Bhattacharya - Prepare for the Unknown

Esteemed Mr Ajit Balakrishnan, chairman, board of governors, IIM Calcutta, Professor Saibal Chattopadhyay, director, IIM Calcutta, members of the board of governors, distinguished guests, faculty and staff members and, above all, the graduating students, their families, friends, respected members of the media, ladies and gentlemen, it is my honour to stand among such eminent people and be a part of the celebration this convocation represents.

Interacting with students and the youth is always an enriching experiencetheir ideas, their passion and their zeal and willingness to take on challenges are very energizingand it enthuses us in the firm belief that the future is in capable hands. As you all stand on the cusp of moving on from campus life to the real world, I am sure that there is some amount of apprehension in your mindsit is but natural as you will be moving out of your comfort zones to still-unexplored territory. Like leaving home for campus and hostel life, this is but the next stage of your journey on lifes curve. I experienced the same tentativeness when I left college to join the SBI and I am sure your seniors have felt the same and so will the future generation. But I am confident that your teachers and mentors, duly supported by your parents and friends, have taught you well and the grooming, the knowledge and the skills imbibed by you all will be infallible tools in helping you face whatever challenges the world has to throw at you. And, believe me, you will make your mark in your chosen fields and make yourself, your institution and your parents proud.

Todays world is one where change is the only constant. We are experiencing this change at every moment. And each change impacts us in various degrees and at various levels. The world is now closely integrated and, like Edward Lorenzs Butterfly Effect (a hurricanes formation being contingent on whether or not a distant butterfly had flapped its wings several weeks earlier), the slightest of changes may impact us in myriad ways. Therefore, preparedness for the unknown is a sine qua non. While you have been suitably tutored on preparedness, I would like to share with you some essential tenets I have gathered from my experience, the three Cs of a winners checklist, which have continued to give me the strength, conviction and courage to face up to any challenge.

The first of these Cs is creativity. Creativity involves tuning our innovative and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is reflected when you see the world in new ways, to perceive the hidden patterns, to establish connectivity between seemingly unrelated phenomena and to generate solutions. In the words of George Bernard Shaw, You see things; and you say, Why? But I dream things that never were; and I say, Why not?

Creative people have new ideas and new ways of looking at old problems. New ideas mean a willingness to adapt and change and also be a harbinger of change. In the words of Steve Jobs, Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didnt really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.

The question that I am sure must be on your minds now iscan creativity be learned? The short answer is yes. We humans are naturally creative, and creativity is a skill that can be developed and a process that can be managed. Creativity begins with a foundation of knowledge, learning a discipline and mastering a way of thinking. While this institute has provided you with the knowledge and the skill sets, you need to sharpen your ability to look at things in a different dimension. You can do this by provoking unorthodox responses, exploring different ideas and perspectives, questioning assumptions and challenging common wisdom, using imagination to draw connections between unrelated fields.

Creativity makes one grow and gives confidence. More importantly, it keeps boredom away. Ennui and inertia have no place in the life of creative person. The belief that one should be talented and gifted to be creative is a misplaced notion. Creativity is a latent attribute in every individual. No one reached high levels of achievement in their field without devoting thousands of hours to serious training. Mozart trained for sixteen years before he produced an acknowledged masterpiece. In the words of Pablo Picasso, Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.