The Polestar
Note: This is the first chapter of a novel I am trying to write. It is a work of fiction and imagination. It is not meant to be scientific or accurate. While it may draw from my own life, it is not autobiographical!
Chapter 1::A new
beginning
Jan 5th, 2030. Mumbai, India.
The city of Mumbai looked like a bright shining
constellation as Jai looked out from the windows of his plane. His plane
journey from Philadelphia had taken him more than 8 hours and after a
hard-day’s work, Jai was looking forward to crash in his bed in his sea-facing
apartment in Worli. Feeling thirsty, he muttered, “water” to his personal
digital assistant and immediately a bottle of water sprung out from the refrigerator
beneath his couch. As he reflected back on his day, he noted with satisfaction
that he had finally managed to close out the last leg of the project he was
engaged in with an Australian firm. The Aussies were always tough to negotiate
with. But after multiple video-chats and re-drafts, the firm had agreed to
accept a World Dollar (WD) 1 million investment in a gold-mine owned by them in
Africa from one of Jai’s clients. The investment was a part of IEH, short for
Invest to Empower Humanity portfolios that Jai managed for his ultra-wealthy
clients.
IEH was an initiative pioneered by Jai in which a certain
portion of long-term investment monies of his clients were given as a loan for
a mutually agreed upon project being run by globally accredited companies. The
clients agreed to plough a pre-decided part of the interest payout from the
investment on a yearly basis in an IEH fund specifically created for the
project. The company taking the loan also contributed upto 50% of this amount
in the fund which was then utilized for community development initiatives at
the site of the project. Jai had tie-ups with global NGOs that undertook these
initiatives which ranged from education for children of the workers,
health-care to micro-finance initiatives.
Jai spent a major portion of his time working from his
company’s headquarters in Mumbai. He also had offices in Philadelphia,
Singapore, Kansai and Nairobi where he usually spent at-least 15 days in a
year. Out of these, Philadelphia and Kansai in addition to being work-centers, were
his bases for cultural, humanitarian and educational efforts which were also an
important part of his life.
2030 was an extremely important year for Jai. This was going
to be his last year as the Chairman and CEO of IEH. Post this, he was determined
not to work for money any more. Rather his focus was going to be more and more
towards humanitarian efforts.
How did a man who started out as a normal teen-ager growing
up in middle-class India in the 80s and the 90s turn out to be a pioneer in
devising practical, innovative structures for empowering humanity?
What was it that enabled a man who; in his early adulthood
felt like his life was an unmitigated disaster, bounce back and lead a life
full of vigor and joy?
Human life at its very basic level is an extremely complex
mix of myriad influences. Genes influenced with one’s growing environment,
early influences and some basic tendencies create a unique individual who at
the best of times is extremely difficult to comprehend for even the closest
around him. And yet out of these unique individuals some manage to rise to
heights which human-kind had never thought possible.
Is there something unique about these individuals which they
are gifted with or is there something these individuals “do” which can be
learnt and replicated by countless others? For the quest for “success” is as
aged as humanity itself.
Human- life since time immemorial has been an ambitious
race. To run faster. To hit harder. To hunt a bigger prey. To conquer bigger
lands. Success from time immemorial, has been measured by accomplishments. And
while the quest for accomplishments has led to tremendous advancement and
growth of the human-race; for every “winner” that humanity discovers, there are
a million “losers” who are sacrificed at the altar of growth. What happens of
these losers? Do they deserve a life of contempt and ignominy because they have
not measured up? Or could the abilities they have fostered in their lives be
harnessed to create something of lasting value for humanity? More important
still is the internal struggle that go inside the lives of these humans. As
humans we are wired in very strange ways. A child when encouraged, appreciated
and loved by his parents, exults with joy. The same child when reprimanded or ignored
feels downcast and fearful. This basic desire for reinforcement from our
environment continues well into the rest of our lives. While the degrees may
vary in every individual, the attitude of our teachers and peers in school and
college and later of our superiors, peers at work-place and our significant
others continues to play a large role in how we “feel” about ourselves. And if
at all we are able to insulate ourselves from these unescapable influences, our
own internal tendencies play a large role in how we end up charting the path of
our life.
Since childhood, Jai had been fascinated by those who had
overcome major odds in life to achieve victory in life. The “under-dogs”. Maybe
it was because of his own insecurities growing up as the son of a father who
has perfect in his work. His elder sibling had also gone on his father. But compared
to them, he did not measure up. He was moody and hated route learning –
something which the Indian education system demanded. Jai was more creative.
But what place did creativity have in a family where the premium was on discipline
and focus – things required to succeed in the rigid India of the 80s. So Jai
often found himself cycling between what he was “expected” to be and what he “was”.
For him since early childhood, life was one big struggle and he often thought
of himself as the under-dog of the family.
In his later life, this experience became a powerful impetus
for helping people who had been written off to start believing in their
potential. For as his mentor – who helped him transform his life – taught him,
human potential is infinite. What is needed is the right inspiration to bring
out the unique qualities one has been born with. We are all not made from the
same cloth. Hence, instead of focusing on our weaknesses and trying to be
someone who we are not, it is much better to believe in oneself and try and
excel in the fields where our passion lies. While today, in this digital age of
social media and global tele-vision, there is nothing extra-ordinary about such
thoughts, in the India of 90s and early 2000s – these were considered
revolutionary thoughts. And they had a huge impact on Jai’s psyche and helped
him get out of the cycle of negativity he had got stuck in.
Which is why this year was so significant for Jai. Because
finally, he was going to be free from all constraints of having to work for a
living! And now he was going to plunge
full time in what he loved – helping young people unlock the true potential of
their lives! This was his true calling – his heart’s true desire. And the fact
that he had finally reached this stage without having to compromise on any of
the other dreams he had (which necessitated earning enough to last a lifetime) –
gave him deep satisfaction. And for this he was filled with deep gratitude
towards his mentor. For if it were not for him and what he had taught Jai, none
of this would have been possible.
Who was this mentor whom Jai revered so much? How did he
meet him? What did the mentor teach him that impacted his life so greatly?
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