Personal Development

Shadow of the Chair, Not your Height

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Illusion of Political Power

There is haunting universal code embedded in DNA of Indian power which always plays out same way on election night when leaders lose or transition power to another person. One day you see leader like Siddaramaiah walking echoing massive corridors of Vidhana Soudha entirely alone without single bureaucrat or sycophant giving second look. You watch Mamata Banerjee, once undisputed queen of Bengal street politics, visiting lanes of Kalighat only to pass by crowd that suddenly looks right through her unacknowledged. You see it when mighty engines of state machinery grind to halt around leaders like Stalin or Kejriwal. Harsh reality of power is that room is packed only as long as you hold pen that signs orders. Moment designation is gone durbar vanishes overnight. You go from crowded room to quiet hallway in heartbeat because nothing is permanent, least of all power. Crowd never belonged to person, it belonged entirely to chair.

Nothing is permanent, least of all power.

Corporate Echo

Nowhere does this truth resonate more brutally than in mirrored glass towers of corporate India. Air in corner office of Zenith India Corp always smelled of expensive sandalwood and fresh pressed ambition. For over decade Raghavendra Raghu Rao was sun around which entire company orbited. When Raghu walked corridors of corporate headquarters in Mumbai it was less stroll and more royal procession. VPs would suddenly find urgent reasons to step into hallway just to catch his eye. Executive assistants held elevators. Cafeteria would go quiet if he decided to grace it and his LinkedIn posts racked up hundreds of insightful and inspiring comments within minutes. Raghu did not just hold power, he was intoxicated by it. He genuinely believed deferential smiles and late night WhatsApp messages wishing him happy weekend chief were testament to his personal brilliance.

Change of Guard

Then came restructuring. New York based private equity firm bought controlling stake and just like that Raghu was handed golden parachute and polite exit. His last day was Friday. Transition was not slow fade, it was cliff. On Monday Raghu realized he had forgotten personal hard drive in his old cabin. He decided to drop by figuring he would say few proper goodbyes anyway. As he walked through glass doors of Zenith Corp security guard, man Raghu had personally helped with medical advance year ago, nodded mechanically treating him like any other visitor, asking him to sign register and issuing visitor badge. Raghu swallowed hard, realising he was just visitor.

Corridor of Ghosts

Walking down main corridor felt like stepping into alternate reality. He saw Vikram, his former deputy who just three days ago would laugh uproariously at weakest jokes. Vikram was rushing toward conference room with iPad in hand, looked up for split second then looked right through him adjusting tie and picking up pace without stopping or asking how he was holding up. Further down group of management trainees he had personally mentored were chatting by water cooler. As Raghu approached conversation did not stop and they did not part like Red Sea to let him through, forcing him to awkwardly step aside to avoid bumping into them. It was eerie corporate echo of raw political visuals seen on television like former Chief Minister walking massive echoing corridors of Vidhana Soudha entirely alone after election defeat without single bureaucrat giving second look, or Mamata Banerjee or Kejriwal experiencing sudden icy shift when political winds turn and durbar vanishes overnight. Raghu was walking his own quiet hallway. Packed rooms, frantic nods, desperate attempts to catch his eye were all gone. Crowd did not belong to Raghu, it belonged to chair.

Lesson of the Chair

Sitting across from Raghu at nearby South Indian café hour later his old mentor, old school HR veteran named Anand, sipped filter coffee and smiled gently after Raghu poured his heart out bitter and shaken by how quickly he had become non entity. Anand set brass tumbler down and told Raghu he made classic mistake of confusing shadow of chair for his own height. In corporate world as in politics power is leased property. Day lease expires keys are handed over and crowd moves to new tenant. If people respect you only because of designation on business card that respect has expiry date. Anand tapped his chest explaining it is always better to be loved for person you are not chair you occupy. If you build relationships on empathy, genuine mentorship, and character that stays with you when you walk out door. Chair gives authority but only humanity gives legacy. Raghu looked out window at bustling Mumbai traffic. Sting of corridor was still there but clarity was therapeutic. It was brutal lesson that would hold him in good stead for rest of his life. He was no longer corporate deity but for first time in ten years he was entirely himself.

