... and some achieve greatness


We admire some personalities and want to emulate their traits that make them stand out from rest of the crowd. They, as Aristotle once said, are what they repeatedly do and therefore excellence is not an act but a habit. Lionel Messi, one such great was not born with excellent ankle or magic in his feet but he practiced repeatedly to attain perfection and become what he is, an icon for today’s youth.
Greatness may come in many forms and shapes. During the childhood days I was constantly reminded how great a peer, cousins, a distant relative or someone who did extremely well in a board examination were because of their good grades. It was perplexing whether they were comparing me or inspiring me with the greatness of those young souls. The result sometimes was expending negative energy sulking rather than the much desired positivity to better their feat. All those drama aside, we genuinely felt gratitude for all the kindness and love our parents bestowed upon us.
Those memories could not refrain me from applying this great family tradition on my daughter albeit moderation. I am apprehensive but at the same time cautiously optimistic that my daughter will not turn around to inspire me, maybe to own a brand new Maserati or an approved equal, something way beyond my reach.
Not everyone gets intimidated by such enormity of their goals and on the contrary, they successfully reach out for the sky inking their name in the book of greatness. Growing up to young adults, we found our own inspiration around our everyday life awed by the strength of characters, wisdom and vision. If they did not live among us, they were in our books or other forms of our media. More often than not the inspiration was our parents, teachers, older siblings and most of the times unknowingly.
A casual chat with a few colleagues who never set their feet on the Indian shore made me realize that greatness knows no boundary. I was elated that like millions of Indians they too found inspiration in life and achievements of our national heroes from different spheres. Mahatma Gandhi a motivating mass leader, Swami Vivekananda a spiritual guru, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata an industrialist and Sachin Tendulkar a sporting legend are to name a few. We are fortunate to have studied their biography during the early school days. While all of these personalities have inspired me over the years, there has been one solid pillar of strength upon which balances the person I am today.
This personality not only inspired me and my siblings, but his greatness also shone on my cousins and others who came for his guidance or support. The lessons of life that we received from him will not end with us but continue through generations to come. He is none other than my own father whose wisdom, perseverance and strength of character has been exemplary and is undeniably a personality worthy of the tag #madeofgreat.
We were fortunate to be mentored by a personality who lead by example and never preached what he did not practice. Following are some of his traits that have become our life principles destined to forever:
  • He was the epitome of the opportunities that the world offers to the hardworking, honest, dedicated goal oriented and highly motivated individual even if not resourceful. Starting from a humble beginning in a remote place in the Indo-Bangladesh border he went to attain one of the top administrative positions of our state.
  • Being an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre, he enjoyed certain authority and privileges but always referred himself as the son of a school teacher rather than anything else and never let the humility erode or become diluted.
  • Never misused the power or position. He never used his office car for personal use even though it was accepted norm, everyone did so and moreover there was no one monitoring it. Since we did not own a car, we used public transport while the government Jeep stayed parked at home.
  • Following a strict routine and start the day early was his motto. If not unwell, never was a day when he slept late or missed his early morning walk. He also woke us up before he left as early morning was the best time for practice.
  • Respect for parents was not a matter of choice. Never did he leave home even once without telling his mother as long as she was alive. Only when you respect your parents we learnt others others will follow and when our grandmother was alive, guests met her before moving on to the hall.
  • We learnt there can be nothing more important than studies for a student. He so aptly advised there will be ample of time to watch television or for partying after successfully completing studies while the time for studies will not return.
  • He believed there is no harm to retain our basic needs to their basics. He didn’t fancied fancy clothes or desired exotic cuisine as long there was enough to serve the purpose they were meant for.
  • During the 1971 war, there was a large trench dug up in our courtyard for relatives, friends and neighbors to join our family members to shelter from shelling by enemy forces. He cared for others in distress as much as he did for his family.
Not everyone is a messiah or for that matter a Messi inspiring and connecting with millions. But strong men and women with clean heart has been visiting this planet every now and then. They touch others in subtle ways as they could and ensure that our world remains a happier place.

"Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them", William Shakespeare wrote in the Twelfth Night. Not everyone is born great or get lucky to be thrust with greatness but there is no stopping us from achieving greatness.We are blessed to be the children of one such human being and this is my tribute to him for the lessons he left us with for the entire life.


In this blog post on somebody I know who is undeniably #madeofgreat, I am connecting to http://madeofgreat.tatamotors.com/


Answer this simple question and stand a chance to win Amazon (India) voucher worth INR 750/-

What do you think of Tata Motor's association with Lionel Messi?



Comments

  1. Nice article. Keep Blogging. Lionel Messi is the world’s great player. He is idol of youth in the entire world so Tata Motors association with the Lionel messi will be great and will globally increase the brand value of the Tata Motors

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  2. Wow very good post. Lionel Messi too is a great player of Football and he is a star player, icon of the youth force. Hence this association of Tata Motors with Messi will lead to success for Tata in near future. Keep blogging.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Yes you are right. Simple and nice post

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  4. Tata Motors, born in 1945, 60,000 employee strength, $42 billion turnover, is a part of $100 billion Tata group found by Jamsetji Tata in 1868. Tata Motors motto of sustainability and the spirit of 'giving back to society' is a core philosophy.

