There is no shortcut for success by Sudha
Murthy
Potardo was my classmate, he was reasonably bright, maybe very bright. I suppose never he
came to school never came to college I was in engineering College he used to stay he was from
Goa he used to come he was in the hostel and he never to come to college our College was
seven to eleven he will come around 10 o'clock or nine o'clock earliest nine o'clock and he will
sit here sit there attend two classes after that afternoon he will come for the lab Etc end of the
year he will one month he will get up early and he will study and you know there is a method in
college you take question papers April and October whatever comes in October will never come
in April okay I'm sure the school also you have midterm will never come to final okay so
eliminate these question answers and then make a approximate question paper and study that
and he used to get a first class he did all four years like this once I asked Portado you are such
a bright person you don't come to class if you come regularly you can get distinction you can get
a rank he said sudha you do not know in life it is not the education it is the connection it really
works and we have to build lot of connections you know in when you are young it helps you I
came from a middle class family my father was a doctor a gynecologist I never understood this
connection all those things because then he said my father was in military we were in Kolkata
there was a club which we have never seen in our real life so we thought maybe the big man
and it's not beyond our basket I felt it so it's something new years passed in 1972 I finished my
engineering so it was portado and I didn't meet him for a long time after 30 35 years I think 2008
or nine I had been to Dubai to deliver a lecture and when the lecture was over I saw somebody
waiting for and then he said ma'am I was waiting for you I was surprised at a place like Dubai
who will wait for me then he said I am potartdo I could not recognize because in 30 40 years
people put on weight your hair will be gray you know all those physical changes will happen so
they reported I would not have recognized that I was very happy I told him well let's have a let
us sit down and talk he said no just wanted to tell you one words what happened he said you
know do you remember in college I used to bunk class I said of course remember he said I used
to Bunk class and I joined a job and and soon my bosses came to know and my subordinates
came to know that I don't have knowledge getting a first class marks.
Different than knowledge please remember parents your children should be in the pursuit of
knowledge than the marks though it's a competitive examination I agree it is a competitive world
it is a competitive World competition is thousand times so ten thousand time more than what
time I had but with all those things the knowledge which always helps you then your marks in
real life so he said I got marks but I did not have knowledge once the subordinates know that
you don't have knowledge they don't respect you once the boss knows you don't have
knowledge then he wants to kick you out and I was kicked out from one job then I took a second
job and I was so much used to getting up nine in the morning I'll go late to your office I was
kicked out there also over a period of time I couldn't get job anywhere and now I have a job as a
manager job or a smaller job in Dubai and I said what about your family?, since I have two
daughters I left them in Chennai to study. I was like what, he said yes. I want they should study
well, they should not become like me. I just waited for you to tell sudha one thing when you we
were young I used to make fun of you. So he used to tell me you are like a you are like a
running race horse because the horse will see neither left nor it runs so anyway you always
were studious and we used to make fun of you. I thought I was very smart you know today I feel
you are successful and I wasted my life. I just wanted to tell you if you don't if you don't
discipline if you don't discipline when you are school or in college you pay a heavy price in later
part of your life discipline like coming up in a proper way, writing properly, talking properly,
communicating properly, respecting people properly, this really helps a long way in your life. so I
don't want you all should be like potardo, regretting in your old age. you should remember that
to be successful in life there is no shortcut the only method is hard work and straight away and
that you have to do and remember one more part that your school you come as a raw product
and school churns you out 14 years and takes you out of the finished good. you come out as a
young toddler here and you go out of the fine teenager the school has done so much not for the
fees what you give your fees are minimal when you compare to the kind of Advantage you get in
real life your teachers your parents everyone put so much hard work to make you a study and
learn. please remember the school is your Alma meter and when you grow big when you make
money more than what you need you should always help your Alma meter because that is the
place which has given you a life in real life