Luck or Hard Work .....or both... ?

Today, I complete exactly 30 years of Corporate work-life. This is my story, of how it all began...

 26th May 1990. 

Had just finished my engineering from REC Srinagar and was en route from Srinagar to Mumbai via Delhi by Indian Airlines. As often, the connecting flight was late and I was at Delhi Airport, waiting for my flight to Mumbai. I got talking to the gentleman seated next to me and we spoke about delays etc. Over the small talk we made, he mentioned he was the Recruitment Manager for Hindustan Lever Ltd ( HLL) who had just finished Campus recruitment at IIT Delhi and was on his way back home. On hearing that, I casually mentioned to him that I was receiving a HLL scholarship ( Kachroo Memorial Scholarship ). He inquired if I had applied for HLL, I sheepishly told him the college was not on the very elite list of campuses that HLL went to. On hearing this, he suggested I at least apply and opened his briefcase to find a blank application form, but as luck would have been, there was not a single blank form but a whole bunch of filled up forms. 

 He asked me to take down his name and number and contact him in Mumbai. I didn't even have a pen or paper on me. He fished around his pocket, took out a airport restaurant bill and scribbled his name and address and gave it to me. I folded it and tucked it away into my pocket, thanking him for his help. We left as our flight was announced.

 I went to Mumbai, then to Pune and after a few weeks of hanging around , waiting for various interview results and MBA/ MTech college results, went back to Mumbai. There, one afternoon, I found that bill with the name and address and on a whim, I called him. He asked me to come down to HLL office in Backbay Reclamation, Mumbai, on the same day...and it was clearly an hour and a half by the local train. I went there, met him, took the application form , actually it was a thick booklet , took over two hour to fill it up, handed it back to him and returned home. A few days later, I was called for an interview and a few days later I started working at HLL.

Wasn't it luck that my flight was delayed ? Wasn't it luck that the person sitting next to me happened to be the HLL recruitment manager ? Wasn't it luck that the careless me was still able to find that folded bill in my pockets a few weeks later on ? And then the call to him, the subsequent interview by Mr. LM Girdhar and Mr Gurdeep Singh, and then joining HLL on 1st Aug 1990. Post that, a lot of hard work !!! 

Life has its own quirks and we have our own share of luck and destiny. And then it is upto us all to do the hard work to make the most out of what life offers us.

Mr Unnithan took a chance , a bold bet, on this rookie, and gave me an opportunity to atleast interview. We all have an opportunity to make some bold bets and help people around us. We may not be able to help everyone but a few will shine , for sure....

Heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has helped and supported me, in their own special and unique ways over these 3 decades. Eternally grateful !!

 PS : That airport restaurant bill and the scribbled name and address, are treasured artifacts even after three decades.