You might have noticed that I did not post last week. I have not forgotten about you, dear readers. On the contrary, I have been working on something special to present to you soon.
A surprise is on the way! Keep watching this space for more!
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) celebrates 1st July as the National Doctors’ Day every year – as our dedication and gratitude to all the doctors and healthcare functionaries who have been serving the people by risking their lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has once again reminded us about the contributions and sacrifices made by doctors and healthcare workers around the globe.
On this special day, I approached many readers of my blog to express their feelings about the professional assistance and support, they have been receiving from their family doctors, health consultants, surgeons, and other persons from the larger health care fraternity.
I am extremely glad to state here that the response has been overwhelming. People coming from different walks of life and age groups – young students, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, teachers, senior citizens, ailing patients, housewives, traders, and others – they all have unanimously applauded the role and function of doctors in keeping our society in good health.
I am individually inviting all the following contributors to join me in extending our deep sense of gratitude to all the doctors who go out of the way and at times put their own lives in jeopardy to save lives of our dear ones and to restore them back to normal health.
I am blessed and privileged to be a doctor’s wife. My husband is a medical specialist in the Indian Navy and I am really proud of it. Though sometimes it becomes very tough, as his job demands him to be on his toes always. However, I must say that despite his busy schedule, he manages to take out time for his family, especially our kids. I always try to support him as I realise that supporting him means indirectly helping those in need of medical help. My kids and I have never complained. Infact we are very proud of him and we love him! ~Aanchal Kacker
“I would like to mention Dr. Shailaja R Karve; Gynaecologist who took care of me during my pregnancies, Dr. Divya Khanna my dentist and Dr. Mahesh Maheshwari. I had a ligament tear 4 years ago and was advised surgery. I went for a second opinion to Dr. Maheshwari, Orthopaedic surgeon based at Navi Mumbai. He examined me and said that I didn’t need a surgery. I held his hands and thanked him, tears in my eyes. I believe that one must allow the body to heal on its own, if that doesn’t work then surgery can be the last resort. He wrote his prescription and showed me 3 exercises to do and asked me to see him in 10 days. I religiously followed that; going to office wearing a hinged knee cap and taking the support of a walking stick. I was fit and fine within a year. My gratitude to these heroes!” ~Laxmi Todiwan
“My mother is a nurse, so I have always heard from her about how doctors, nurses and other medical staff work selflessly whenever there is any difficult situation and one great example can be seen during this pandemic. I have always felt a great respect and admiration towards them.” ~ Sonali Khaire, Executive
“Medicines cure diseases, doctors cure people, also they have a big responsibility to bring smiles on the faces of suffering humanity, being someone’s hope and someone’s hero. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all the doctors working on the frontline like warriors trying to protect us and our world✨” ~ Shruti Singh, Student
Born in a family full of doctors, I have always taken them for granted. But the world as it is now makes me realise how lucky & fortunate I am. My heart fills with immense gratitude for all health practitioners and workers. Through this pandemic, you all have not only taken care but have given the world a chance at living life. Thank you so very much! ~ Laili Dutta, HOD – SMC, Whistling Woods International
“Since I belong to a family of doctors and medical professionals, I have seen them working relentlessly and voluntarily without any self-imposed constraitnts. Salute to their will-power, persistence and spirit!” ~Aniket Joshi, Executive with Reliance Infrastructure
“This Doctor’s Day, the least we can do is to acknowledge our Braveheart Doctors. Doctors who have sacrificed their lives in the line of defense against the deadly Corona virus. While we all were learning new things, taking new courses, learning an instrument or a new language, a few people were risking their lives to save people like you and me. They are our real heroes: our doctors who stood on the frontline and saved millions of lives. So let’s take a moment out of our busy schedule and thank them with all our heart and appreciate their humongous contribution in this pandemic.” ~Mudit Wadhwa, Student
“Doctor is a very important word and has a deep meaning in our lives. They have always helped us whenever we needed them, even at odd hours. A word from them makes us feel that we are fine. I wish to express my gratitude to them and thank them from the core of my heart.” ~Shobha Mathur, Homemaker.
