It is a beautiful day and luckily today,
Chirag (officially Chirag Shah) is slightly less occupied. Otherwise a busy
person, he agrees for a brief chat and interview for my blog. As we start, I ask him for a name and he says
jo marzee bulalo (you can call by
whatever name), but Chiru, he says, is
quite common amongst family and friends.
A Mumbaikar, relocating to namma Bengaluru
is his first ever emigration. His experience living in a concoction of piquancy of the city gives him the courage to survive anywhere with ease. A vigorous
person, he begins the day with Surya Namaskaars, small walks and a positive
attitude towards Life. He maintains healthy eating habits, but stumbles when
confronted with a Samosa, Sandwich or Misal Pav.
He is a perfect “Chef-Salad” – Chartered
accountancy, Entrepreneurship, humor, management, level-headedness, mentoring,
anger, patience and a passion for writing, all chopped up and mixed together in
a vinaigrette of sarcasm and emotions.
When asked for personal background and who
he is most attached to – “I am a male… Married. You are putting me into a fix
by asking whom I am more attached to. No male would have answer for this!!”, he asserts. Grocery, he adds, is one definite weekend activity,
astonished at the amount of food that is consumed.
His mantra for Success – “Put your 100% in
what you do. The outcome is not in your hand.
You are the only person whom you can’t lie or cheat to so don’t try to
cover it. Success is a myth till you achieve it.”
A strong patron of learning from failures,
he believes in the special training received by pursuing his own ventures. His
roller coaster experiences translate into the skilled professional and
considerate human being that he is today. An opportunist, he utilizes every
skill to its advantage and sees every fall as a learning experience. Every day,
he believes, has something to teach and a bundle of memories to add. Meeting
and knowing people with unique mind sets and varied outlook, he reckons, adds
value.
Appearing very calm at the surface, he is
constantly planning and conceptualizing. Astonishingly, he is also a Karate
Black belt and would have been an international player, but for his fractured
arm that shifted his course. And we are glad that it did.
Combine a passion for writing with an avid
reading habit and you can expect a masterpiece. Chirag is one of those rare
combinations. It should come as no wonder that he contributed to the
compilation of “The Scout” – a book
on Headly who masterminded the 26/11 Mumbai blasts. He is currently working on
a book about management and his experiences, which is due for completion. More
books in the pipeline, he says. Immortalized in Ink, he will remain.
Before he joined us, he worked for a
Canadian based outfit in Bangalore as Director- Operations. The out-going and
experimental person that he is, his first ever job was working for himself – wherein the first eLearning Company
in India teaching Chartered Accountants online was conceptualized. He was 20 then, and there has been no turning back.
He fondly recollects a call from an
ex-employee’s mother, who hailed from a village near Chennai. The mother
thanked Chirag for giving her Son an opportunity to work in their company
because of which they were able to build a house. This call, he says, is the
most satisfying complement he has received till date.
Chill Maadi is a motto
he lives by. The higher the expectations, the higher the stress, he holds. Typically
sangfroid, marriage is the biggest stress, he remarks. On a more significant
note, a mail or a call from the customer sighting dissatisfaction regarding
support service creates anxiety, he adds. He maintains his composure by
listening to Jagjit Singh Ghazals and being in the company of a round cushion
which is his childhood buddy.
To lighten the mood a little, we did a
rapid fire –
- If you woke up tomorrow as an animal,
what animal would you choose to be and why?
Spider, if it is allowed to be called an
Animal. I always like to climb back with every fall.
- Are you a sunrise, daylight, twilight, or
night person?
I am Sunrise – I rise with a hope every
day.
- What item that you don't have already,
would you most like to own?
Xbox
- If today were the last day of your life,
what would you be doing now?
Give all my passwords to wife, eat lots of
ice-creams and rewind my life with my family.
- Yamraj (The lord of Death) is before you
and has come to take you along. However, he is feeling exceptionally
generous and tells you he will let you live for as many years as you
already have, but, you have to ask him a question that he cannot answer or
give him a reason that he cannot fix. What would you do? (Note: you cannot
choose to die.!!)
Yamraj how about a selfie, people want to
know how you look
- You are face to face with a demon who
will grant you 3 wishes, on the condition that you cannot ask for any
personal benefit. He will disappear after you have asked to never be seen
again. You have 5 minutes. You will be his dinner if you do not ask for
anything. What would you ask?
o
Make India a Super Power
o
At least 30 Gold medals for
India in next Olympics
o
Grant me 5 more wishes please
- There is a wooden suspension bridge that
takes you from one bank of the Niagara Falls to the other. All your
hearts’ desires are at the other side of the bridge. Would you cross it?
No, because there are many hearts this side
who desire me more
- If you had to leave behind everything you
currently have and only then cross the bridge, would you do it?
Still not, I am a very satisfied guy.
- Which is the One thing that has been in
your wallet for the longest time? Do you still have it?
A card with some numbers given by someone
my family believed in. It is with me for more than 20 years now.
A glance at the clock indicates it is time
to draw this evening to a close. With his experience and maturity, I ask him
for advice and he says "Stay put".
If you win, you learn. If you lose, you learn
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