Monday 6 May 2013

Change is good... You go first



What is holding us back?

Change is good… You go first

Only one thing is constant in this world and that is Change. Recently in India, Anna Hazare started a campaign against corruption. It was the time when millions of people came out to support the cause. It was seen as the biggest movement against government demanding the strong law “Jan Lokpal” to be made to counter corruption. Some people have different views on the above-mentioned movement against corruption as many of us think that it’s not the right way in a democratic society. Well my idea is not to write about political situations & sensitive issues. My whole intent here is to showcase how a single man can make a difference. I know Anna Hazare movement is still in infancy but I salute to a person who thought of bringing change to our society and people started raising their voice against corruption. Even in the past one of the most popular leader of India Jayaprakash Narayan, who was the hero of 1942 Quit India movement against British Rule initiated an agitation in 1974 against Indira Gandhi, the then prime minister of India. My parents were involved in 1974 movement and they tell it was not a movement against any particular leader for any personal grudge rather it was for a cause: Anti Corruption, Price Hike, Change in the education system and change in political system. The movement was so big that its effect was realized in the different parts of the country and every youth as well as elders participated in the movement for the cause. The above-mentioned leaders might have faced hurdles but they took the initiative and led from the front.

Again some of you might think all these are big personalities and it’s easier for them to pursue what they want. And as we are the Mango People (Common Man) so it would not be so easy for us. We would like to see if someone has done it before. Well this is normally what Mango People like us most of the time thinks. Change is not easy. But it is simple. Things will always change. We don’t have a choice about that, but we do have a choice on how we react to change. If fear is your problem, then you need to realize that the only thing you really should be afraid of is not trying. How do you think inventors got their ideas started? Every single person in the world, who did anything big, took initiative at some point in their life. If they didn’t they would have probably got stuck working a regular job at minimum wage. There is nothing wrong with having a regular job as long as you are happy. You have the opportunity to advance your life no matter where you are, how old you are, or how much money you have. Unfortunately there are a lot of lazy people out there. All of us have a lazy spell now and again, and this is perfectly natural. If the reason you aren’t taking initiative is because you would rather just sit around and do nothing, then you are being lazy. Lazy will never get you far in life and people will pick up on it quickly. Take that first step even if you don’t feel like it. Once you get started it will be easy to keep it going. Tell yourself there will be a time later on to be lazy and reward yourself with lazy time after you get things done. We always think too much when it comes to take the lead. We often say “Whatever you are saying sounds good, why don’t you try and let me know so that I will also get some confidence to think about it”

A single box of honey was all it took to transform Anita Kushwaha, a teenager from a village in Bihar, into a successful entrepreneur who countered gender bias to become a role model for millions of girls in India. Anita boldly fought and convinced her parents not to marry her off. She had set her sights on something that no woman in her village had ever dreamed of doing; taking on the male profession of making honey. Anita ventured bee keeping when she was ten after her mother gave her Rs.3000. With this money she bought three queen bees and began running hives to make a profit of Rs. 50,000 in the first year of her business. With the hard earned money, she not only overcame her family's financial crunch, but also paid for her education till class ten. She has even bought her younger brother a motorcycle with the money she saved. With the Rs. 1,500 that she saved by giving tuitions to children she purchased a box containing a queen bee. Anita's path breaking success has been highly praised by UNICEF for which she was declared the “UNICEF poster girl” in 2006. 
Anita guided many girls not only in her own village but also in the whole country. Earlier when many girls might have thought of doing something different, pursuing their dreams; many parents would have said “Whatever you are talking sounds good in books; these things don’t work in the real world. Have you seen anyone who tried and succeeded?” The key is to have faith in yourself, that’s what Anita’s story is all about. When a girl struggling for livelihood can make it big and leave the footprints for others then why others can’t. It’s time to dream; it’s time to believe; it’s time to achieve; it’s time to Change. Because if our actions can inspire & motivate others to dream more, to learn more, to do more and become more. You should see change as an opportunity not as a threat.

