Water Lily

Last week was in a national conference on Project Management at Bangalore . The theme was "Project Management in Nation Building". Very catchy one ! Dr. Abdul Kalam was the key note speaker. He requested the 1000+ audience to repeat and pledge that we strive to make carbon free cities in very parts of the nation. His second message was even stronger. Be a brand of your own, a brand that prevent others to approach you the wrong way, that hinted corruption - a bug that bites any nation slow and badly. Well it was just the beginning.

The conference had national and international personalities of various stature sharing innovation, challenges, mentoring, talent building, role of academia, social media, D-factor of stress in life and some more to offer..I recalled Amir Khan in 3-idots. Doesn't matter what is being discussed. Take a chair and listen for a while, one can easily follow the gyan being rendered.

On my flight back home was recapping some of them and an offline side note pushed to take up the top slot of memory. Post a breakfast meeting with some international leaders , Ricardo from Argentina shared a story - a story of a Gardener and his garden.

A gardener one day took a walk in his garden from tree to tree. He stood infront of the dying Pine to ask - " Why are you dying?".

Pine replied - "I am very unhappy as I have no color in life. Look at Calendula by me. "

The gardener stepped forward to meet the Calendula, who was also dying. He repeated himself - "Why are you dying?".

Calendula said "I am not satisfied with life. I don't have odour like the Rose."
With heavy heart the gardener moved to the Rose, which was also dying, to ask once more - "Why are you dying?"

To his surprise Rose said - " I am not as as tall as the Pine to see the world around. I feel deprived."

The gardener moved towards the pond in his garden to meet the floating Water Lily. Lily was full of life. He asked Lily - "You are full of life in a dying garden, what is your secret ?"

Lily replied - "You planted me to be a Lily. I gave my best to be a Lily and proud that am a Lily."

The story ended there .. It remained as a sweet refreshner in my memories. Wish world have been such a nice garden if we all bloomed to be what we are.

Gyan #35 - Insignificant learning often stays for long.