“There is possibly no better instance to commend the spirit of doctors than the ongoing pandemic. It’s admirable how doctors have no reluctance in putting themselves at risk to fight the deadly disease and save every single life they can.” ~Radhit Arora, Student
“Doctors, for me, are the human version of Gods. They have always been our saviours. This time during the pandemic they have sacrificed their own lives for people they don’t even know. They deserve all our love and respect.” ~ Tanya Gupta, Student
“I emanate my best wishes to all doctors, creating a new horizon in human history during this pandemic which has been a hard nut to crack. Their patience, preserverance and diligence has proven that they are the real heroes. Let us all salute them on National Doctors’ Day!” ~Neetu Kapoor, Author
“Only a doctor is endowed with the magical abilities to treat our lives, restore our health and be there for us when we have lost all hopes.” ~ Vandan Atha, Student
“Doctors are the flag bearer of hope, who hold our hands during the most difficult times. Their presence brings us not only hope but is also the beginning of cure! HAPPY DOCTORS’ DAY! ?” ~Milind and Deepa Dedhia, Entrepreneurs
“In my family, we have a simple saying that ‘A Doctor is God Personified’. In this online age where we have every medical info at our fingertips, we still prefer to keep our trust in Doctors. That’s the impact Doctors have on our lives. Today being Doctor’s day, I’d really like to thank all the doctors and healthcare professionals who have been battling this pandemic right since day 1. God Bless you all ?” ~Matts and Mayuri Fernandas, Consultants
“Doctors are a more permanent feature in my life than even friends or work. Hence, it becomes even more important for me to acknowledge the effort that goes into their work – one that we have seen time and again at display during the pandemic. I am thankful for the kind doctors I have come across in my life, who believed in healing with a smile, and dealt with my constant questioning with patience and interest. It’s a tribe of people I hope everyone finds when they require. Here’s offering my regards and well wishes to doctors; and a hope for empathy towards their job.” ~ Utkarsha Kotian, Faculty at Whistling Woods International
“Well, a doctor is actually a life saver. Multiple instances I remember when doctors have been available throughout the day and night. The real vouch of a life saver and being available always!! If they were no doctors we wouldn’t be there. The control of the current pandemic situation is also with the efforts of Doctors and medical staff. Hats off to them!” ~Kekin Savla, Executive
“Looking at doctors I always feel 2 things: Proud about their unsung battles everyday and Inspired about their dedication towards their profession. One of the most Noble profession indeed! I express my gratitude to them for always being there and helping us no matter what!” ~Pradnya Sawant, Executive
“When my grandfather fell severely ill, tensions in our house ran high. However, under the care of doctors, grandpa was safer and it helped ease our minds too. Now that grandpa is back home, I feel grateful to all the doctors who nursed him back to health. I realise how important doctors are in keeping our families intact.” ~Pavni Khanna, Young Student
“Grateful to my family doctor for always working relentlessly and leaving no stone unturned to restore us back to normal health every time we had an ailment.” ~Nidhi Chauhan, Student
“Today the nation is paying homage to all medical professionals on the Doctors’ day. We admire this noble profession that serves mankind selflessly. Doctors have played a vital role to fight against the present pandemic by working throughout the day and night in service of mankind. Being parents of a doctor, we feel proud and overwhelmed when our son is given respect for his dedication to his profession. It is very heartening to live those moments when people consult our son and get benefited. We are proud of havng a doctor in our family. A big salute to all Doctors!” ~ Anita and Ajay Kacker, Retired.
“Wishing Dr. Shishir Shetty a very Happy Doctors’ day! Your treatment and care has made a huge difference on our family lives!” ~Shirish Bokde, Professor.
“I feel nothing but immense gratitude towards our doctors for putting others before self and family. May God bless them with more strength and power.” ~Abhishek and Shraddha Pawar, Bankers.
“On this occasion of Doctors; day, I express my gratitude to all the doctors for serving and treating us with happiness.” ~Zarna Patil, Executive
“For every ailment I have had, some doctor has been kind enough to pull me out of it!” ~Diksha Dhandhania, Student
“As the world has been dealing with a pandemic for the past 1.5 years, we can never forget the contributions of our medical professionals. On Doctors’ day, I’d like to express my gratitude to all of the doctors, physicians, and health-care professionals for their unwavering dedication and hard work throughout this extraordinary period. I salute and applaud their courage and selflessness in helping the society. They’ve emerged as heroes who risked their own lives to serve us. We owe a debt of gratitude to every doctor and health practitioner!” – Shikha Sinha, Student
“Doctors are like the antibodies that protect us from various diseases, they are like the dam that protects us from the vicious flood of viruses and infections. On the occasion of National Doctors’ day, we thank our beloved doctors for all the restless support and help they provided us in fighting the Covid -19 Virus.” ~Abhigyan Rakesh, Student
Dear Doctors,
On this Doctors’ Day, we celebrate your dedication and hard work that is saving millions of lives, especially in the time of this global pandemic. As they say, medicines cure diseases, Doctors cure patients! A heartfelt thank-you for being part of our journey in life with your selfless service!