Lasting Personal Legacy

That brutal truth of corporate world and political arenas of Vidhana Soudha or Kalighat is why I have always held specific memory close to my heart. It serves as my North Star reminding me of what truly matters when noise of titles and designations fades away. It happened on September 11 2016 which happened to be my birthday when my team at NEC had organized celebration. Late Dr Reguraj stood up to speak, looked at room then looked at me and delivered what remains greatest compliment I have ever received in my life. He said here is one person who does not get his value due to his chair, he brings value to chair he sits on, Principal loved by everyone from student to faculty to supporting staff.

Hearing those words from man of his stature on my birthday was defining moment. It crystallized very lesson that has held me in good stead throughout my career to never let title define your worth. Dictating terms from position of authority is easy but earning genuine love, respect, and loyalty from every tier of organization solely because of who you are as human being is only real achievement.

Chairs are reallocated and titles are stripped but value you carry within yourself and impact you leave on people around you can never be taken away.

The Harvest Thief

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The afternoon sun filtered through massive gulmohar trees outside Indiranagar office of Pragati Foundation, Bengaluru NGO dedicated to urban lake restoration. Inside, air conditioning hummed, but atmosphere in conference room was freezing. Ananya, Senior Program Director, sat quietly staring at official press release on her laptop. Beside her sat Raghav, veteran project manager who had spent fifteen years building grassroots network. Raghav’s hands were calloused from actual field work, his eyes wise and patient.

A title gives you power, but integrity gives you authority

Headline read that Pragati Foundation secured ten crore endowment from Titan Group as CEO Vikram Hegde announced major lake revitalization drive. There was no mention of Raghav. There was no mention of Ananya. Worse still, Raghav had not received courtesy email acknowledging that funds, which he spent eighteen months securing, had finally landed in foundation account. Vikram bypassed everyone, signed receipt in private, and headed straight to PR agency.

Architecture of Trust

Story had not started in boardroom. It started year prior, knee deep in slush of encroaching lake bed in North Bengaluru. Nikhil Kamath, low profile tech billionaire and philanthropist, wanted to fund massive environmental project. He was skeptical of big name CEOs and glossy PowerPoint presentations. He wanted real impact.

Vikram, suave, and premier institute edcuated CEO of Pragati, tried to pitch to Nikhil twice. Both times corporate jargon and glossy brochures fell flat. Nikhil did not want to hear about synergistic scalable paradigms. He wanted to know why local sewage treatment plant was failing.

Enter Raghav.

Recognizing Raghav’s unmatched field expertise, Ananya bypassed Vikram’s rigid hierarchy and brought Raghav to third meeting. Raghav did not use slides. He brought map drawn by local school children, water quality reports he paid for out of pocket, and raw, infectious passion for soil. For six months Raghav nurtured relationship. He took Nikhil to lake sites at six in morning. He introduced him to local fisherman communities. Raghav was visionary who moved Nikhil’s heart.

Financial Sabotage

Just as Nikhil agreed to funding, over smartness almost destroyed project. Board had recently appointed Sunil as Director-Finance. Sunil lacked actual merit, having been failed accountant in his earlier professional life. He secured job solely because of his close proximity to foundation board members. Imbued with unearned authority, Sunil operated under delusion that everyone else in room was stupid.

At final meeting where corporate cheque was signed and ready to be handed over, Sunil decided to stamp his presence. Ignoring Raghav’s meticulously structured operational framework, Sunil made overconfident assertion regarding reallocation of administrative overheads, shifting funds away from actual lake desilting to cover corporate expenses. This arrogant, tone-deaf intervention insulted Nikhil’s philanthropy and completely violated mutual understanding. Disgusted by greed and apparent incompetence of top leadership, Nikhil stalled signing process. Sunil’s overconfident assertion put project off by solid eight months and almost jeopardised entire initiative.

Thankfully, keeping interest of organisation, which in Raghav’s thinking, was beyond a couple of individuals who were newbies and this job being just a livelihood for them, decided to step in. He spent next few months working in private, scheduling quiet meetings with Nikhil without knowledge of both Vikram and Sunil’s team. Raghav patiently rebuilt trust, clarified actual deployment of funds, and won philanthropist over again through sheer transparency.

