Keep the Spark Alive

8/12/2019 Keep the Spark Alive

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Keep the Spark Alive

Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, Pune

By Chetan Bhagat

Goo !orning everyone an thank you for giving me this chance to speak to

you" #his ay is about you" $ou, who have come to this college, leaving the

comfort of your home %or in some case iscomfort&, to become something in

your life" I am sure you are e'cite" #here are few ays in human life when

one is true elate" #he first ay in college is one of them" (hen you were

getting reay toay, you felt a tingling in your stomach" (hat woul the

auitorium be like, what woul the teachers be like, who are my new

classmates) there is so much to be curious about" I call this e'citement, thespark within you that makes you feel truly alive toay" #oay I am going to

talk about keeping the spark shining" *r to put the another way, how to be

happy most, if not all the time"

(here o these sparks start+ I think we are born with them" !y ) year ol

twin boys have a million sparks" A little spierman toy can make them -ump

on there be" #hey get thrills from creaky swings in the park" A story from

ay gets them e'cite" #hey o a aily countown for birthay party)

several months in avance) -ust for the ay they will cut their own birthaycake"

I see stuents like you, an I still see some sparks" But when I see oler

people, the spark is ifficult to fin" #hat means as we age, the spark faes"

People whose spark has fae too much are ull, e-ecte, aimless an

bitter" .emember Kareena in the first half of /ab (e !et vs the secon half+

#hat is what happens when the spark is lost" So how to save the spark+

Imagine the spark to be a lamp0s flame" #he first aspect is nurturing) to give

your spark the fuel, continuously" #he secon is to guar against storms"

#o nurture, always have goals" It is human nature to strive, improve an

achieve full potential" In fact, that is success" #hat is what is possible for

you" It isn0t any e'ternal measure) a certain cost to company pay package, a

particular car or house"


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!ost of us are from mile class families" #o us, having material lan marks

is success an rightly so" (hen you have grown up where money constraints

force everyay choices, financial freeom is a big achievement" But it isn0t

the purpose of life" If that was the case, !r" Ambani woul not show up for

work" Shah .ukh Khan woul stay at home an not ance anymore" Steve

/obs won0t be working har to make a better iPhone, as he sol Pi'ar for

billions of ollars alreay" (hy o they o it+ (hat makes them come

everyay+ #hey o it because it makes them happy" #hey o it because it

makes them fell alive" /ust getting better from current levels feels goo" If

you stuy har, you can improve your rank" If you make an effort to interact

with people, you will o better in interviews" If you practice, your cricket

will be better" $ou may also know that you cannot become #enulkar, yet"

But you can get the ne't level" Striving for the ne't level is important"

1ature esigne with a ranom set of genes an circumstances in whichwere born" #o be happy, we have to accept it an make the most of nature0s

esign" Are you+ Goals will help you o that"

I must a, on0t -ust have career or acaemic goals" Set goals to give you a

balance, successful life" I use the wor balance before successful"

Balance means ensuring your health, relationships, metal peace are all in

goo orer"

#here is no point of getting a promotion on the ay of your breakup" #here is

no fun in riving a car if your back hurts" Shopping is not en-oyable if your

min is full of tensions"

$ou must have rea some 2uotes) 3ife is a tough race, it is a marathon or

whatever" 1o, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in

nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in your spoon kept in

your mouth" If the marble falls, there is no point coming first" Same with

life,where health an relationships are the marble" $our striving is only

worth it if there is harmony in your life" 4lse you may achieve the success,

but this spark, this feeling of being e'cite an alive, will start to ie"


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*ne last thing about nurturing the spark 5 on0t take life seriously" *ne of

my yoga teachers use to make stuents laugh uring classes" *ne stuent

aske him if these -okes take away something from the yoga practice" #he

teacher sai 5 on0t be serious, be sincere" #his 2uote has efine my work

ever since" (hether it0s my writing, my -ob, my relationships or any of my

goals" I get thousans of opinions on my writing everyay" #here is haps of

praise, there is intense criticism" If I take it all seriously, how will I write+

*r rather, how will I live+ 3ife is not to be taken seriously, as we are really

temporary here" (e are like a pre) pai car with limite valiity" If we are

lucky, we may last another 67 years" An 67 years is -ust 8,677 weekens"

9o we really nee to get so worke up+ It0s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up

a few interviews, fall in love" (e are people, not programme evices"

I0ve tol you the things 5 reasonable goals, balance an not taking it

seriously that will nature the spark" :owever, there are four storms in lifethat will threaten to completely put out the fame" #hese must be guare

against" #hese are isappointment, frustration, unfairness an loneliness of

purpose"

9isappointment will come when your effort oes not give you the e'pecte

return" If things on0t go as planne or if you face failure" ;ailure is

e'tremely ifficult to hanle, but those that o come out stronger" (hat i

these failure teach me+ is the 2uestion you nee to ask" $ou will fell

miserable" $ou will want to 2uit, like I wante to o when nine publishers

re-ecte my first book" Some II#ians kill themselves over low graes) how

silly is that+ But that is how much failure can hurt you" But it0s life" If

challenges coul always be overcome, they woul cease to be challenge"

An remember if you are failing at something, that means you are at your

potential" An that0s where you want to be"

9isappointments cousin is frustration, the secon storm" :ave you ever been

frustrate+ It happens when things are frustrate+ It happens when things are

stuck" #his is especially relevant in Inia" ;rom traffic -ams to getting that

-ob you eserve, sometime things take so long that you on0t know if youchose the right goal" After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywoo, as

I thought they neee writers" I am calle e'tremely lucky, but it took me

five years to get close to a release" ;rustration saps e'citement, an turns

your internal energy into something negative, making you a bitter person"

:ow i I eal with it+ A realistic assessment of the time involve) movies

take a long time to make even though they are watche 2uickly, seek a


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certain en-oyment in the process rather than the en result) at least I was

learning how to write scripts, having a sie plan) I ha my thir book to

write an even as simple as pleasure istractions in your life 5 friens, foo,

travel can help you overcome it" .emember nothing is to be taken seriously"

;rustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously"


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I welcome you again to the most wonerful years of your life" If someone

gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college" But I

also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as

they o toay" #hat you will keep the spark alive, not only through college,

but through the ne't 8,677 weekens" An I hope not -ust you, but my whole

country will keep the spark alive, as we really nee it more than any moment

in history" An there is something cool about saying 5 I come from the lan

of billion sparks"

#hank you,

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Keep the Spark Alive