Remembering his father BN Yugandhar, a 1962 batch IAS officer, on father’s day, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shared this heartwarming note in a LinkedIn post: (1/13)
"My father’s work was more than just a job for him. He was ten years old when India became independent, and approximately a dozen or so years later my father joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) as a civil servant. (2/13)
To him, this was not a professional career choice, but a calling. There was the fervor of nation-building in the air, and he inhaled it all with an unwavering deep sense of passion and commitment throughout his life. (3/13)
To him, land reforms, bonded labor abolition, watershed development, rural employment programs, self-help groups, disabled communities, and much more were not topics or portfolios, but his life’s purpose. (4/13)
He spent many years at India’s National Academy of Administration, first as a student, then as junior faculty, and later as its director. He took great pride in all the people he trained at the institute. (5/13)
He felt his work at the institute could have an amplifying impact by taking the most amazing talent that joined the IAS, shaping their mindset, and turning them into committed missionaries working and fighting for India’s underprivileged people and regions. (6/13)
He knew that those selected into the IAS possessed the capability to do the work, but it was the institution’s purpose to translate that intellectual capability into everyday actions of a committed civil servant. (7/13)
What gave him deep satisfaction was not abstract, but the people he was working for and the impact that his work was having in their lives. (8/13)
The way he combined his work with his life’s passions, the deep meaning he derived from it, has been instrumental in shaping my own views of work and life. (9/13)
He would say to me that life is a terminal condition, and no one makes it out alive. But one’s life can speak to us by passing on what is most important about being human and how to live." (10/13)
BN Yugandhar spent many years at India's National Academy of Administration, first as a student, then as junior faculty, and later as its director. (11/13)
Mr Nadela said the most enduring of his father's life lessons was the need to keep an open mind and to keep curiosity alive throughout one's life. (12/13)
"I work & live in a very different context and time. Yet I am guided by the lessons he taught me by living his life to fulfill his passions and principles," he said.
These words of wisdom are truly valuable even in today’s time.
What do you think? Comment below. (13/13)
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I wish my father had tested positive [for COVID] last year, then maybe, he would have survived. Both of us had opened a small restaurant in Bahadurgarh [Haryana], where he was supposed to spend the rest of his retirement. (1/7)
In his younger days, my father was what you would call ‘Dabbang’ [bold], and so free as a person. He took on the responsibilities of a good dad with ease. He was endlessly supportive. (2/7)
Our relatives would often tell him that he gives his ‘girl child’ too much freedom, but he never paid them any heed. He supported my career choices, my education, and even when I chose to have an inter-caste marriage. “Don’t worry, I’m here,” he’d always say. (3/7)
“Her dream was that no one in this world should be deprived of an education. More specifically, no one should miss out on learning about the wonders of science. She also wanted people to exhibit kindness, compassion, love and encouragement. (1/9)
She believed that the world is one. When in space, someone asked her how it felt to make it there from India. Paraphrasing the ancient Roman philosopher Seneca, she said, ‘I was not born for a corner of the universe. The whole universe is my native land. (2/9)
The people living in this universe are my family.' In her life, she remained true to these ideals,” says Banarsi Lal Chawla about his daughter Kalpana. (3/9)
20 years of 'Lagaan': It was only the 3rd Indian film to be nominated at the Oscars in the Best Foreign Language category, after 'Mother India' & 'Salaam Bombay'. (1/4)
In 2002, 'Lagaan' was nominated under the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. (2/4)
However, back home, it won eight National Film Awards – Best Choreography, Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, Best Music Direction, Best Playback Singer – Male, Best Audiography, Best Lyricist, Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction! (3/4)
"When I began first standard, at the age of five, I faced immense difficulty in learning.
I couldn't read what was on the blackboard, I couldn't read or write the alphabets properly and Maths was beyond me. (1/13)
My daily trips to school were a horror for me and I just wanted them to end. Being the genius that I am, I somehow made the assumption that since books and a bag were necessary for school, if I got rid of both of them, I wouldn't have to. (2/13)
So I came home one day with no books, no bag and no water bottle.
When my mom asked what happened, I proudly mentioned that I had tossed them out of the school bus window. (3/13)
Home of the GI-tagged Shahi Litchi, Bihar produces 40% of all litchi grown in India ‐ the world's largest producer of litchi. (1/4)
The Shahi Litchi, a speciality of the north Bihar district of Muzaffarpur which earned the Geographical Indication tag a couple of years ago, stands apart from other varieties by virtue of its unique fragrance, extra-juicy pulp and smaller-than-usual seed. (2/4)
Interestingly, according to the Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, litchi is currently grown over an area of around 83,000 hectares across India -- the world's largest producer of litchi. (3/4)