on this Earth for a purpose. Being blessed with the life of Human Being is the greatest thing that could have ever happened. We all should work to earn our bread and butter. According to me depending on others for survival is equivalent to living a life of a parasite. 

I see so many people from villages or slums doing nothing & merely waiting for the government to give them Ration. They do nothing but get drunk & beat up their wives. I remember visiting my Nani's Hometown, Vhadhona, close to Amravati. I happened to ask I rickshaw driver to give me a ride, which was long enough to fetch him a descent sum. But he bluntly refused and once again engrossed himself into his game of cards.I'm sure that even Viswanathan Anand doesn't concentrate on his game as much as this rickshaw driver did. Seeing me like that a passing bullock cart driver volunteered to drop me to my destination, the farm. I merrily hoped in and enjoyed that topsy turvy ride  In the farm my Mama told me that they didn't have many workers. I was always under the impression that India suffered from the disease of unemployment, seems like the rural scenario is completely opposite.How on earth is our Country going to progress if the interiors are dump with this sluggish attitude? 

Now coming back to my parents, let me talk about the case where they donated blankets to people sleeping on the roads in winters. After two weeks, my dad visited the same place to find so3/4 of the people sleeping without their blankets.Not because the mice had eaten them up but because they had sold them to treat themselves with a hefty dose of liquor.

I do agree that there are people who really need help and life is miserable for them. But the kind of help we or our government provides should be thoughtful. According to me it is wiser to go and teach a person some sort of craftsmanship or vocational training. So that he can earn enough to afford himself a blanket rather than just taking it from someone & acting like a pest . We should volunteer to work with NGOs to teach these people and help them build up a future rather than just tossing off a bundle of notes as a donation & inviting some more poverty.