It is easy to find men full of dreams and aspirations, but there is only one in a million who actually lives and achieves it. The person I am going to write is about one such person, let us call him Sunder.
He was born 55 years ago in a small island known as Sri Lanka. Like many others in his country his goal was to become a chartered accountant and eventually an entrepreneur. But fate had something else in mind.
In 1983 there was a racial riot in Sri Lanka, during which all of Sunder’s money was stolen. Most of the minority groups migrated to other countries to survive, but what made Sunder unique was his determination to excel in the country he lived in. The need for money made him quit his studies and set up his own business at an early stage in life. Today he is a successful entrepreneur who owns a conglomerate! He won the ‘most influential entrepreneur of the country’ award in 2012.
Time is what matters most to him. If he had to pay an extra $100 to get somewhere five minutes earlier he would do so. Don’t get me wrong – that does not mean he does not know the value of money. It just means that he has the concept of ‘time value of money’ mastered – 10 minutes for him is more valuable than $100. That being said, he is a very practical person, and does not have preoccupations about anything. Any product that seems to be most user friendly is what he would buy. Right now he owns, an ipad, mac book, I phone, Samsung S4 and a Microsoft tablet – clearly not a brand loyal person.
The next thing that matters to him is prestige.
What will the society think of me if I do XYZ? – A common question in his mind.
Travelling for work is a major part of Sunder’s schedule. If I landed in Sri Lanka to surprise him right now, it would be a stupid idea, as he himself does not know when he would be travelling next. Apart from work, he spends his time with family and is involved spiritual activities. He values people for how genuine they are - trust once broken will never be forgiven.
He is well respected in the society he lives in. As people say,he is
- A man of principles
- Most disciplined man ever
- Fun loving
Ironically this is not what immediate family members feel, especially his children. What they feel is
- Why does he care about the society and what others think?
- Why does he spend so much time on social services instead of just relaxing?
He is a very caring person – there have been many times, when students from India meet him out of the blue, and tell him how they do not have money to continue their education. Smart Move! Education is the single most important thing in a person’s life according to Sunder, and that is why he has an educational trust, through which he donates fees for undergraduate studies.
Well his friends love to spend time with him- not only because he is easy to be with, but also because he is very knowledgeable. Most of the conversations involve currency rates, new business ventures, stock markets etc. It is very rare to see him without a calculator for more than ten minutes at most. His wife often jokes saying - Were you born with a calculator in your hand?
He has NEVER been an employee ever, since he was always an entrepreneur at heart. So a good question would be - what do his employees think of him. Not surprisingly opposite of what I have written so far.
His employees believe he is the most difficult boss to work with. Usually a task is given with a deadline of a couple of hours, but not in Sunder’s case. The work he wants to get done has to start next minute. There is no waiting time. And this brings us back to what I said earlier - time is precious for him.
Influencers believe it is easy to be convince him provided the data is available. If you could prove that a product would be very useful, or could serve a purpose better than an existing product – the sale is made!
Fear does not exist in his vocabulary; I guess it does not exist in any successful entrepreneur’s vocabulary. Risk and fear do not go hand in hand. But this is compensated by the frustration he experiences the moment something goes against what he planned. In real world not everything happens the way you want, but that is not what Sunder believes in. If he wants something, or wants someone to do something - it has to happen in the exact way.
Obstacles are his notion of prestige and living for the society & family. This prevents him from loosening up and at times enjoying life to the fullest. He hopes to see his children settled down soon – again from his perception of settling, which is very different from what his children think. And hopes to make as much profits as he possible can.
Finally what do I feel about him – the most influential person in my life. No matter what goes wrong, all I have to do is speak with him for 5 min. He sees life very positively; every problem has a solution according to him. I feel blessed to have lived besides him for 28 years. There have been many times we have argued since we have different priorities and perceptions in life. But no matter what he says always turns out to be the right thing.If only I listened, not an easy thing to do!
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