Legacy: Letters from eminent parents to their daughters by Menon, Sudha (books suggested by bill gates txt) 📗

When you realized I was coming, you told me how you were used to going for your exams alone for so many years. It hurt me to hear you say that, but I also think in some ways, having a working mother made you much more independent from a very young age itself. You not only became independent, but also stepped into the nurturer’s role for your younger brother and never let him miss my presence. As you grew up, I learnt to have trust and faith in you and you have now grown into a wonderful, independent woman. I now use the same principle at work to make our growing population of younger talent take on larger responsibilities. I believe in fate, but I also believe that hard work and diligence plays a very important role in our lives. I would not leave everything to destiny. In fact, I believe that in a larger sense we all write our own destiny. Take your destiny in your hands, dream of what you want to achieve, and write it in your own way. As you go ahead in life, I want you to climb the path to success one step at a time. Aim for the sky but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete. When I became the Managing Director and CEO of ICICI in 2009, it was a great milestone for me. But when I started my career and the length of my training period was reduced from twelve months to nine in 1984 owing to my good performance, it was a source of great satisfaction for me at that time! So, enjoy every step of your journey.

As you go forward, you will sometimes have to take difficult decisions, decisions that others might scorn. But you must have the courage to stand up for what you believe in. Over the last three years, I have made considerable changes at ICICI Bank to de-risk the balance sheet and position it for sustainable, profitable growth. In the initial period, this meant actually consolidating operations, slowing down growth, and re-looking at some business models that were not doing well. It was a difficult thing to do, but for me the ability to do it came from the confidence of knowing that I had done my homework, analyzed the issue, and figured out what was the right thing to do in the context of what was happening around us. Aarti, this is something I want you to remember—make sure you have the conviction to do what you know is right, and once you have that conviction, don’t let sceptics distract you from your path.

I am often asked what gives me satisfaction. To me, ‘satisfaction’ means giving my best effort to everything I do, doing it not just to the best of my ability, but in the best way it could have been done. Excel in everything that you are doing, Aarti, and apply this to every part of your life—your home, relationships, and everything else that is either a duty, a desire, or an obligation.

Aarti, there is no limit to what a determined mind can achieve, but in achieving your goal, don’t compromise on the values of fair play and honesty. Don’t cut corners or compromise to achieve your dreams. Remember to be sensitive to the feelings of the people around you and don’t forget to be diligent about your work. And remember, if you don’t allow stress to overtake you, it will never become an issue in your life.

As a young woman stepping out into the world, I wish for you to dream your own dreams, aspire for something big, and create your own goals. Remember that good times and bad times will be part of your life equally, and you have to learn to handle both with equanimity. Excel in everything that you do, make the most out of life’s opportunities and learn from every opportunity and challenge that life brings along.

Lovingly yours,

Mumma

Deep Anand

y his own admission, Deep Anand, Chairman of the Rs 50 billion Anand Automotive Group, raised his only daughter, Anjali, to be the ‘puttar’ or son of the family. The little girl that came into the lives of the Anand couple after almost two decades of their marriage, brought renewed joy and meaning into their lives.

The couple, however, decided that their daughter would stand a better chance at being a global citizen if she went to residential school abroad. They saw it as an opportunity for her to make new friends, learn about new cultures, and share her blessings with others.

At the young age of 27, Deep Anand established his first business venture in the year 1961, setting up the group’s flagship company, Gabriel India, which manufactured shock absorbers. Decades later, his daughter Anjali Anand Singh, mother of twins, is waiting in the wings to take over the empire.

Back from her wanderings around the world, which included a Masters in Fine Arts from Central St. Martins and a Business Management degree from the University of Westminster, Anjali Singh, however, remained restless and unfulfilled with her father’s business and eventually set out on her own, setting up luxury resorts in India’s rural outback. She is as proud of The Serai, a luxury tent resort in the Thar desert and Sher Bagh, an eco-resort situated in India’s tiger belt of Ranthambore, as she is of her pair of twins.

Now in his late seventies, Deep Anand continues to be the energetic, restless young man that he was when he went about the task of establishing enduring global partnerships with leading automotive component companies from around the world. While the history of Indian companies and their global partnerships is replete with examples of failed relationships and bitter separations, the Anand Group today has 13 joint ventures and 7 technical