~Jyothi & Unnikrishnan Nair, Consultants
“Doctors are angels of God. The service they render to mankind is remarkable and we remain indebted to them forever. The concept of family doctor in earlier days was so very true as they are part of family and they look into the overall wellbeing of one and all! ?” ~The Thakkar Family
“While all occupations deliver as per their commitment and timelines, doctors are the only one who go over and above their job duties to serve the mankind… Doctors:”The real life savers”. Our beautiful family has witnessed the same in recent times when our loving father got hospitalized and we almost lost him. The very thought of hospitalization was scary and traumatizing. However, the caring and selfless doctors who served us made it friendly and pleasing experience. They revived our father and brought him back to us. Today on doctor’s day, we express our deepest gratitude to the doctors and the entire medical fraternity for their relentless efforts and selfless service. Thank you doctors! Please continue to be our God disguised as humans” ~Radha, Anuradha, Viraj and Ankur.
I have been writing my blog for about 5 months now and many of my posts have been well received by my current as well as ex-students, frontline, middle-level, and senior corporate executives, aspiring entrepreneurs, blogging fraternity, and many freelance professionals in consulting and other domains. I have generally been writing on various areas of interest to my target audiences mentioned above – like business planning, entrepreneurship, operational strategies, marketing, value addition, working towards profit and wealth creation. I have also written on the importance of leadership, team building, communication, coordination, customer centricity, building competitive advantage, and several other knowledge pieces of interest and importance to my readers.
But then, what I am going to offer all my readers this weekend is altogether different. It is a total shift from the usual business and management stuff.
How did I get the motivation to do it? A few days back, I received a WhatsApp forward that gave me a jolt. It is the story of a young school-going girl who goes out of her way and makes an unthinkable sacrifice for her classmate – identifying, understanding, and regulating her emotions for her friend. The story teaches us, grown-up people, the true meaning of selfless love. I am not sure whether the story is a real one or a piece of fiction. I also do not know who is the original creator of this story. However, I am reproducing the story verbatim with utmost respect to the original author– whom I do not know…
“My wife called, ‘How long will you be with that newspaper? Will you come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?
I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter, Sindu, looked frightened; tears were welling up in her eyes.
In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with curd rice. Sindu is a nice child, quiet and intelligent for her age.
I picked up the bowl. ‘Sindu, darling, why don’t you take a few mouthfuls of this curd rice? Just for Dad’s sake, dear.
Sindu softened a bit and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. ‘Ok, Dad. I will eat – not just a few mouthfuls, but a whole lot of this. But, you should…’ Sindu hesitated…… ‘Dad if I eat this entire curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?’
‘Promise’. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine and clinched the deal.
Now I became a bit anxious. ‘Sindu, dear, you shouldn’t insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. Ok?’
‘No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive.’
Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child to eat something that she detested.
After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her.
‘Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!’ was her demand.
‘Atrocious!’ shouted my wife, ‘A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!’
‘Never in our family!’ My mother rasped. ‘She has been watching too much television. Our culture is getting spoiled with these TV programs!’
‘Sindu, darling, why don’t you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.’
‘Please, Sindu, why don’t you try to understand our feelings?’ I tried to plead with her.
‘Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice’. Sindu was in tears. ‘And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words.
“Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honour our promises no matter what?’
It was time for me to call the shots. ‘Our promise must be kept.’
‘Are you out of your mind?’ chorused my mother and wife.
‘No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honour her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.’
With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a smile.
Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, ‘Sinduja, please wait for me!’ What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. ‘Maybe, that is the in stuff, I thought.
A lady got out of the car and came to me. She said ‘Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed! That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son, Harish. He is suffering from… leukaemia’. She paused to muffle her sobs.
‘Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates.
Sinduja visited him last week and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue…..
“But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.’
I stood transfixed with tears ‘My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!’
The happiest people on this planet are not those who live on their terms but are those who change their terms for others!”
We live in a male-dominated world. I have realised this truth since I was a young boy. One cannot question this premise since we do live in a male-dominated world. The male member is supposed to be the breadwinner of the family, providing with necessities, mobilizing resources for a better standard of living and generally, providing support to all members of the family. It was believed, not so long ago, by one and all, that women have a passive role— they remain inside the house and attend to a variety of household activities like cooking, housekeeping, and taking care of children.
Since it did not affect my lifestyle, I happily lived with the above belief till my engineering college days. I spent a long tenure of about six years completing my graduation and post-graduation. Higher education proved to be transformative for me! In those six years, I learnt and adopted several newer ways of living my life – including but not limited to improving on my communication and shedding of my somewhat introvert nature. Thanks to the people I was surrounded by my classmates, close friends, seniors, professors at college and many more in the immediate external environment.
