Smt. Shobhana Radhakrishna and Mr. Ravi Chopra from the Centre for
Gandhian Vision and Values visited IIM Raipur campus on 20th Nov 2012.
Smt. Shobhana Radhakrishna enlightened the students about Mahatma
Gandhi’s ideology in the area of ethical leadership. She emphasized on the fact
that the Gandhian era has not ended and the Gandhian principles and values are
still relevant. As potential future leaders she advised the students not to
have pay-cheques as their only objective in life but to attach themselves to
higher ideals and work towards solving the problems of the society. Gandhiji
had immense expectations from the educated youth of the society. She
highlighted the fact that Gandhiji was a ‘practical
idealist’ who practiced what he preached. He personified the modern idea of
‘leadership by example’. Mistakes
committed by the leaders cost too high as they stand as a role model for the masses.
We should do our work
wholeheartedly to the minutest detail as each and every work is given by god.
Objectives should be small but measurable but goals should be certain. The
resources we use are not a gift from our forefathers but a loan from our future
generations. It is therefore our obligation to give it back 100 times of what
we use. She urged us to focus on increasing our efficiency. One should always
spend one’s time for useful purposes because time is the most valuable resource
in one’s life. She further mentioned the three principles that governed
Gandhi’s time management techniques: Be Quick, Be Brief and Be Gone. Efficiency
includes adherence to truth and avoidance of negligence. We must be able to
take charge when the need arises, Gandhi was reluctant in public speaking and
shy until he realized the purpose of his life. Similarly we should always live
upto the expectations of the situation when the time demands for it and realize
one’s purpose in life. Delegating tasks to the right people, dealing every
situation with wisdom, being punctual, sincere and prompt in every step will
help one achieve success. We all should identify the unique virtue in ourselves
which would be our inner strength to guide us through life. Smt. Radhakrishna
demonstrated how to spin thread with a ‘charkha’
and ‘takli’. The students travelled
back in time to the 1950’s and witnessed the state of our country back then,
compared to the present and it dawned upon them how Gandhian principles acted
as a transformational tool in the development of the country. The session made
the students realize how the efforts of a single individual can cause
gargantuan influence on the society.
