As I am writing this short note from Dubai, I am reminded of a young man in early 40s, Subhra Das, from the shores of Brahmaputra, in Assam, with whom I had dinner at his house in Dubai.
He is the Marketing Head (Exec Vice President) of the leading Middle East telecom company, Du Telecom, and the man behind Subhra Soul music (jazz). Hardly in his early 40s, and has already launched 6 telecom companies in Asia and Africa, he is now thinking of integrating interactive target-specific content with telecom broadband pipes; and practising fresh, innovative, simple and experiential ideas in telecommunication of the future in his seven year old telecom company Du Telecom, the second largest one in UAE after Etisalat Telecom.
What a dynamic and a focused no-nonsense man, without a word wasted, with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and another one from Harvard, and Masters in Music from Barclays University! And, with a great partner in his beautiful Punjabi wife Namrata, a son dedicated to soccer, another in love with karate, both below 14 years, and all of them staying in a superb Lakeside Villa in New Dubai, with exquisitely done interiors, owned by him, with a price no less than Rs.5 crores for a 99 years lease. You deserve what you earn the hard way.
Intrigued, I asked him, as to how he traverses between music, marketing, hi-end telecom and putting up with little nuances of his Manchester United fan elder son Ayan or karate yielding younger son Ayushman. And his answer was, “Each has its time and space, and I do not mix up any two of them.”
What a profound yet simple lesson here.
Most of us around love to live in borrowed times, a life that we have not earned and does not belong to us, a life of pomp on the face, and holes beneath. Most of us live in make-belief time and space. Most of us live in a time and space which is not here and now, which is not real.
When an industry stalwart gives a challenge to create a campaign which is innovative, we live in a moment which can come several hours later in cineplex. When we are a day ahead of exams, we live in a moment which can come a few days later hitch-hiking or spent with a dear one. When we are with family, we live in a moment of adventure or with chums of fun and frolic.
Procrastination is the other name of life often. Leaving the work of today for tomorrow is the way of life often. Finding an easy scapegoat for my failures of today to indulge in a blame-game is the usual look of life often.
We live in every which way that is not this moment, the time and space now. We do not listen to others. We do not see the world around. We do not think beyond the sound heard and the scene seen. We do not know the context of a thing that happens around us. We do not, hence, see the future.
If we start living in here and now, this time and space of life where we are, life becomes fuller and happier. But, that is passe. What attracts is the mundane way to live.
Subhra tells that he lives in every moment, of challenge in the market-place, of innovations of technology less known, of pranks with his kids, of moments with his wife planning the interiors of the house, of music for his soul, and all that, with each having its immense value and impact on what he considers a life well-lived!
Can we define our life well-lived? Because, only when you can dream something, you can work towards making it yours… Or, a live well-lived, or a life divine, is just a life in your dreams! Finally, it is all in the minds!