Unfortunately, however, my so-called transformation did not bring any worthwhile change in my attitude towards girls. Whenever it came to connecting with girls, I was attached and detached at the same time. If I reflect further, however, I was comfortable and felt secure in the company of elderly females and loved talking to them.
At the age of 24, I started my first job. My circle of influence was now steadily growing, and I had started connecting with many persons from different strata of society. If the work situation demanded, I had to interact with strangers too. In this period of my life, I had many occasions to interact with grown-up girls, young women, housewives (I would love to call them home-makers instead), and professional females like school and college teachers, company executives, and entrepreneurs. As a young man, I was interested and curious about them too!
I think of this period, from 1972 until I married two years later in 1974, was the time that broke all my misconceptions. My discussions and interactions with women from all walks of life had opened up all the closed valves inside my head. I was now clear of all my mental blocks that any matured woman – in any role in society: a student, teacher, homemaker, business executive, entrepreneur, or social activist – can be a fantastic change agent for our country. Until that moment, I used to look at every problem, program, or project through the lens of the POV of a man but now my perspective changed totally. But now, I look at everything from the joint perspective of a male and female both.
If we accept the above concept of “joint perspectives,” it opens a new window of opportunity for us. Let me explain. If we have an important project to execute – we can build the project team by including both males and females from different social, ethnic, and demographic backgrounds, cross-cultural orientations, and skill-sets.
For the last several years, I have seen women successfully take important roles as businesspersons, organizational leaders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. I read a Forbes article once that discussed how enterprises run and managed by women folks make more money. Women have a strong self-belief, exhibit extreme faith and are passionate about whatever they do. Women generally are very good organizers, have a strong sense of purpose, show patience and persistence and are more than willing to leave their comfort zones to reach their goals.
In my third inning – as a retired professional – I have been working as an Adjunct Professor with a renowned film, communication, and creative arts institute in Mumbai. I teach business and management subjects in their School of Media and Communication (SMC). SMC is headed by a qualified and well-experienced media professional. I take pride in saying that our department is led by a woman.
She is a wonderful person, a master of her craft, and knows how to get the best from her team of over a dozen young and middle-aged female faculty members plus three academic coordinators. She has only two male teachers in her team, and I am one of them!
We work in SMC as a close-knit family under the umbrella of our lady-boss (not citing her name for the sake of privacy) who treats us with frequent gifts and small but cute celebrations within the department. She practices the creative fusion of assertion and affection excellently. Work is like play and fun at SMC because all members respect each other and love what they do. If they do not love what they do, they can always ask for a change under our flexibility-loving culture.
We celebrated International Women’s Day this week and I wanted to put on record my respect and remembrances to all those wonderful females with whom I have worked recently and who have had a significant impact on my life. As you all know, I am working as a freelance professional for the other institutions also. Through this post, I also pay my regards and respect to all those females in these institutions who have been working with me. I am grateful for their work and positive presence in my life.
Showing my gratitude to these wonderful women who have positively impacted my personal and professional life…
For a teacher, a student sharing his/her learning journey is a source of great joy and fulfilment. It is one of the treasures that I cherish the most. My ex-students have reached out to me with their kind words, and I want to use my blog to shine a light on some of the things they have said about me.
Here is Aniket Joshi, eloquently sharing our times together.
“I met Mr. Kapil Tandon in 2018. As a part of my MBA focused towards Operations Management, Kapil Sir taught me a subject named ‘Operations Strategy’.
It was truly an overwhelming experience to gain the understanding of the issues related to operations as a strategic element in any business organization. The examples stated by Kapil Sir during the course delivery were immensely relevant from current as well as a future perspective. The key takeaway from all his lectures narrowed down to ‘delivering value to a customer’.
Defining ‘Value’ which is a very subjective concept in itself was explained by Kapil Sir in a very subtle and an effective manner. At the end of the course, I realised the importance of interlinkages between various business units in an organization and their operationally effective functioning which can help an organization to become cost efficient, extract hidden profits to create a competitive advantage in any industry/domain.
He has been a friend, philosopher and guide for me as a student. I feel blessed to have gained knowledge from such an experienced professional with a very simple and subtle way of explaining complex concepts to students. I continue to reap benefits by the application of concrete concepts taught by him as a Freelance Continual Process Improvement Consultant.”
Siddharth is my student pursuing his post-graduation at Whistling Woods International. He always handles himself with grace and politeness. I was happy to hear what he had to say:
“Mr. Kapil Tandon or as I call him – Kapil Sir, is a fantastic professor and an extremely learned person. His personal experience in subjects of business and finance has made him a guru of those subjects in his professional life.
His approach towards teaching is awe-inspiring but what’s most important is his curiosity to learn even after being so knowledgeable. His opinion towards failure is one of the most interesting takes that I have heard in my life.
