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736. Social Symbols

Kamaraj travelling on the road saw a new car with MDX number plates and shouted in joy. Friends by his side were unable to know what had brought him so much delight. To him, the car numbers were a sign of the country's prosperity. Perhaps MD stood for Madras and different letters were assigned to different districts for one thousand vehicles. I do not know what system they followed. MDX was a sign for Kamaraj that the number of car owners in the previous letter had crossed a thousand. Anyone prospering is an indication that Prosperity in the country is gathering at all levels. Hence his burst of joy. Indira was at a loss to know what could be done to wipe out poverty. Nehru knew the theory - perhaps he was the only one among the world leaders who made that profound statement - but did not know how it was to be translated into daily practice. Kamaraj too was seeking for that formula. At last he found it in his own practical way.  Educate a man, he will prosper, he said.

That was the origin of the midday meal scheme. Tom Peters held the field of management for over two decades. In his heydays during the 80s, he was paid $20,000 per lecture. Now he is not in the news, but is still paid $85,000 for a speech. Another man, James Collins, has now published a book on management which is selling in millions. He is paid $150,000 for a single performance.  A lady who wrote a book on marriage advocated that marital joy is there in submission. She is paid $20,000 for a lecture. In India, business executives pay Rs. 35,000 to attend a seminar or workshop on management. All this may be understood as increasing PROSPERITY of the population which is right. The other more valuable message these facts give us is society is creating more and more opportunities for those who are painstaking.

People are eager to learn, not only in America but in India too. All over the world the awakening at all levels is there. Unemployment is a reality in many countries in substantial measure. It is equally true that people want to learn how to run their business, how to be happy at home, how they can bring up their child better, how they can be better workers at the office, etc. The quest for knowledge is there in a greater measure than before, in an unprecedented measure.  It is a valuable market for those who are willing to exert themselves to cater to that market. That market is ubiquitous. It cannot be known from the textbooks or college courses. It has to come out of one's own thinking based on his own observation of others' needs. For such a person, an unselfish THINKER, there is an ever-expanding market in every sector. He who discovers it is the pioneer in that field. Even a new packaging - the sachet - brought about revolutionary potentials. Think, you can live better.



story | by Dr. Radut