SHILLONG: Union Minister for Human Resources Development, Smriti Zubin Irani had three back to back functions to attend but appeared poised and calm and delivered excellent extempore speeches at all three events. Not for her the rigmarole of a written speech. At the 7thConvocation of IIM Shillong, Irani spoke for precisely five minutes. She articulated her thoughts with clarity and in measured tones.
The HRD Minister who has been in the news for her fiery speech in Parliament and was roundly condemned for not checking her facts was not about to be caught on the wrong foot in Shillong. It was a pragmatic Irani who looked back 24 years ago when she worked for a logistics company and had to do the rounds of the railway station to see that her company’s materials were delivered on time.
“I was not as fortunate as you to graduate from such a prestigious institution nor did I learn elaborate theories. My first management lessons came from my family, especially lessons in managing relationships. All of you have some tale about something magical that your mother pulled out when everything seemed lost,” Irani said, adding that those are the first lessons in management. “The real world is a grisly space where the fight is tough but lessons in managing relationships will always come in handy,” she observed.
Lauding the faculty of IIM Shillong Smriti Irani said, “Yours is an institution blessed to have a former President – Dr Abdul Kalam, a teacher of calibre who taught you how to create a liveable planet. There are many who speak of sustainable living and environment conservation etc, but there is one fundamental need today and that is an engineering that can construct better human beings.”
Speaking about the yardsticks for judging how successful a person is, Irani said, “I would judge an individual’s success from the number of people he has left an impression on, how many he has helped and how many good memories he has left behind for families and friends. You dear students are not just management graduates but you are now entrusted with the job of building a new nation. You will be challenged every single day but how much you are willing to bend will depend on the character formation and the principles you have imbibed from your family and institution,” she stated.
Irani exhorted the IIM graduates to look at themselves not as business leaders only but leaders of the country. “As leaders you have to define the destiny of those you lead not where you want to go but where you need to go. You are now part of the system and you need to fix that system where it is ailing,” Irani stated.
Raising a toast to the new batch of management graduates, some of whom have already got their placements, the HRD Minister said, “Here’s to a new beginning; a new adventure called life. IIM Shillong and your parents have given us new leaders that our nation can depend on.”