Kapil Sir says that one should celebrate their failures as they celebrate their successes because without failures there is no learning, and hence, there will be no success.
I love his articles and I read his blog regularly. It is insightful as well as motivating. Keep writing and inspiring us, Sir!”
I am so happy to use my blog as a platform to keep in touch with you. I may not be teaching you in a traditional classroom setting, but through my writing, I can reach out to you and continue to convey my thoughts and impart some teaching.
Your responses have also been great! You have been replying to me personally on chat, boosting my posts on social media and even calling me to tell me that you liked my initiative with the website. However, I am writing this letter as a fervent appeal to you:
I write very short blogs keeping in mind that our attention spans have reduced a lot. So, to keep you engaged, I am writing stories about my life and motivational posts to lift your spirits! It would take you not more than five minutes to read and comment on this blog. It will not only give the website traffic but also create a community of students and readers.
Make it a regular Sunday practice! Respond to the ideas in the posts, and reflect aloud in the comment section! I want the blog to be of value for you too!
Stay Motivated!
Best wishes,
With great joy, I am posting these personal messages that I have received in response to the blog through email, WhatsApp messages or telephone calls. They are some of the people who I admire, and their words of encouragement mean a lot to me!
These are just a few excerpts of the messages they have sent!
“Congratulations Sir…
Ever onward!”
“Congratulations on taking the first step towards a great new beginning! The blog looks excellent and speaks volumes about the efforts that you have put in to nurture this long-awaited avenue/dream of yours! So happy for you Sir!”
“Very nice, Sir! Thanks for sharing! I loved the pictures… Saw the other side of your personality!”
“It’s remarkable how you continue to reinvent yourself and inspire both students and all of us. :)”
“This is not just wonderful but highly inspiring. I read a little right away and I can see myself looking forward to your words of wisdom each week.”
“‘Young at heart’ is what would describe Kapil Sir in shortest way. His life experiences which he blends in his teachings are immensely inspiring. Now with his blog his beautiful and encouraging life experiences can be heard by many. He continues his streak of inspiration with his words of wisdom. Being his ex student, i came across quite a few of his experiences that he never shared in my class. This way I am happy to be his student forever. If becoming an entrepreneur is your goal in life then Kapil Sir is the person you need to go to learn some important lessons before you start your journey. Good Luck with the blog Kapil Sir.”
“Congratulations to Kapil Sir! Lovely blog, Sir!”
“Kapil sir, the blog looks fantastic! So much good work!”
“Sir read your blog. Excellent way to spread your ever positive feelings. I actually made my daughter read your article on How to connect with the world around.”
“I must say it’s a very professional blog and the articles are absolutely wonderful. I am yet to read all the articles however you’ve penned down your experiences for us to know that’s the beauty. You are a superman who is always adapting to new things in your life!”
“I have been reading the articles on your blog after Nidhi shared them with us last week and I especially loved the article ‘A Letter to all my Students’
Really excited for you to have started this journey! I am certain this will prove to be a great medium for you to reach out and bring value to even more people than you already do!
Will be posting comments on your article publicly as well but just wanted to say this to you personally first!”
“It was very nice to hear from you after a very long time. There are very few of our friends and classmates who are really active at this juncture of life. It is good to know that you are starting your own blog. I will learn from your experience.”
“I read your blog. It’s very nice and informative. Congratulations!”
“Awesome fufaji… Great start!”
“Thank you for your motivation.
This is very much helpful for young adults.
Your blogs encourage us to grow and develop our talent and knowledge.”
“This looks wonderful sir. Congratulations and all the best!”
“Thank you for your generous email! I read your blogs, sir. They are very informative!”
“So happy to see your new venture. Extremely well designed page. Love love love! Wish you the very best in this endeavour. I’ll share it with my friends and family as well :)”
“Kapil Sir has been an amazing mentor to me right from the time I took up my MBA course till today! His teaching style and zeal is what lures students to learn more and he even makes the most difficult concepts seem like a piece of cake. He has the uncanny ability to successfully engage students with several real world examples and link them with the theoretical concepts that he teaches. I clearly recollect his Project Management and Operations Strategy lectures today whilst making Organization level decisions for several macro projects. I am deeply grateful to Kapil sir and credit a lot of my career achievements to his enigmatic training skills”
“I have been following your blog regularly and it has given me great insights and has inspired me. Your journey and your ideas have always motivated me to work hard and I look forward to read more amazing articles.”
“I was looking forward to read your blogs since the time you announced about it and it was worth the wait..
Your blogs are really quick but informative read. They are very interesting as you share your real life experiences through them.