Hijack

When Nikhil finally released ten crore endowment after eight-month delay, he sent personal text to Raghav stating seed capital was his and they should save lakes. But formal corporate check had to go through CEO and finance desk. Moment funds cleared, Vikram’s insecurity kicked into overdrive. Realizing he and Sunil played no part in winning biggest donation in NGO history, CEO took control of narrative. He barred Raghav from meetings, signed official receipt without thank you note to senior team, and took podium.

Insecure leader steals spotlight because they cannot build their own stage.

Confrontation

In quiet of empty conference room, Ananya looked at Raghav with suppressed anger, calling situation unacceptable because Vikram lacked courtesy to inform him that money came in. She noted Raghav sowed seeds while Vikram stood at podium taking harvest.

Donors never donate to Receipt Signer

Raghav smiled gently, pouring cup of filter coffee. He calmly told Ananya that donor gives to visionary who moved their heart, not boss who signed receipt. He noted Vikram can hijack applause, but cannot inherit relationship. When she insisted it was his credit, Raghav replied that Vikram could take credit if it fed his ego. He explained legitimacy is earned in trenches of trust, not stolen at podium. Impact belongs to cause, loyalty belongs to team, and insecurity belongs entirely to leader.

Unseen Shift

Two weeks later Pragati Foundation hosted grand gala to celebrate funding. Vikram stood on stage basking in flashbulbs, delivering speech about his vision, while Sunil sat in front row preening before board members. Nikhil arrived late. He politely navigated past Vikram’s outstretched hand and enthusiastic greeting, scanning room instead. He completely ignored Sunil, who attempted to wave. When Nikhil spotted Raghav standing near back exit in simple linen kurta joking with field supervisors, billionaire walked straight past VIP seating. He threw arm around Raghav’s shoulder.

Nikhil spoke loudly enough for front rows to hear, telling Raghav he was buying two more earthmovers for Hebbal site and trusted only his team to deploy them. He asked when they would do morning inspection. Vikram stood at podium, mic in hand, suddenly looking incredibly small, while Sunil shrank into his seat.

Title gives power, but integrity gives authority. By trying to steal subordinate’s harvest, Vikram proved to entire room that he did not know how to sow his own seeds.

Embracing the Chaos, Celebrating the Sangha – Sabarimala Pilgrimage

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Planning of a Sabarimala pilgrimage is never just about logistics, it is a spiritual exercise in surrender, flexibility, and collective faith. Over the years, our Sangha has witnessed an almost perfect adherence to schedules, but this year, the divine rewrite of our itinerary reminded us that the Bhagwan plans better than we do.

Calm after Chaos

Dance of the Dates

Initial blueprint set the Irumudi Kettu for June 15th (the 1st of Mithuna Maasa) and Darshana for June 16th. A simple request for office leaves sparked the first shift, advancing the dates by a day. Then, eyeing the calendar, wisdom prevailed. June 13th was a weekend. To lock down a foolproof buffer against unforeseen transit delays, Irumudi was advanced once more to June 13th noon. Crafting this point-to-point milestone plan was a puzzle of shifting pieces, but executing it with a seasoned team turned a complex scheduling challenge into a deeply satisfying milestone.

Economy of Grace

A pilgrimage for a large group requires meticulous financial and material coordination. Securing transport and budgeting every expense became a collaborative triumph. Arun stepped up first, securing three distinct quotes to anchor our options. Then, Deepika’s father stepped in with a masterstroke, landing us the absolute best deal that included seamless pickup and drop right from our Irumudi venue. When the final budget was presented to the team, concurrence was instantaneous. In our Sangha, financial alignment has never been an issue; it is always handled with complete transparency and trust and concurred without any questions.

Anchor of Rituals

Before the journey to the hills begins, the heart must be prepared. Our annual Deeparadhane and Padi Pooja serve as that spiritual anchor, traditionally held a week before departure. Scheduled for June 7th, the budgeting and collective contributions for the event fell into place seamlessly. This year, the sacred rituals are being hosted by the gracious Shanbhag family, ensuring our traditions continue in an atmosphere of warmth and devotion.

