Have you ever looked at your human resource officer as someone who can don the avatar of Krishna
from religious text Mahābhārata. National award winning actor, Ashish Vidyarthi presented an
imagery saying that Krishna was the charioteer who had a conversation with a hero. Hero can be
anyone, working anywhere, probably a usual employee. “For me each one of you is that charioteer,
who has a possibility of having a conversation with a hero who today may be working in your
company but at some point may turn out anywhere else, this is your opportunity,” he said while
addressing audience at BW Businessworld’s HR Strategy Conclave in New Delhi.
Vidyarthi who has worked in multiple language films, predominantly in Bollywood, Tamil, Kannada,
Malayalam, Telugu and Bengali cinema opened up about the concept of ‘climbing the ladder’.
“Because this ladder has only space for one. How many of you are clear that you are in a world full of
cut throat competition? And how many throats you’ve cut,” he asked the audience.
“My primary profession is that of an actor and you don’t get a more cut throat profession than that
of an actor. No, we don’t have to win at the cost of another. The fact is that someone has to call out
just like the child called to the emperor and said, Hey Emperor! You aren’t wearing any clothes. You
are naked. Similarly it’s critical that we disrupt this conversation which somehow western colony has
got into our mid saying that it has to be cut throat, otherwise you’re a boring Indian who’s never
going to achieve anything. I’ve discovered the amazing in India, the amazing in West which I call the
scenery of the best. The best has best from the east and best from the west but is chosen by each
one of us. Introduce walking with, no to, not by but with. Haven’t each one of you travelled with,
haven’t each one of you grown with, haven’t each one of you or us enriched with. The conversation
which has to be completely disrupted is that only one can make it.
The key point is there isn’t a single pie, each one of has a pie which we can savour, enjoy and
constitute in our lives rather than whimper when somebody is enjoying theirs.
He added, “Isn’t it true that within few years in whatever work that we do, there are few lesser
things that we want to admit are unknown. When you hear people say, over the years I’ve gained
clarity. No, over the years I’ve discovered the magic in nebulous. Taking brave calls will only happen
when you’re not clear.”
He conveyed his conviction, the ability to take brilliant calls, brave calls and carving your path in the
nebulous is name of the game. A heros journey is not a journey in which they know what they do, a
heroes journey is journey in which they have chosen to disrupt the common ideology and accept
their own. Each entrepreneur, each leader is not sure but they choose to walk that path.
He summed up reciting an amazing poem titled Ethaka, which had the message of how life is about
your decisions, your perception and what you choose along the way. How you make your life
marvellous.
He was facilitated by BW Businessworld and thanked for his valuable presence.
The speech surely lit up the mood across the hall and applause never stopped.