What does it take for Ratan Tata of Tata Group to decide to launch the most economical car Tata Nano breaking the wealth barrier? Many people thought it’s not feasible, some thought Tata Group doesn’t know what to innovate and now they are just experimenting. Well the kind of respect Tata Group has in our country India made everyone think something good will happen despite of skeptical brains. Let’s just rewind our life few years back before the launch of Tata Nano. Just imagine that people are standing on a road in a rainy season, a large number of motor scooters snaking in and out around the cars. Let’s think a bit deeper; on those motor scooters most bear whole families (parents as well as children).  Many guys belonging to so called elite society might think “That’s crazy, we are still developing country and that’s the way it is. Look at the western countries; it’s just so clean and systematic. I want to settle down in Europe”.J When Ratan Tata looked over this scene, he saw a critical problem to be solved: providing a safer alternative for scooter families. 
He realized that the cheapest car available in India cost approximately five times what a scooter did and many of the families could not afford one. Offering an affordable, safer alternative was very powerful value to many families. He thought of four common barriers: insufficient wealth, access, skill, or time. He knew that the only way to get families off their scooters and into cars would be to break the wealth barrier by drastically decreasing the price of the car. And today we have world’s most economical car Tata Nano that the world sees as an innovation.
Sam Walton revolutionized the business of retail. He started his discounting model in smaller towns around United States of America. At that time no one realized the potential of this business model. Today, Wal-Mart is the largest civilian employer in the world and alone is responsible for more than 1 percent of America’s gross domestic product (GDP). Wal-Mart is also known for changing the way American people live. Walton started his life in the depression and worked his way through college. He built an empire from the ground up and started initially with small store in a small town in Arkansas. Walton was honored for his efforts in retail in 1992 as he received the presidential Medal of Freedom from the then president George H.W Bush. He was included in Time Magazine’s list of the one hundred most influential people of twentieth century. If he were alive today, he would have been the world’s wealthiest person, twice as rich as Bill Gates.
What happens to you when you think about the title Miss India? The name doesn’t matter, the only thing comes to the mind is she must be good looking and might have always lived life queen size. Many of us will just wish to meet her face-to-face, click a photograph with her to upload on facebook so that all your friends like it or even an autograph will do. I read about this story in a newspaper and feels it’s worth sharing. Pooja Chopra was Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2009. Miss India 2009 was unwanted girl child. Pooja's mother Neera Chopra was forced to leave her home when Pooja was born. You might be wondering “What was the problem, why it happened?” And her only crime was giving birth to a girl child for the second time in a row.  Neera Chopra left the house with her girls — Pooja and Shubra, who were seven then. She hasn't seen her husband since. She promised herself, even if she gets just one piece of bread, she would share it but together. She worked against all odds. Neera’s daughter’s tiny hands would do homework on their own; feed themselves on days that Neera worked late. Her elder daughter Shubhra would make Pooja do her corrections. This is how they grew up. At a birthday party, Pooja would not eat her piece of cake, but pack it and bring it home to share with her sister. When Shubhra started working, she would skip lunch and pack a chicken sandwich that she would slip in her sister's lunchbox the next day. Neera used to struggle for basic stuffs like shoes, socks and uniforms. Soon her sacrifice for her children began to take new colors. Her elder daughter Shubhra got the descent job and got married to a guy from merchant navy. Pooja was academically brilliant; she participated in all extra-curricular activities. When she needed high heels to model in, she did odd shows and bought them for herself. Neera Chopra promised herself that one day Pooja (who was unwanted child) will make her proud. Pooja spoke on fulfilling that promise:

“When I was 20 days old, my mother was asked to make a choice. It was either me — a girl child, or her husband. She chose me. As she walked out she turned around and told her husband, 'One day, this girl will make me proud'. That day has come. Her husband went on to marry a woman who gave him two sons. Today, as I stand here a Miss India, I don't even know if my father knows that it is me, his daughter, who has set out to conquer the world, a crown on my head. Our lives have not been easy, least so for my mother. Financially, emotionally, she struggled to stay afloat, to keep her job and yet allow us to be the best that we could be. I was given only one condition when I started modeling — my grades wouldn't drop. All the girls in the pageant worked hard, but my edge was my mother's sacrifice, her karma. Today, when people call to congratulate me, it's not me they pay tribute to, but to her life and her struggle. She's the true Woman of Substance. She is my light, my mentor, and my driving force. My win was merely God's way of compensating her.” Neera Chopra’s struggle can inspire many of us that what a single person can do if he or she has strong determination. Neera Chopra opted for the path, which was far from the normal, conventional settings of the society. Normally most of the women might have tried to compromise with the situation. Change is good; this story can be the torchbearer to many and even if not so then at least force us to think about it. 

Are we always keep thinking about what we should be doing or rather would do something what we are thinking? So just put your sleeves up and start doing what you are thinking. Change your philosophy of “change is good, you go first” to change is good, let me go first.” It’s time to create history and bring positive change in your life.  

Written By- Anis Bari