Tragic Hero on Screen and in Real Life

 

Guru Dutt left this world on 10^th October 1964. He was only 39 years old at that time. An extremely creative director and an equally talented actor Guru Dutt died young. He loved and married a great Bengali singer Geeta Roy. As a singer she is popular as Geeta Dutt. For a few years both lived a happy life. But the family’s happiness did not last long.

Guru Dutt had introduced Waheeda Rehman, again a very talented actress, to the Hindi Cinema. Working together in films, Guru Dutt got emotionally attached with her. At the same time Geeta Dutt was intensely in love with her husband and did not accept the situation. Besides, Guru Dutt was more of an idealist who would not accept the society as it was. This is fairly evident from his films: Pyaasa and Kagaz Ke Phool.

 

Guru Datt and Geeta Dutt in happy days that did not last.

 

Needless to say that anyone who doesn’t accept the society as it exists faces big problems which often lead to tragedies. The same happened in case of the great artist Guru Dutt.

 

Guru Dutt and Waheeda Rehman in Pyaasa.

I am reminded of the tragic heroes of William Shakespeare. Each hero suffers from a tragic flaw in the personality. In case of King Lear, we find that the King was extremely credulous and prone to flattery. Dividing his kingdom he gave nothing to the youngest of the three daughters who loved him most but never practiced flattery. The two daughters who got the entire kingdom, threw their father out. Only then the king realized that Cordellia only loved him and not the other two. Likewise Othello is driven by his dominant personality flaw – suspicion and meets the tragic end. Hamlet suffers because of indecision and Macbeth is overpowered by his lust for wealth and drives himself to his tragic end.

  

King Lear

 Othello

 

Hamlet

 

Macbeth

 Guru dutt was an idealist who didn’t find the society worth accepting and he suffered. But his creativity gave Hindi Cinema many gifts. Johny Walker the best known comedian of Indian cinema was discovered and mentored by Guru Dutt. Our film industry has yet to see a comic character who could match the acting excellence that Johny Walker had achieved. Those who had seen Pyaasa will never forget Johny Walker’s small role and the song ‘Tel malish… sar jo tere chakraye ya dil duba jaye aaja pyare pass humare kahe ghabaraye….’

 

Other memorable films of Guru Dutt were Saheb Biwi Ghulam and Choudhavi ka Chand. Guru Dutt is often referred as “India’s Orson Welles”. His films were liked in Europe particularly Germany and France. He was also popular in Japan.

 

On 10 October 1964, Guru Dutt was found dead in his bed in his rented apartment at Pedder Road in Mumbai. He is said to have been mixing alcohol and sleeping pills. His death might have been suicide, or just an accidental overdose. It would have been his third suicide attempt.

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Interpersonal Skills

The first thing that we must understand when we think of honing our interpersonal skills is that we must make useful assumptions. Assumptions determine the way we behave. In fact our assumptions play an important role in determining behavior. In turn behavior produces experiences. Surprising though it may appear, experiences reinforce the initial assumptions. Therefore whatever you assume to be true, you act as if it’s true and you look for proof. The challenges is to make a useful assumption rather than a limiting once. Useful assumption gives you an informed prospective on your own behavior and the behavior of others. This way you can lead to a worthwhile outcome. Otherwise you will inhibit your creativity and resourcefulness to trigger negative reactions in you.

 

The next important point is that you must assume positive intent. Normally your conduct on any project in which others are also involved is based on your intent about the project. If you are looking for fast completion then your focus will be on action. Here you’re likely to undermine the participation of other people around you. This may result in their thinking that you have a pushy behavior.

When accuracy is your priority, you will slow down things in order to look for finer details. Here you may tend to hinder action of others. This might lead to their feeling that you are being negative.

Sometimes you may look for approval by someone. In this case you may put his/her need above your personal interest. You may be perceived as unreliable.

Lastly if gaining recognition drives you, you are likely to become excessively assertive. You would want to be seen, heard and recognized by the concerned people. And if it doesn’t happen, you are likely to lose temper, in which case you will be perceived as distracting and destructive.

Assuming positive intent will mean that you keep in mind all what has been said about and take decisions in your best interest.

The third important lesson in interpersonal skills is that you must know exactly what you want. Knowing your desired outcome is a fundamental key to a purposeful and productive interpersonal behavior.

The next important point the regarding interpersonal relations is that you must become an excellent listener. People want to be heard. It’s possible that you may get to know what the person wants to say and start speaking. This should never be done. Never ever, deprive anyone of his right to express. If the person is important and you want to build relation then, you must listen to go deep. A leader or a manager who listens attentively attracts people. They hold him in high esteem.

 

Next, you mind your language. Language is extremely important for making or breaking relations. Choose your words wisely. One wrong word may upset a person for a lifetime. One participant (a university professor) during one of my workshops remarked that our tongue is very strong and heals itself very fast. But the wounds the tongue creates in the minds of others, sometimes don’t ever heal during a lifetime.

Further, one must remember that relationships are about perceptions. Not only you should have appropriate regards for others but it’s necessary that they must perceive the same. A CEO of a multinational company had said that you must be good to others, but it is equally important that they realize and appreciate that you are good.