The vocabulary and the writing flow make it very fun and easy to read your blogs
Thank you so much for sharing all these wonderful career and life advice with us!! It is so appreciated!!!”
“Kapil Sir is more than just a professor. He is a great mentor and a friend. I have been very privileged and blessed to attend his lectures. Students look forward for his sessions because he has such a unique teaching style. He teaches us by sharing practical anecdotes from his own life. These examples help a lot in our personal and professional journey. I must say that Sir always has a solution to every problem, and he is ever-ready to help.”
“Congratulations on your blog.
You have always been our strength and you don’t fail to surprise us each day✨
Take care. Keep doing what you do.”
“I have been reading your blogs for over a month now. Your every single blogs are so full of great insights. I am sure we will get to read your vast 72 years of experience through your interesting blogs in coming days.”
“I enjoy reading your blog regularly because they offer me very practical advice!”
“Sir, I have read your blog and it’s very helpful and informative. It has made me understand management
concepts easily.”
“Hello Nana! I just loved your blog and suggest everyone to invest their time in it. Its worth reading. Your efforts for us are really commendable!”
“Kapil sir has been a phenomenal professor from my alma mater. However, I saw him as a content creator for the first time. There are certain quintessential features in the blogs that compel you to read them again. I would highly recommend to all the readers to have a look. It’s a different perspective all together!”
“My first interaction with Prof. Kapil Tandon was during my internship submission. I had a great impression of him in the Q&A round we had. We met again during my last semester where he was my faculty for Operations Strategy. He teaches to to make students aware about day to day scenario and then co-relating it with the books rather than teaching theories and then leave students to relate it with reality. I am very fond of his lectures and the way he explains the case studies which in itself shows the ability, vast domain knowledge and insight about industries across verticals. Thank you sir for all your support and lessons.”
“I’m overwhelmed to see such amazing blogs. It’s truly incredible. I just love the way you write and motivate others.. Your efforts are endless! I wish you good luck for the future. Waiting for more blogs to come up ??”
“Something I really appreciate about you is your aptitude for problem-solving in a proactive way. Hats off, Sir! I always see a mentor in you!”
“The information on your blog about business and management is really helping me. It is giving me many new ideas and a lot of inspiration. I keep looking forward to your updates on the blog. Keep posting more and more!”
“It is a great pleasure to go through your blogs. My wife Anita and I go through your blogs regularly. They are so informative and relate to the real-life experiences around us. Your blogs are full of morals. It gives us courage in our daily life. Our best regards to you for all times.”
“If wrinkles must be written upon our brows, let them not be written upon the heart. The spirit should never grow old.” I am reminded of Kapil sir when I read this quote by James A. Garfield. I am so privileged to have him as a mentor. He blends his immense knowledge and experience with real-life. How beautifully he can explain every topic that we connect with it automatically! Sir, you have always motivated me to be a leader, just like you. The first time I heard that you started your professional journey from Kota, the city I hail from, I felt so proud. You have taught me to strike a balance in this professional journey. You have a different thought process towards learning, i.e., lessons should reflect on our behaviour! Thank you for everything!
There is not enough I can say about how lucky I am to have got a mentor and an advisor like Kapil Sir. His patience and understanding are unsurpassed. He has set the bar for rigour in learning and has positively influenced me to grow. It was an honour to study strategic management and business ethics under a gem like him. I still remember that day when I called him before my interview at TATA Capital; where his words were ” I know you are an excellent student and they’ll select you”. Unaware of what the future holds for me, one thing was sure that it motivated me to challenge my limits. Sir, you continue to embrace me more and more with your knowledge, creativity and this engaging blog of yours. They say some people brighten up the room with their presence even in distance –you are one of those living examples. You aren’t just helping me learn, you’re making me a better person every day. You have always gone above and beyond the expectations of a ‘great’ professor. Thank you for your guidance, wisdom and compassion as I continue this management journey.
We read your blog regularly on the weekends. Thoroughly enjoyed the way you created all the formulas of life in your latest post. It is so relatable to each one of us, regardless of age and profession. Your advice is practical and inspirational. Your posts help me think and grow socially. Keep writing and sharing your pearls of wisdom! We both wish you the very best, always! ?Thank you!
“Dear Kapil, I am a regular reader of your blog. I am happy to see you flourish as a writer too! I thought your post on “Striking a Balance” is an excellent post for new generation and the young people. ? The post “Math of Life” had an interesting presentation. and was very well articulated.”
“Kapil has been my colleague for many years now. It is always a joy to talk to him. He is loved and cherished by students and faculty alike. I read his posts every weekend, and I am happy to know that his writing journey has taken off to such a great start! Wish him the best always!”