Digital Ascent: Sannidhanam and Virtual Qs

If the physical climb requires stamina, the digital booking phase required absolute nerves of steel. Accommodating a contingent of 43 pilgrims at the Sannidhanam was a monumental task. The rules were strict: 10 rooms needed, but only one room allowed per account. The moment the booking window opened, madness ensued. Multiple accounts logging in simultaneously, buffering screens, and racing against time. Yet, against all odds, every single room was secured. The collective sigh of relief was palpable.

But the real test of endurance lay in the Virtual Q coupons. Because the temple opens its doors on the evening of June 14th, the window for Darshana is tight, making the available slots incredibly scarce. What followed was a whirlwind of coordination on our messaging groups. We scrambled to gather every pilgrim’s vital details, Names, Mobile Numbers, Dates of Birth, Government IDs, Addresses, and Photographs, to register everyone on the official portal. Fact that about 30 of them are regular helped the matter a bit, since all are provenly registered and it was just a case of perfect data entry to finish the job. The portal opened at 6:00 PM, plunging us into absolute chaos. While the bulk of the registrations were pushed through within the first hour, a few stubborn profiles pushed the battle late into the night. It wasn’t until 1:00 AM that the final confirmation flashed across the screen, bringing a triumphant end to a gruelling digital trek.

Method in the Madness

They say all’s well that ends well, but the narrative is far from over. Up next is the Deeparadhana this weekend, and Irumudi the next, and the weather forecasts are already predicting rains. Instead of anxiety, there is anticipation. Over the years, we have come to realize that a Sabarimala pilgrimage is never truly complete without an element of unpredictability. We have learned to embrace the storm. With His ultimate grace, what looks like chaos from the outside always transforms into a beautiful method in the madness, leaving us with nothing but absolute calm at the center of the storm.

Sweat and Joy of Irumudi Prep

As the departure date draws near, a whole new flurry of physical activities takes over. Procuring the Samagris (sacred offerings) is a massive coordination effort, ensuring everything is ready both for and at the venue. Then comes the intense preparation of the items, most notably, the dehusking of around 160 sacred coconuts. While we are fortunate to have a mechanized solution today to help with the heavy lifting, it still demands a huge physical effort. Yet, this labor of love is transformed entirely by the Sangha, folks join in with their own unique contributions of fun, laughter, and banter, turning hard work into a joyous, communal celebration of devotion.

Gratitude to Sangha

What makes this upcoming milestone, my 67th Pilgrimage, possible year after year is not just personal resolve, but the incredible strength of our Sangha. It is a fellowship so vibrant and deeply supportive that it transforms a rigorous spiritual journey into an experience of pure joy, drawing me back to the holy hills time and time again. I remain profoundly indebted to the unique individuals who form the backbone of this journey – Arun and Nagesh, who served as true pillars of support during the critical initial planning phases and throughout the pilgrimage, Santhosh Shanbhag and his energetic gang; and dedicated contingents from the NEC and AOL gangs. Sharing this sacred path with Prathibha, my classmate since our very nursery school days, and her wonderful family adds a layer of lifelong connection to the trek. Each group and individual brings a distinct, irreplaceable flavor to this collective devotion, proving that while the destination is divine, it is the Sangha that makes the journey eternal.

A Tribute to Pujya Gurudev

At the very heart of this 67th Pilgrimage lies the divine grace of my Master, Pujya Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. It is His boundless blessing that infuses every single climb with the exact same unbridled enthusiasm, purity, and wonder I felt decades ago as a wide-eyed Kanni Swami. In the face of logistics, shifting dates, and digital storms, Gurudev’s teachings are the compass that guides us, showing us how to seamlessly create magic out of madness in any situation. Under His spiritual umbrella, what begins as a test of human endurance transforms beautifully into an effortless flow of divine energy, proving time and again that with His grace, we can navigate any chaos with a smile.

🙏Swami Sharanam🙏