Udupi: There is no such thing as failure, says Banmali at 19th Convocation of Manipal University

Bellevision Media Network

Udupi, 09 Nov 2014: ‘Every experience gained at Manipal Institute of Technology (MIT) thirty four years ago has stood me in good stead,’ recalled Banmali Agrawal, President and CEO of GE South Asia while addressing his audience on the second day of Manipal University’s nineteenth convocation at KMC Greens here on Sunday November 9.

Agrawal used some of his personal experience to tell the graduating students of MIT that all of them had a bright future after graduating from the University. Over 1,500 students, both undergraduates and post graduates received degrees on Sunday.

‘As I look back, I take a lot of pride in the fact that I learnt from mistakes and it is this alma mater that gave me the confidence and ability to do so. And as I look ahead, I see a very bright future for all of you. The MIT of today is a much sought after institution and the environment is brilliantly conducive for high quality learning,’ said Banmali. He took the opportunity to pay tributes to his teacher Professor K J Kamath.

Agrawal shared some learning in his life with the graduating students so that they could draw inspiration from it. He made five points to explain and present his personal story to the students as they step into a new world from MIT.

 

 
The first Agrawal said was that no human being could be branded as a failure or success. ‘It was wrong on my part to have thought of myself as a failure thirty four years ago. It would be equally wrong for me to think of myself as a success today. The circumstances around us keep changing and if anyone believes they can control their destiny to guarantee success, they are mistaken. We have seen many ‘successful’ people fall from grace and many ‘failures’ recognized as successes, later on in their lives.

The next point he made to the students was that their attitude was more important than the degree. ‘Skills and knowledge can be acquired but attitude is something that is difficult to change as age catches on,’ he said. What matters in the real world is not how well you have learnt the jargon but your Attitude. Are you curious to learn more? Can you get along with other people? What are you passionate about? Are you humble enough to understand that there will always be something that you don’t know?  And so on...’

The third he said was that no one should take their loved ones for granted. ‘As you step into the real world and pursue your ambitions, I urge you to constantly remind yourself that there is someone out there who is giving up his or her today for your tomorrow. If nothing else, at least acknowledge that sacrifice and always remember it was yet another mantra for success he thinks and said, ‘I spent more than 200 days in a year travelling when I was working in Finland, leaving my wife behind to fend with two young children. Once again, I put my career ahead of family. I did well professionally but only because my wife decided to sacrifice her present for my future.’

The next point he made was on technology, that it can solve many of the world’s challenges. ‘You are graduating from the Manipal institute Of Technology. The key word here is Technology,’ he said and added, ‘Technology has not only made our daily lives easier and more affordable, but it has also altered our social behavior.’

And finally, he said, ‘you can never achieve success till you like what you are doing. While you go about building your future, remember that you need to accomplish something before you demand respect. In order to accomplish something, you will need to focus on depth before breadth, take personal risk on what you believe in and live with integrity.’

Banmali’s closing remarks were, ‘As you step out to face the world, carry your education with pride but humility, be confident but not arrogant, be grateful to your loved ones, remember their contributions in your growth and above all – have fun. The world will become a much nicer and more joyful place as you continue your climb. May you make many friends and may you meet them all at the top.’