It is said that the process of learning is irrespective of academics, and how truly have I witnessed this. I have learnt my best lessons in life from a professor I was never associated with academically.
I was fortunate to be guided under the umbrella of Prof. Kapil Tandon Sir during my internship in 2020.
My experience during the internship was not very favourable and I had to go through some bitter and illegal business hands. But somehow I gained strength to stand against it only because Kapil Sir showed confidence in me. He taught me a life lesson that if you are not wrong, do not fear anything. He taught me when you stand for yourself and for the right, things will fall in place. Since that day he did not abandon me and kept motivating me saying, every bitter experience is a learning opportunity.
Post then the global pandemic started affecting various jobs. But Kapil Sir never abandoned any of his student and continued to teach us how to grab the best out of the given situation. During my first job I missed an opportunity just because of the game of luck. I was disheartened and started doubting my capabilities. I contacted Kapil Sir, with the same enthusiasm he helped me immediately without any delay. The time when many of my academic professors denied to help me, Kapil Sir tried his best to bring things on board and kept me mentally calm.
I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with a guide who has given me the lessons which no university books teaches. He has helped me become a better professional and an art of staying focused and calm when things go south. This is just an appreciation blog, where I will like to thank Kapil Sir for being such an amazing guide, motivator and believing in me.
I met Kapil Sir during my job interview at a GTL group company. He was one of the interviewers. After that we were a team. We spent a lot of time on financial modelling and business planning for the company. Working with him was a very stimulating and enriching experience. He naturally became my mentor and I learnt a lot from him… not just about work. We discussed life, healthy living and he even gave me some amazing salad tips! I was lucky to have shared his tiffin everyday because his wife whom I lovingly call Indu Aunty cooks the most amazing and healthy food. The times spent with him have been some of my most memorable ones. At 70 plus, he has this infectious enthusiasm and energy which most youngsters lack!
Thank you so much for this blog Sir. I read your “Don’t react. Respond” blog and I must say that I got the motivation and inspiration on how to tackle dealers/clients when thrown at such situations. I usually am a person who gets nervous when tested or reacted in such a way. But from now on, I will surely try to respond calmly in such situations. Thank YOU so much again for always being there for us. ? And guiding us in the path of life. We’re extremely blessed to have a friend in a professor. We love you. Thank You so much again. ???
It was always splendid to hear Kapil sir narrate insightful stories from his personal experiences when I came for his classes. And now that I’m not in college anymore, I read all of his blogs. It’s great how he shares these strategies and tactics with relevant and interesting stories. Certainly an inspiration for the younger generation. They’re Informative articles that can help to turn around the negative aspects of our lives and spur us into taking positive actions .
Sir it was pleasure to be your student and also to be your GG (good girl). Thank you sir for pushing me forward to interact and also I’ve learned a lot from your lectures and from you. I was not an interactive student back in my school days but you pushed me forward to speak and give answers in class that made me confident. We really enjoyed your class and I think we would have enjoyed a lot more if the classes were offline because there we would have met you in person but I wish you come back as our mentor, teacher in next semester. Thank you for being so chilled out teacher that I have ever came across!
Your classes have been fun and very informative, and your blogs have been a cherry on the top. You have been like a grandfather-professor to us and I will always remember you and your lectures. Thank you so much sir for sharing your valuable time and your life long experiences with us. It really means a lot and will cherish this forever sir. Thank you once again.
I have always wanted to write down my thoughts and experiences and share them with young people. This December, I took the leap of faith: I started blogging!
I was pleasantly surprised to receive 500+ views per day last week! The website has received over 100 comments since its launch. I have received so many encouraging emails. I am so glad to have the support of students who have reached out to help me navigate and spread the word on social media too! I never expected to be so motivated by your views, likes and comments on all of these different platforms! I am over the moon!
As this year wraps up, I find myself filled with joy and gratitude. So, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank my students, colleagues and well-wishers. I hope that my writing continues to engage and inspire you.
Dear Readers, I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
I wanted to take a moment to shine a light on one special response that I received by email. It was by none other than Mr. Subhash Ghai! The Showman needs no introduction! We already know him from his marvelous blockbuster hits like Taal, Ram Lakhan, Pardes, Khalnayak.. the list goes on!
Here’s what he wrote:
“Kapil Tandon- ‘A man who refuses to give up’ (the interview) says it all about him… from his learnings to teachings (of) human wisdom and universal truth. Whistling Woods is blessed to have a mentor like him for the real growth of our young students… as a person and professional as well. Thank you Kapil ji. God Bless You.”
