This is a copy of email that I wrote to my team members soon after our anniversary celebrations at our business organisation.

Dear Team,

We had a wonderful time together celebrating our annual DexDay yesterday. Here is a quick re-cap of what I spoke and the discussion we had.

Big Thank you to team — Present and past

NRN (N. Narayanamurthy , Founder, Infosys) said ‘it is the entrepreneurs who bring food on the table’. I was thinking the reverse, who brings the food on the entrepreneurs’ table? It is the team and colleagues. Yesterday, I could stand in front of you, weathering (=withstanding) last 12 years, because of your support and contributions. The journey could have gone in a different direction but for the support of team from day zero. I thank all current and past team members of for the excellent support in this journey together.

1. The most important responsibility in our life (compared to anything else) is to be enthusiastic and to be cheerful

Below is a cryptic poem by Thiruvalluvar, an Indian saint who lived two thousand years ago.

உள்ளம் உடைமை உடைமை பொருளுடைமை நில்லாது நீங்கி விடும்.

“Enthusiasm owned by a man is the real wealth, Material wealth that a man owns endures not”

In the Holy Scripture, Gospal of Mathew says “Whoever has will be given more and he will have in abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away”.

We need to read this as “Whoever has enthusiasm and positive energy will be given more and he will have all things in abundance. Whoever does not have enthusiasm and positive energy, even what he has (all things) will be taken away”.

Having enthusiasm and positive energy is not just important but it a key responsibility in our life.

2. Let us not become slaves.

If one of our friends or our boss or even a close family member says, you need to wear Yellow dress every day to office or college, will we accept? If one of our friends or our boss or even a close family member says you need to eat curd rice or pan cakes every day morning, will we accept? If we blindly accept, then we become slaves. Others take control of what we do and our life — easy to understand.

In the same line, if others take control of when we are enthusiastic or when we are not, then are we not slaves?

We are all like a great car with accelerator operated by some one else. We need self-driven cars as well as self driven human beings!

When others decide, when we are happy, unhappy, angry or agitated, it is a real slavery. In fact, external slavery (like wear Yellow dress every day) is OK because it does not increase your blood pressure or create ulcer in stomach. But when we make others take control our enthusiasm and mood, it increases blood pressure and creates ulcer and other health issues. Not a good situation to be in. We need to take control of the switch of our own enthusiasm and happiness.

3. Positive things attracts more positive things in life

We are like magnets. But either as a positive magnet or a negative magnet. If we have more +ve thinking and enthusiasm, then we are a +ve magnet and it attracts more positivity. If we have –ve thinking and lack of enthusiasm then we have a negative magnet and it attracts more negativity.

If we think — I do not like my job, I have not got enough money, my boss does not appreciate me, my parents did not bring me up properly, my life is a mess, my pay is less, my health is poor, I do not have friends, I have problems — all these will attract and bring more negative things.

Where as if we think — I love my job, I enjoy my work, I enjoyed the week end, I learn a lot from my boss or peers, my parent did a great job in bringing me up, I feel wonderful today, my life is great, I am healthy, I have great friends and colleagues, I am doing fantastic — all these will attract more positive things in our life.

Remember again what Mathew said “ Whoever has (enthusiasm and positive energy) will be given more and he will have (all things) in abundance.” So have a positive magnet.

4. Have a LAKE not a GLASS : Have a bigger mind so that it does not get polluted

A man, named Mahesh, came to Buddha and said, dear Buddha my happiness and enthusiasm is always spoiled by others. Others give me pain and make me unhappy .

Buddha asked the man to bring a handful of Salt and a glass of water. Mahesh surprised, why Buddha, not answering his questions but asked him to do something stupid. But he obliged with some hesitation.

After Mahesh brought some Salt and a glass of water, Buddha asked Mahesh to divide the salt into two equal portions. He asked Mahesh to add one potion of salt to glass of water, mix well and drink it. Mahesh tried to do as instructed, but he could not drink. He said the water is very salty and does not taste good. But Buddha told him to drink it .. He drank and had a bad feeling in the mouth, throat, and stomach.

Buddha asked the Mahesh to come again next day with the remaining portion of salt. When Mahesh came, Buddha asked him to go to a nearby lake, mix the remaining handful of salt in the lake and then take one glass of water and drink it. Mahesh did exactly same, came back with a smile and said he mixed the salt, drank the water, but the water was so sweet.

Buddha said, you have the answer to your question. Mahesh was confused. Buddha said, if your mind is small like glass and small, any little amount of salt (unpleasant moments, others hurting you etc) added will make your mind unhappy and un-sweet. Whereas, if your mind is like a lake, big and large, then any amount of salt added (unpleasant moments, others hurting you etc) will not have any effect or impact.

Buddha continued, “your pain and unhappiness is not due to others, but it is because you are having a glass (small mind) and not a lake”. Mahesh understood and saw, what he never saw so far. He started living happily and others could not impact Mahesh negatively.

Big Thank you to Customers

Yesterday we had a wonderful time in a beautiful resort. We had great food and good time together. Now at the end of the day, who paid the bills? Not us, it is our customers who actually paid the bills for the food, resort and fun. Customers also pay our salaries, our rent, electricity, travel and conveyance. Once we remove customers from the scene of business everything else will go away and fall apart. They are in the very beginning of the value chain and integral part of our life.

Customers have hundreds of service providers to choose from. They have hundreds of products to choose from. They still choose us. We are grateful to all customers for the trust they show in our capabilities and our expertise.

You have heard this — we should remember God in whatever we do. In same line, we should remember customers in whatever we do — even when we celebrate and have fun- because Customer is GOD.