What I learned from Mr. Ralph Brown at Power Grid
This was the good old days at Power Grid, when I used to work out of Hemkunth Chambers in Nehru Place, a commercial complex in Delhi. Mr. Ralph Brown was a consultant from US and he was helping us write the technical specifications to buy telecom equipment. The equipment that we needed to modernize and automate power system control and management. He had a background in US military and had retired long back.
Your Will gives you Strength
I do not recall how old he was, but he was surely past 65. I only remember how full of life he was and how young he was at heart. He had a will of steel and that gave him strength. My department was on the 13th Floor. With the mezzanine and Upper Ground, it was about 15 flights up. Ralph needed a walking stick for support, so imagine when he insisted on climbing all these stairs up to the office instead of taking a lift. And not just once, but every time he came to visit us and irrespective of the number of days, he stayed with us. I used to climb up with him, just to give him company and used to ask him odd questions that only the young and ignorant have the privilege to ask.
He told me that he was in the process of constructing his home on the top of the hill and that he is doing quite a lot of work all by himself. He had a full workshop and that he was in the process of crafting a lot of wooden stuff in his workshop. He had lined up tasks for next three years and he was in the process to build his staircase support rails.
I was amazed at the energy and commitment of this gentleman and I realized that he derived his energy from his love of life and his will power.
I wish that all leaders have that will power to go on and the love for life that keeps them cheerful and happy. May their happiness be as contagious as Ralph’s.
Stay tuned for more next week.