SUBHASH GHAI, Hindi film director, producer and screenwriter
SG Sir,
I am so elated to have received this response from you. Thank you from the core of my heart. I want to take this opportunity to wish you a happy and prosperous new year! ~Kapil Tandon
Professor, Consultant and Mentor – Kapil Tandon talks about his life experiences, and what keeps him going strong at 72 years…
The following interview was conducted by Rohan Vachani who was a student of Kapil Sir for 8 consecutive semesters during his undergraduate and postgraduate programs in media studies and business management.
Currently, Rohan works as a Freelance Event Curator & Manager. He is also associated with his family confectionery business in Dehradun (his hometown) and collaborates with his father in the family business “Chocolate Corner” as Manager – Brand Building & Communications.
Speaking of him, Kapil Sir fondly remembers, “Rohan, because of his eclectic interests, was always one of my favourite students. I used to keep him in mind while formulating my teaching and mentoring strategies.”
I was brought up in a joint family involved in the business. My thinking was certainly influenced by my father and other three uncles who could think and talk of nothing else but business. Consequently, I developed a liking for business. Business jargons like planning business, projects, growth, profitability, and development sounded familiar and natural to me.
I always loved being with people, talking to them, understanding them, and appreciating their capabilities and skills. Managing or running an institution or an enterprise always fascinated me. All this drove me to pursue further achievements and provided me with much-needed inspiration. Studying engineering and management followed by many years of working with the corporate world developed an intense desire to begin my venture. I started my own FMCG company as the main promoter and enjoyed my entrepreneurial journey for over 14 years. Later, I decided to exit for family reasons, dominantly because both my sons were not interested in business and wanted to settle abroad.
We often talk that an entrepreneur needs an MBA or a base skill in finance or marketing. But it is not so. These are all the skills which can be bought in the market and the successful entrepreneur builds these resources into his/her team. So, my answer to your question is, no, I don’t think it is crucial to have a degree to be successful in the business world!
So, what sets a businessperson apart is their mindset! Think about it, typically, the main functions that an entrepreneur must perform are— to organize, to be able to take risks and to innovate! Those who work with a positive attitude and mindset can overcome many doubts, fears, and apprehensions.
A passionate entrepreneur embraces every challenge and accepts change and can adapt as and when it is required.
Family support is essential to every successful entrepreneur, or at least it makes the journey easier. Starting a new business with an established family business by your side is certainly a great advantage! It acts as effective insurance or fallback option (or call back in case of any problem).
However, parents, siblings, spouses — all of them have something to say when we start a venture. Sometimes they can be supportive, and sometimes they may be restrictive and too careful against risks.
In my case, I was quite lucky as my family was generally supportive of my going for the entrepreneurial venture of my own. The proposal was for starting a venture in Lucknow – my home place in Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) with the support of my joint family. However, my wife was not in favour of moving to Lucknow from Mumbai. According to her, this move was likely to pose cultural adjustment problems, like adjusting to the culture of U.P. and even adjusting within a joint family. Both these apprehensions eventually came true and affected our life in several ways.
With my venture, I had undertaken the blending, packaging, marketing, and distribution (through market intermediaries) of packed tea. We had created our brands of tea and were managing the entire value chain right from sourcing the tea to its packaging, then the marketing and sales (including debtor-management, collections of receivables etc.).
In my instance, I think that it would have been a better idea to start as a producer supplier or purely as a marketing outfit (without any manufacturing) rather than undertaking the management of the entire value chain. That would have given more and quicker success!
I would strongly recommend entrepreneurship to all young persons. Now more than ever, the world needs entrepreneurs of all kinds who think and act entrepreneurially, who can transform opportunity into reality, and create social and economic value for themselves and others.
Aren’t entrepreneurs the true creators, innovators, and the leaders of the world? They can give back to society as directors and trustees. They are the people who are prepared to take risks to create high value and jobs which support the economy! Anyone can become an entrepreneur but not everyone survives the journey. A small percentage of students choose to become entrepreneurs, while the rest take the safer path of becoming employees for someone else’s business organization. Of course, there is nothing right or wrong about that decision, but isn’t it thrilling to make a mark of your own? I urge the youth to give themselves and their business ideas a real shot! If it works, it will transform your life exponentially!
For over last 10 years, I have been doing what I love– teaching, mentoring, guiding, and motivating young students! This is precisely what resonates with me, and creates positive vibrations for me… I am also guiding young and grown-up students to design and implement their success blueprints for whatever they want to do in life – including starting their entrepreneurial ventures.
I strongly feel that all smart young men and women should come forward and invest their efforts, resources, and time to start their venture. This will give them a happy, fulfilling, and prosperous life plus a great feeling knowing that they have contributed to the nation’s GDP.