    Lionel Messi, born in 1987, was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency as a child but did not take it as a disadvantage but made it his advantage. With his relatively short height, Messi enjoys a lower center of gravity compared to the tall players and with this he changes directions quickly, dribble at speed and thus score at will. Tata Motors with Nano on one end of the price spectrum and JLR on the end of spectrum, has a similar ability of agility in product segmentation, and thus scoring at will.

    Both Tata Motor and Lionel Messi have philanthropy as their common DNA. While everyone in India knows about the generosity of the Tata group not many are aware of the generous side of Messi who has contributed time and finance for UNICEF and also has founded the Leo Messi Foundation, which supports access to health care, education, and sport for children.

    Both Lionel Messi and Tata Motors are honest in their approach and neither Lionel Messi will start biting nor will Tata Motors manipulate emission norms for a few more goals or a little more profit.

    So, my opinion the coming together of the two is greatness attracts greatness to achieve greater success, and make the world a much better place.

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  5. Your father so reminded me of mine, a man with strong principles. I've seen from close quarters how difficult it is for such people to fight with the whole world.
    As far as Tata and Messi are concerned, I just have one thing to say, when Durability meets Excellence, the only way is ‘Forward’!

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  6. Dads are the ones who set the rules usually, it was my mother who taught me right from wrong as a child. dad was my ally and though I am grateful to my mother for her guidance, I can never be as fon of her as I am of my dad. He silently told me that whatever i did, its ok, whether I fall or fail, its ok and I think that is very important for growth. In my house now, the dad sets the rules and insists that they are followed to the T and the kids and i break those rules with gusto. time will tel what was effective, maybe both :)

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  7. Indeed a nicely written post. I wish you good luck for the contest
    Here is my answer
    The association of Tata Motors with Lionel Messi is that of two greats. Lionel Messi has been exceptionally talented who with his hard work, determination and sacrifices has got better and tougher in his chosen sport so is the Image, reputation and quality of TATA Motors that have transformed brilliant ideas into masterpieces of engineering and created a brand and products that we are so proud of as Indians. Lionel Messi has transformed his body and the mind body co-ordination into a masterpiece of precision and excellence it would not be wrong to say that Lionel Messi is the TATA Motors of sports where as TATA Motors is the Lionel Messi of vehicles both giants in their own spheres driven by the drive to excel and lead by example. So Lionel Messi is the best choice for becoming the brand Ambassador for TATA Motors
    aaloke19@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your post defines #madeofgreat to the hilt. Goodluck for the contest
    My answer is:
    Authenticity, reliability, simplicity, as well as its commitment to innovation are the pillars of strength on which TATA have built a brand that has put India on the global map. It is a brand that has stood the test of time just like Lionel Messi who tackles opposition on the field with his skill,agility,strategy,brilliance and raw power to reach and score a goal so has been the track record of TATA motors who has become a brand leader and a global giant. These qualities make TATA Motors and Lionel Messi perfect partners who stand for the same set of values thus Lionel Messi is the perfect brand ambassador to represent TATA Motors.
    Hope my best to be a winner here; do contact me for the prize at mahima2014j@gmail.com
    fingers crossed

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your post describes #madeofgreat so well that it has winner written all over it. Good luck for your entry.
    Here is my answer.
    Like minds think and act alike looking at the track record of TATA Motors it has stood the test of time and built a business that was built using bricks of hard work on a foundation of trust. Authenticity, reliability, simplicity, as well as its commitment to innovation are the trademarks of brand TATA Motors. These same qualities are present in Lionel Messi who with his immense talent has made a mark for himself on the international football field .Facing all hardships he has worked hard toiling on the fields and in training sessions facing injuries and pressure to come out trumps and be a winner. Thus these two greats Lionel Messi and TATA Motors are made for each other .There association is a bond of two legends
    In case you pick me a winner my email id is : princess09hema@gmail.com
    Fingers crossed :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks everyone for your comments.
    Its unfortunate that I could submit only one name to IB. Actually all are are winners
    Warm Regards and good luck to all.

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  11. Yours is a very well written post your .Its is a very nice description of #madeofgreat
    TATA Motors is a brand associated with performance, endurance and excellence. These words are also synonymous with Lionel Messi who plays as a forward and weaves his magic on the football field.Just as Lionel Messi is considered the best footballer in the world ,TATA motors which is Indias premier automotive manufacturer gives wheels to the people of India with its wide range of vehicles. Both believe in excelling in whatever they do and set examples for others to follow. They compliment each other as both are reliable trustworthy and leaders thus Lionel Messi is the natural choice as the brand ambassador of TATA Motors
    yagneshbjoshi10099@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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