Go Kiss the World
by Subroto Bagchi
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Quick Answers
1. Answer the following questions in not more than one sentence.
a. What was the earliest memory that the speaker had of his father?
= The earliest memory that the speaker had of his father was that of a District Employment Officer in Koraput, Orissa.
b. How many siblings did the speaker have?
= The speaker had four siblings. They were five brothers including him.
c. What was the first thing that the speaker's mother built at every new place they lived?
= The first thing that the speaker's mother built at every new place they lived was a chulha - an earthen fireplace.
d. As children, what fascinated the speaker and his siblings?
= As children, the speaker and his siblings were always fascinated with the advertisements in the newspaper for transistor radios - they did not have one.
e. What was the speaker's first job?
= The speaker's first job was being a clerk in a government office.
f. What three things did the speaker's mother continue to do even after she went blind?
= The three things the speaker's mother continued to do even after she went blind were - she did her morning yoga every day, swept her own room and washed her own clothes.
Reference to context
2. "... my father was given a jeep by the government. While he could use the jeep to commute to his office, my father refused..."
a. Why was the speaker's father given a jeep?
= The speaker's father was given a jeep as he was a District Employment Officer.
b. Why did the speaker's father not use it to commute to office?
= The speaker's father did not use it to commute to office because he considered it as his jeep but the government's jeep. He preferred to walk to his office.
c. How was the speaker's family expected to treat the driver?
= The speaker's family treated the driver with respect due to any other member of his father's office.
3. "We do not need a house of our own. I already own five houses."
a. What did the speaker's father refer to as 'five houses'?
= The speaker's father referred to his five sons as 'five houses'.
b. Why do you think he referred to them as houses?
= I think he referred to them as houses as he loved them and relied on them a lot. He had transferred his vales and teachings to them and he knew they will be notable persons in future and do a great deal for the society.
c. What lesson did the speaker and his siblings learn from this comment?
= The speaker and his siblings learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and the sense of well-being through material possessions.
4. "Finally when she relented and came, my father opened his eyes and murmured to her, 'Why have you not gone home yet?' I was stunned..."
a. Who was she and why had she come to the speaker's father?
= She was the nurse of the hospital in Delhi who attended the speaker's father.
She had come to the speaker's father to change the blood the bottle.
b. Why was the speaker's father concerned about her?
= The speaker's father was concerned about her because it was late and the nurse did not go to home yet.
c. Why was the speaker stunned?
= The speaker was stunned at the fact that his father was uncomplaining and tolerant towards the nurse though his blood bottle was empty and air could go into his vein.
Read, reflect and write
5. What difficulties did the speaker face in Koraput during his childhood?
= The speaker faced many difficulties in Koraput during his childhood. They did not have good oven to cook. They had to cook on a chulha - an earthen fireplace. They did not have a radio. They did not have their own house. They used to stay in government houses. Government houses seldom came with fences. The speaker and his mother collected twigs and built a small fence around their house.
6. Reading the newspaper aloud daily was one of the household duties of the speaker. Why was he grateful for this practice late in life?
= Reading the newspaper aloud daily was one of the household duties of the speaker. He was grateful for this practice late in life because it let him know that the world is larger than Koraput. Despite having studied in an Oriya-medium school, he speaks good English today and there is no less credit of the practice of newspaper reading for this.
7. How did the opinion of the speaker's parents about India's ability to govern itself differ from each other?
= The speaker's father was a fervent believer in the British Raj. He sincerely doubted the capacity of the post-independence Indian political parities to govern the country. His mother was the exact opposite. When Subhash Chandra Bose quit the Indian National Congress and came to Dacca, his mother, then a schoolgirl, garlanded him. She learnt to spin khadi and joined the underground movement that trained her in using daggers and swords. Consequently, their household saw diversity in political outlook of the two. On major issues concerning the world, the Old Man and the Old Lady had different opinions.
8. How does the speaker define success towards the end of his speech?
= Towards the end of his speech, the speaker defines success as a vision. It is the ability to rise above pain. It is about imagination. It is about sensitivity to small people. It is about connectedness to a larger world. It is about giving back more to life than you take out of it. It is about creating extraordinary success with ordinary life.
9. What, in your opinion, did the speaker's mother mean by asking him to 'go kiss the world'?
= I think the speaker's mother told him to get ready and prepare himself to be accessible to the world by asking him to 'go kiss the world'. She asked him to be kind and get connected to the all sorts of people of the world. She asked him to give back more to life than he take out of it.
10. Extended writing: What were the lesson that the speaker learnt from his parents?
= First of all, he got the lesson of showing consideration to others. His father used to tell him that he should leave his newspaper and his toilet, the way he expect to find it.
Being a child, the speaker wanted to have a radio or a house of their own. But his father denied to give them so as they are the real possessions to possess. He learnt that it is important not to measure personal success and the sense of well-being through material possessions.
The speaker's mother used to plant trees where ever she lived. A few neighbour asked her why she was planting seeds that would only benefit the next occupant. She used to reply that she must create a bloom in a desert and whenever she was given a new place, she must leave it more beautiful than what she had inherited. That was another lesson in the speaker's success. It is not about what you create for yourself; it is what you leave behind that defines success.
The speaker used to read newspaper for his mother. This created in him a sense of connectedness with the larger world. The speaker also learnt that imagination is everything. If we can imagine a future, we can create it, if we can create that future, others will live in it. That is the essence of success.
The speaker leant to be concerned for another persons from his father. When his father was admitted to a hospital the speaker came to see him. He saw that his bottle of blood was empty and air would go into his vein. The speaker asked the nurse to change that. She came very late to do so. Then the speaker's father was concerned about the fact why the nurse had not gone to home as it was late for her. He taught the speaker that success is our ability to rise above our discomfort, whatever our current state.
About the Author:
This is an address by Subroto Bagchi, Chief Operating Officer of Mind Tree Ltd, to the class of 2006 at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, on the definition of success. Mind Tree is one of India's most admired software services companies. Bagchi was born and brought up in a small town in Orissa. Inspired by his mother's dying words to him, he wrote Go Kiss the World, which was published in 2008 and went on to become a bestseller.