Giving Back

Anchor: "Good Evening. Tonight, we have in our studio a house hold name who needs no introduction, but unlike most successful men, he does not have a woman behind him. But what he does have is a story about his struggling days and how he passionately worked towards achieving his goal. Ladies and Gentleman, let's have it for the Forbes Businessman of the year 2011, Mr. Kanav Satija."

Kanav: Thank you, anchor.

Anchor: How do you feel to be here?

Kanav: Grateful, proud and many such superlatives.

Anchor: And how did you feel about winning the Businessman of the year award?

Kanav: Surprised, excited etc.

Anchor: In the past 10 years, since you had won the Entrepreneur of the year award, your net worth has grown 50-fold. How do you feel about that?

Kanav: Now you are just getting on my nerves. Can we please have some relevant questions, Anchor?

Anchor: (Laughs nervously). I had only heard about your straightforwardness. Now I realise that the truth isn't far from legend. Formalities aside, I shall begin with the most basic of question: Please tell me about your journey from your home to Chennai.

Kanav: Hmmm. A question I used to dread when I first sat for placement interviews. However, I shall try to answer it as well as I can. I hail from a small town in Bihar called Talaiyya. My father had a little land there, the produce of which, allowed him to feed the family of three and in good seasons, a paltry saving too. When I came of age, he sent me to Kota to prepare for JEE and told me that he has bet all his savings on me. The burden lay heavy on my shoulders and though not as sharp as the others around me, I burnt the midnight oil day after day and finally managed to walk in to the promised land.

Anchor: And how did the 4 years there mould you?

Kanav: They taught me to know when I should be reasonable and when I must be stubborn. The place could have easily shattered my self-confidence had I looked up to everyone who demanded it. There were the professors who ridiculed us for being coached in Kota or Hyderabad. There were the seniors who made fun of us for having high and mighty goals. There were the batchmates who were smarter, from more affluent backgrounds and spoke better English; who looked down upon the rest of the students. And by the time we were in the 4th year, there was a covenant of research oriented students and professors who chided us for even aspiring for a non-engineering job.

Anchor: So how did you deal with, what seems to be practically everyone, breathing down your neck for not heeding?

Kanav: First of all, it was only a handful of a vast number but naturally, a thorn itches more than a fragrance soothes. The key, like I said, was playing between reasonable and stubborn. Perhaps it was my upbringing that taught me the essence of it. Those people, no matter how condescending, were better than me in some ways. And unlike most others, I was immune to their jibes and hence, could dare to get close enough to them to learn. In fact, I even befriended a few despite the differences.

Anchor: Moving on, your answer to the "bigass bank which pays obscene money to engineers for doing finances and valuations" when the interviewed you is part of IIT folklore. Would you like to recount the whole episode?

Kanav: Why not. Parth, the interviewer, had a look at my 9+ CGPA and asked me if I were really interested in Aeronautical Engineering and if I'd be happy running numbers all day long. My reply was, "Sir, I have seen my parents work really hard to get me here. I'd happy doing anything that helps me to honestly provide for them, even if that means washing cars." And wouldn't it sadden you that you shall be laying your 4 years' education to waste? I quipped, "Yes, I would perhaps be selling out my education but that's far less troublesome than the thought of selling my parents' sacrifices short. I believe there's a time for everything. I may later come back to it when I'm comfortable and seek satisfaction but right now, my goal is to secure bread for my family for the next few years." The reply hit home and he instantly took me on board. In fact, 2 years later, he took me as a partner to his start-up. The rest, as they say, is history. He later told me that he was looking for honest, hard working employees and not for the geniuses stuck in higher moral dilemmas.

Anchor: And how have you given back. Funding the entire Aeronautics Lab at your alma-mater. How did that come about?

Kanav: I guess I had always wanted to give back but I'd have forgotten all about it in my busy life, had it not for the jibes which the lovers of the branch, profs and students alike, threw at me.  They never let me forget. And when I finally had the resources, I did it. Funnily though, A few of my batchmates and my profs who criticised us for taking up banking jobs, welcomed my money and me with open arms. There were no uncomfortable questions about it and they even told the students that they always "knew" that I'll make it big someday.

Bhaskar had invited a couple of friends to boast about his old pal. But in one sentence, Kanav had made it clear that he had not forgotten. Though he didn't name anyone, Bhaskar knew Kanav was pointing towards him, among others. Today, when he was working on one project, Kanav's money was supporting seven similar ones, including his own. Back in the day, Bhaskar had never tired of questioning Kanav's integrity and loyalty for taking up a banking job. Kanav's legendary answer, in his view, was proof enough. But today, in a single statement, Bhaskar's hypocrisy was bared in front of himself. He stood naked facing the mirror of self-realisation, ashamed to even look at it.