 

Each person is an individual. There are likely to be differences but also some similarities. So whenever you want to build up relations you must start identifying similarities first. Then try to bridge the gap so far differences are concerned. And, all these actions should be taken in good humor. Keeping your wits about you is essential. It’s difficult for people to tolerate highly emotional and volatile persons.

 

Last but not the least, it must be said that whenever you find differences and you want to influence the person concerned, do that in stages. Don’t try to achieve everything in a jiffy. When you work in stages, both you and the other person get time to think, contemplate and see the advantage of working together.

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Responsibilities of the Manager

A manager must consider himself/herself as a facilitator for the people he/she manages. Manager must ensure that all the needs of people managed are properly met. Peter Drucker says “the manager must do things right, the leader must do right things.” While there is no doubt that a good leader may also be a good manager but it is important to know the difference between a manager and a leader. Today I’ll discuss the qualities and short comings of the two i.e. the manager and the leader. We must understand and appreciate their respective roles.

1. The manager provides to the team members all that may be needed for the performance of their respective roles. For any shortfalls in this context the manager must consider he/she responsible. Such shortfalls are bound to affect performance.

 

2. Developing a mechanism to monitor that there is very little tolerance in the efficacy of the duties performed by the team members, is manager’s duty. That means the work must go ahead with as much accuracy as is possible. 

 

3. Productivity depends upon aligning various efforts of the team members. It also depends upon ensuring that the differences emerging out off the various cultural backgrounds do not interfere with the productivity. It requires thorough understanding on the part of the manager habits of the different members of the team, of their characteristic traits due to the cultural backgrounds and also the working style. 

 

4. All the members of the team need to be trained properly for the seamless progress of efforts for achieving team’s goals. Often times the members of the team may not indicate any development need due to whatever reason. Therefore it is the duty of the manager to identify these development needs and arrange for the appropriate training. 

 

5. The next job that the manager has on hand is to create right environment conducive for better performance. It will depend upon the goals and various situational factors. Due to the constant changes in the market the manger needs to be alert and responsive to these changes. 

 

6. Some of the members of the team may even require coaching for coming up to a certain satisfactory level. Here again it is the duty of the manger to identify the persons and their needs and organized coaching to meet the situational challenges. 

 

Since the business environment is very competitive, it is but necessary that the manager needs to leave up to the challenges and face these squarely. This will be good for the manger, for the team as well as for the organization.

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Durga Ashtami

 

Durga Ashtami is performed on the 8^th Navratra during Durga Puja festival. Nine nights of Devi Puja known as Navratre comprise a colorful celebration marked with devotion to express respects to Goddess Durga. It is believed that Maa Durga is omnipresent. Its Shakti (Power) is manifest to bless all devotees. Several temples throughout the country are dedicated to Durga Mata. The celebration continues for these 9 days in temples as well as Hindu homes. Many Hindus observe fast as a symbol of their devotion to the all powerful Goddess Durga. Our beloved Prime Minister Modi also observes fast on these Navratras. It was heartwarming to know that even on the night of the special dinner organized by none other than US president Barak Obama, our Prime Minister Modi joined the celebrations but took only plain water.

 

 

 

 

 

Durga Saptshati explains in details the importance of observing and celebrating the festival. More than that the Holy book explains how Durga Mata is incarnation of power. She appears herself and helps the devotees whenever they are in peril. The Goddess fights the evil forces represented by Rakshas in the time when they vitiate peace and over power Devtas.

 

Traditionally in a Hindu home fresh and delicious food is prepared in the morning of Ashtami. Poori and Halwa (sweet made with wheat flour, ghee and sugar) potato curry, a special preparation that goes wheel with Poories, Chana and Pakodies (fried basen balls mixed with bitten curd and water). These comprise Prasad food and is offered to the Goddess. Young girls are invited and the elders in the house wash their feet as a mark of respect. Then they are offered food as Prasad. It is believed that the young girls bless the house with peace and prosperity.

 

Different parts of the country the traditions or the method of Puja may differ but objective is the same- expression of devotion to Durga Mata.

 

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Styles of Leadership

There are broadly speaking six different styles of leadership. No one scores over the other. Some leaders have their fixed style. May be they choose and adopt. There are others who are adaptable and change their style as per the need of the moment and the situation. Those who can change and adapt are most suited to this very competitive society.

 

1. First of all I’ll talk about the Pace Setting Leader. He models himself by pursuing excellence in the tasks he/she is handling. And then he fixes up the pace. We may call him to follow the “Do as I do, now” type. It may appear that such a leader has no place in today’s environment. But they too have a great significance in a situation where the team is skilled and motivated. And the leader is looking for quick results. However, followed continuously, it is bound to overwhelm members and annihilate innovation.

 

2. Next we have the Authoritarian Leader. In some way he is like the Pace setting Leader. But there is a big difference. He explains the goals and does not define how the same should be pursued. Such a Leader fits best when the team needs a new vision. However, not suitable if the leader is working with a team of experts who know more than him/her.    

