I hear, and I forget. I see, and I remember. I do, and I understand.
- Chinese Proverb
Question - "How has life changed after becoming a celebrity?"
Answer – "It hasn't changed really. I am still treated badly by my mother and my wife". And even as the excited classroom full of MBA aspirants burst out laughing once more at the remarkable sense of humour of their mentor, one could see that the real purpose of the session - inspiration - was at the core of proceedings. The mentor was none other than Dr. Palash Sen (Euphoria) who, in his role as the chief-mentor MBAGuru, spent an entire day interacting with hundreds of students at the Delhi centres of MBAGuru, India's fastest growing MBA/CAT coaching program.
The Euphoric musician, actor, and Doctor who is known as the pioneer of Hind-rock and is a bundle of energy on stage, stepped in to a "more matured" new role of a mentor with great ease and the students loved every moment of it. After introducing himself, and elaborating on his keenness to play the role of an active mentor rather than simply being a face on the poster, Palash said, "My biggest achievement is my education. I am proud of being educated. And I think all of us should be proud of being educated. And I would be happy with whatever I can contribute in terms of helping you achieve your dreams." On his association with MBAGuru (Roots Education), he said, "There are 2 reasons for my being here - one, MBAGuru is run by people who themselves are from IIMs and IITs and hence are the best; and two, the program treats students as individuals and helps them become their individual best selves. It is not an assembly line kind of a system."
He patiently answered all queries, which ranged from students wanting to know how to join his band, Euphoria, to those who wanted to know how they could respond to the dilemma of having to chose between their passion and their profession in face of parental and peer pressure. The Doctor not only gave some serious and inspirational medicine to his students, but also told them to enjoy life even when they had serious goals to aim at. The MBA aspirants also had a lot of questions to ask about his management experiences - of successfully creating, positioning, financing, marketing and leading a band of phenomenal talent over 15 odd years. He explained - "The most important thing for me is the team. In one way, I have been lucky to have such great members. Also, as a leader I have had to let go of my ego and ensure that money matters are dealt with in a transparent manner." Some gyaan this, even for CEOs and corporate leaders.
Born in a family in the fourth generation of doctors and musicians, Palash, when asked whether he would allow and encourage his son to do something other than become a doctor, said in his characteristically witty style - "He can do anything he likes … after he becomes a doctor." And when the students finally asked him to sing a couple of lines from one of his songs, he countered "You want only a couple of lines?" and had the students crooning along with him enthusiastically as he sang out an entire para.
The MBAGuru students ofcourse, were thrilled. By the end of the session, even the minority of sceptics had become total fans, not of the doctor, singer, and actor they all knew of, but more so of their mentor. The interaction carried on outside the classroom as well and the doctor seemed happy to oblige all the students with autographs, photographs and personalised messages. He also promised to come back and stay in touch over the e-mail. "Just remember, I am with you," he said. As one student aptly remarked at the end, "We had come here thinking we would meet a celebrity, but was pleasantly surprised to interact with a surprisingly down-to-earth, witty, and inspiring mentor instead."
My expectations from MBAGuru were completely fulfilled and exceeded, both in terms of attention and enthusiasm. The classes are intensive and rigorous, along with a very relevant series of tests.
