Respond Instead Of Reacting

- Azim Premji

List some of your strengths (what you are good at). List your weaknesses (what
you are not good at). How can we overcome our weaknesses? Think it over.

I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young

people. The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of something only
when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to salt and pepper and
finally salt without the pepper, I have to begun to realize the importance of youth.
At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt
along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career
and life.
The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths.
From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on what is wrong with
us. While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also
cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us
the energy to correct our weaknesses. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The
rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but
could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but
failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, “Forget about
hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming.” They sent the
rabbit for tuitions for swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how
to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim?

1. Was it necessary for the rabbit to learn swimming?

What does this story teach us?

The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than
five found. My friend was sharing with me the story of his eight year-old niece.
She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything
possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a
supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut
the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it took just two minutes in the
microwave for it to be ready for the child to eat.
The child found the food to be absolutely delicious! The difference was that she
had cooked it! In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction
as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of
come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have
struggled to earn it.

1. Why do you think it is good to do certain things ourselves?

The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has
many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do
not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to
failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural
phenomenon. Don’t beat yourself for it or anyone else for that matter! Accept it,
look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important
thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.
The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when
you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it.
This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be grateful for. Our
parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never
repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one
can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received.
Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming
bitter, we must learn to savour the memory of the good things while they lasted.

1. Is it true that ‘failure’ is the stepping stone to success?

2. Should we be sad and bitter about failures in life? Why not?

The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way
of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning
what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be imposed from the
outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must become an obsession. It
must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act
but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem which says that your reach
must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only
competition is yourself.
 The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes
on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity, wring
one’s hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with courage and
dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A
friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was
struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed.
Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, “Look, why don’t you just
give up? I don’t think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day.” The
daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, “But dad, why should I give up?
All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!” if we persevere long
enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.

1. Who is your main competitor in life?

2. Should we give up when we can’t do something? Why not?
The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do
not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open
the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze.
You must define what your core values are and what you stand for. And these
values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration
and humility have survived for generations. Values are not in the words used to
describe them as much as in the simple acts. At the end of the day, it is values that
define a person more than the achievements. Because it is the means of
achievement that decide how long the achievements will sustain. Do not be
tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up
becoming the longest way to the destination.
And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if
everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had
a rude customer. Every morning, the customer would walk by, refuse to return the
greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The
vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, “Thank you, Sir.” One
day, the vendor’s assistant asked him, “Why are you always so polite with him
when he is so rude to you? Why don’t you throw the newspaper at him when he
comes back tomorrow? ” The vendor smiled and replied, “He can’t help being rude
and I can’t help being polite. Why should I let his rude behaviour dictate my
politeness?”
1. What was Gandhiji teaching?
2. Was the vendor right in what he did? Why?
 In my youth I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel without
a cause. Today, I realize my rebellion was another kind of conformity. We defied
our elders to fall in line with our peers! Ultimately, we must learn to respond
instead of reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm mind and do
whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions. When we react, we
are still doing what the other person wants us to do.
I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success in
whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life.
Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.

ABOUT THE WRITER::

Azim Hashim Premji (born 24 July 1945)
is an Indian business tycoon and the
chairman of Wipro Limited, one of India’s
largest software development companies. In
2000, he was voted among the 20 most
powerful men in the world by Asia Week.
He was also among the 50 richest people in
the world from 2001 to 2003 according to
Forbes. Premji is also often known as the
Indian Bill Gates.
The essay is the address given by Azim Premji, in the “Shaping Young Minds
Program” (SYMP) organized by the All India Management Association (AIMA) in
collaboration with the Bombay Management Association (BMA) on February 9,
2004 in Mumbai.
GLOSSARY:
Salt and pepper (idiom) : (here) white (or grey) and black hair
Come easy, go easy (idiom) : whatever comes easily is also lost easily
Bats a hundred (idiom) : is extremely successful; In cricket it is an
achievement to bat up to a hundred or hit a century.
Humility (n) : the quality of being humble, modesty
Bitter (adj) : filled with anger or hatred
Savour (v) : enjoy the taste of
Emulate (v) : try to do as well as or better than,
especially through imitation
Obsession (n) : an uncontrollable, persistent idea
Adversity (n) : hardship or misfortune
Succumb (v) : submit, stop resisting, yield
Wring one’s hands (v) : squeeze or twist one’s hands in sorrow or worry
Persevere (v) : to continue doing something in spite of difficulties
Compromise (v) : to arrive at a settlement by making concessions, to
reduce in quality or weaken
Integrity (n) : honesty, adherence to a strict moral code

ABOUT THE ESSAY:

‘Respond Instead of Reacting’ is a thought-provoking essay by Azim Premji,
Chairman of Wipro Technologies. This is an extract from his speech given as part
of the Shaping Young Minds Program held in Mumbai in 2004. The essay is
inspirational and lists certain qualities that youngsters should imbibe to achieve
success in life. Firstly, one should build on one’s strengths. Every one of us is good
in some areas and it is important for us to work on that particular aspect. Secondly,
achieving something on one’s own gives a person more satisfaction than being
gifted something. Life is full of challenges; we fail sometimes and succeed
sometimes. Neither should failure discourage us nor success make us arrogant. We
must strive for excellence in whatever field we are in; after all, our only competitor
is ourselves. Perseverance is required to reach the top. This does not mean that we
use short cuts; one should not compromise on one’s principles or ideas. One should
have the courage of conviction and faith in one’s ideals. Finally, one should
respond calmly without reacting and remember that victory is in one’s reach when
we believe ‘we can’.