 

3. The Affiliated Leader – creates an emotional bond. He is one who feels people must come first. This is most suited in times of stress. When the team needs to overcome any kind of trauma, when due to whatever reason trust is shaken and a feeling of insecurity is rampant.

 

4. The coaching Leader: When a leader wants team mates to learn certain skills which are development needs of the team. This kind of leadership is not suitable if team members are argumentative or defiant. Also unsuitable when the leader lacks the absolute confidence befitting of a coach.

 

5. The coercive Leader: Do what I tell you – style of leadership only meant for times of crisis when the organization is not in a good shape. It is to be used when overcoming the ill-effects of an emergency like fire or any other disaster of a kind. 

 

6. Democratic Leader: He is one who always builds a consensus. A democratic leader knows how to carry people along. Certainly he must have adequate assertiveness so that he does not get taken for granted.    

 

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Leadership Qualities

In my last presentation, I had defined Leadership. I had also explained what it takes to be a good leader. How must a leader go about performing his/her duty that would justify leadership.  Today, I shall talk to you about the characteristic elements of personality which are necessary for a good leader:

1. The first on the list is Honesty. Honesty towards oneself. This means that the Leader must be himself or herself all the time. At no time the Leader should try to copy anyone or say something which he/she does not believe. The leader must believe in an honest, ethical behavior as a key value. All the actions will foster among the team members the same value. Once accepted the value can be a strong bond among members of the team, a group, or an organization.   

 

2. The second quality which a leader must have is the ability to delegate. This requires the leader’s trust in the members of the team. Besides, the leader should have the ability to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the members. This will help in assigning appropriate tasks to individual members. Such a delegation will be meaningful and the results will be more productive.  

 

3. Excellent communication represents the third important quality of a good leader. The leader should be in a position to communicate in a language which is understood by all – be it an uneducated skilled worker on the floor or the CEO who is a member of the board.Further the leader must ensure that whatever has been communicated is not only understood, but assimilated by all concerned. This will be possible only if the leader has an open mind and encourages rather than discourages feedback. 

 

4. The fourth important aspect of good leadership is sense of humor. In the competitive world of today everyone has to stretch to produce results – this means constant stress. As good morale is the key to productivity; the stress can be negated only by good humor. 

 

5. Another important quality is the confidence of the leader. An effective leader must be a person who stays calm, keeps working and forges ahead even in times of adversity. It is the confidence of a leader the leader that is rubs on the team, making them motivated and energetic performers.

 

6. A strong sense of commitment is the next aspect of positive leadership. Committed leaders often have a hands on approach and are able to do it themselves especially in times of a crisis. This approach ensures the commitment of the team, which feels secure under such decisive leadership. 

 

7. A positive attitude is also a very important aspect of leadership. Positive Attitude of the Leader ensures high energy levels of the team members. It also ensures that the Leader looks at every challenge as an opportunity rather than a roadblock. 

 

8. The eighth important aspect of a good leader is his creativity. In times of crisis, it is the leader’s creativity that enables him to think out of the box and to come out with an appropriate solution.   

 

9. The leader’s quality of Institution refers to his gut feeling about the course of action he is to take. The quality of Intuition enables a leader to take calculated risks in decision making when facing an unforeseen situation.  

 

10. The Ability to Inspire is the last and certainly not the least important quality. This enables a leader to positively motivate team members and enables him to leverage the strengths of the team members.  

 

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Self-made, Selfless Leader

Today is Prime Minister Modi’s Birthday. It took me time to think about the title of the blog. I always felt Modi’s success as leader is because of his selflessness, because he doesn’t have any selfish motives. Because he is not interested in any of his relatives or friends to benefit from his position. All these attributes which contribute for making a good leader are undoubtedly present and they are visible.

 

The intriguing part of the dynamic leader is his growth from a tea seller to the Prime Minister of the greatest democracy of the world. After contemplation I observed that here is a leader who plans the course of his life. And always keeps in view the challenges he is likely to face during the course. Of course this relates to the years after he had already decided to take up politics.

 

As a child he was an average student. There is no story talked about his brilliance during his education. However, his teacher confirmed that he was very good in debating. Besides he was fond of theater. There are no instances which have come to light which would depict that he was argumentative. But he was assertive. Whenever he took a decision he lived by it. He was never scared of upsetting his colleagues or seniors. The very fact that he did not accept his own child marriage shows that he was not scared of his parents or other members of the family. I find assertiveness is one of the very important quality of our Prime Minister.

 

When one is selfless it is very easy to take decisions (particularly hard decisions). He had decided to dedicate his life in the service of Nation. Therefore whatever he found was best for the nation he decided and pursued. These attributes of his personality are conspicuous even today. It is said about Steve Jobs that he was a great individual who could relate to only few persons in his large organization. He had built up the great organization but personally he would know only on a few members of his team. The same appears to be true for P.M Modi. He is also innovative, who takes new initiative and would be ready to bear the brunt of eventualities or the risks involved in such initiatives.

 

Wishing all the best for his long life. I would conclude by saying:

A very happy birthday Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

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