Reunion
In my philosophical ruminations that day, the one jewel that emerged from the mine of conversations was that one’s ego is a pitfall in the journey of success. That was my takeaway as we sat on a round table hearing some of the most successful folk from IIM Ahmedabad who have created super successful businesses in their lives speak about their journey to success, what drove them, and how they did it.
I am at Bentota, Sri Lanka’s jewel beach resort, sitting on a round table, in privileged company of some acknowledgedly most successful persons who have created super successful businesses. This is a memorable college reunion of a single batch that graduated from IIM Ahmedabad, often cited as the most successful of batches of this star MBA college in India that is even reputed abroad. As I sit listening, I feel a swell of immense pride.
No- I’m definitely not an alumni. But KRS Jamwal is not only of this batch but is The Gold Medalist, who created Tata Cliq. Other notable names from this group speaking of their journey to the epitome of success are Nirmal Jain, founder and head of India Infoline; Rahul Bhasin, Founder at Baring Private Equity India Ltd; Rashesh Shah, founder and head of Edelweiss; President and CEO Vedika Bhandarkar of Water.org; Roshni Bakshi, MD Everstone Capital; and the list goes on. Sanjeev Bikchand., founder of Naukri.com, also hails from this batch.
When all hundred of them are together as one, they are like raucous collegians again – playing games, sharing stories, revealing embarrassing anecdotes about each other. The finale party had pictures from IIM’s hallowed halls, designed by American architect Louis Kahn, with these guys on walls and windows posing as strapping boys and girls in shorts thirty-odd years ago. It made for a very memorable, nostalgic, and even somewhat poignant weekend. Why poignant? Because some of the batchmates – called “Batchies” by them – have also left for their heavenly abode. Life goes on, however, and they are already planning their next reunion.
Khalid Ansari’s coffee table book
I was a young newbie in what was then Bombay when I was offered a glamorous centre spread interior column in a leading newspaper ‘Mid-Day,’ owned by Khalid Ansari at the time. It was a column that profiled Bollywood star lives as well as their homes. I wrote that column to a huge following for some ten years until he sold the paper many years later, and I gave it up. I couldn’t imagine Mid-Day without him.
He continues to be a very good friend and mentor, and I dashed back from Colombo straight from the airport to his garden banquet and book unveiling party. Legendary GOAT cricketer Sunny Gavaskar released the book ‘An Odyssey of Self Discovery’ for Khalid and his lovely wife Zeyna, along with Ayaz Memon who was Master of Ceremonies.
Parde ke Peechhey, Choli ke peeche
And how could I forget another glamorous book unveiling by my good friend Ila Arun? It seems to be a week for memoirs of living legends. Grapevine is she was not too happy with the recent remix of ‘Choli ke peeche kya hai,’ but this book of hers won’t disappoint.
Singer, actor, and playwright Ila unveiled Parde ke Peechhey,’ her autobiography, with close friend Vidya Balan and her brother adman Piyush Pandey. It was a very magical evening with Vidya and Ila dancing, singing, performing, and chatting up a storm. Their conversation had everyone rapt while they discussed their rapport and how Ila has revealed her drivers and influences that make her who she is – “You all have heard and loved ‘Choli ke peeche,’ now you read what is ‘Parde ke Peechhey’ to truly know me, and the people who have moulded my life and nurtured it.”