HOW WELL DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

1. Discuss briefly the lessons that Azim Premji recounts in the essay ‘Respond
Instead of Reacting’.
2. It is often believed ‘Your attitude, not your aptitude will determine your
altitude’. (Zig Ziglar) Is this true? Discuss it in the light of Azim Premji’s
lessons.
3. ‘Remember, those who win are those who believe they can.’ Is this true? How
can one achieve one’s goals according to Azim Premji?
4. How does the newspaper vendor prove that one must have faith in one’s own
ideas even if everyone else tells us that we wrong.
 VOCABULARY:
1. Scattered in the boxes below, are seven words from the lesson you have just read.
Identify them and write them in the blanks against the appropriate word/phrase.

D E D M H U C L I A
E N C O U N T E R B
S V M L M F D R I S
P C J H I J S T T O
A S F O L K Z P A L
I N S P I R I N G U
R H J N T L C D W T
F E K I Y O S U O E
R E B E L L I O N L
S I M A G I N A R Y
Something not real (i……….)
The feeling of no hope (d……….)
Completely (a……….)
Come across unexpectedly (e……….)
Encouraging (i……….)
The quality of not being proud (h……….)
Violent action organized by a group of people (r……….)

2. Fill in the blanks with an appropriate word from the box given below.
Furious hot hungry filthy tired
Frightened freezing awful/terrible tasty
Very ______ delicious
Very bad ________
Very ______ exhausted
Very ______ terrified
Very ______ boiling
Very dirty ________
Very cold ________
Very ______ starving
Very angry ________
 GRAMMAR:
You studied various tenses used in sentences in your first year. Do you
remember them? Let’s see. Here are some sentences from the text. What tense has
been used in each of these sentences?
1. I have begun to realize the truth.
2. I have just got put them together.
3. Have you ever seen a rabbit swim?
4. …we have struggled to earn it.
You are right! In all the sentences we find the use of the ‘present perfect tense’.
Let’s recall what the tense is used for.
PRESENT PERFECT:
The present perfect tense has the auxiliary verb ‘have/has’ and the past
participle of the main verb. Its uses are listed below.

Use Examples Time expressions

already, always, ever,
Have you ever been to Delhi?
Events at an unstated just, lately, recently,
I’ve already completed my
time in the past still, yet, so far, up to
homework.
now
They have watched the movie
Repeated past actions three times. once, twice, three (four,
at unstated times How many times have you five) times and so on
visited Hyderabad?
Events or situations
I’ve studied English for 5 years.
that developed in the for, since, so far, till
We’ve lived here since 2001.
past and that have now, to date, up to now
She hasn’t worked here for very
continued until the and so on.
long.
moment of speaking

EXERCISES:
I. Complete the sentences using the present perfect tense or the simple past of the
verb in brackets.
Ex:
A : Have you ever been to Hyderabad?
B : Yes, I have. I have been (be) to Hyderabad several times.
A : In fact, I was (be) in Hyderabad last year.
 1. A : Are you going to finish the home work before 6’o clock?
B : I (finish, already) __________ it. I (finish) _________it two hours ago.
2. A : Have you ever gone to Prasad’s IMAX?
B : Yes, I (go) __________ there many times. In fact, I (go) __________
there last night with my brother.
3. A : Do you want to watch the movie at Srinivas theatre with us tonight?
B : No, thanks. I (see, already) ________ it. I (see) ________ it last Friday.
4. A : When are you going to submit the EAMCET form?
B : I (submit, already) _________ it. I (submit) __________ it last week.
5. A : This is a good book. Would you like to read after I finish it?
B : Thanks. I (read) __________ it. I (read) __________ it last month.

II. Use the following; make questions beginning with “Have you ever”.
Example : take a course in Economics
Question : Have you ever taken a course in Economics?
Then, answer those questions, once with ‘yes’ and then ‘no’.
Write complete sentences as answers.
Answer with ‘yes’ : Yes, I have taken a course in Economics.
Answer with ‘no’ : No, I have not taken a course in Economics.

1. write a story
2. shake hands with any teacher
3. go to a movie without informing your parents
4. save money to buy something
5. tell your parents a lie
6. swim in a river
7. ride a motorbike
8. see a ghost
9. cry while watching a film
10. run for your life
III. Complete the sentence “I have been here …….” Using ‘since’ or ‘for’ with
the time expressions given below.
I have been here ……..
1. __________ three weeks.
2. __________ 2010.
3. __________ January.
4. __________ last year.
5. __________ last Monday.
6. __________ about two months.
7. __________ 12 noon.
8. __________ yesterday.
9. __________ three days.
10. __________ half an hour.
11. __________ the fifth of June.
12. __________ almost seven years.
13. __________ the beginning of the year.
14. __________ a couple of days.

ADDITIONAL READING:
You may like to read the following poem:
You Can Be Whatever You Want To Be! Donna Levine
There is inside you
all of the potential
to be whatever you want to be,
all of the energy
to do whatever you want to do.
Imagine yourself as you would like to be,
doing what you want to do
and each day, take one step
towards your dream.
And though at times it may seem too
difficult to continue,
hold on to your dream.
One morning you will awake to find
that you are the person you dreamed of,
doing what you wanted to do,
simply because you had the courage
to believe in your potential
and to hold on to your dream.