Honorable Exit !
When do we call it “Quits” is a million dollar question and
unfortunately most people find it difficult to take this call. The famous
Indian Opener of Indian Cricket said that “one should quit, when people ask –
WHY and not when people ask – WHYNOT”. A simple statement but a very powerful
one.
The debate in every household and at every party is when is
Sachin going to “retire”. An icon in Indian
Sports all these years but seen failing in the last one year and seen as
clinging to the team due to his past history than his current form. Its just not Sachin, when you look around in all
walks of life, you have Michael Schumacher, Roger Federer, Dr Manmohan Singh,
LK Advani, Narayan Murthy Amitab Bachan, Sri Devi etc who are clinging to fame
and stardom despite having crossed the hill.
Schumacher was the epitome of Formulae 1 in his 1st
innings and when he called it quits it was really a shock as he quit during his
prime time. But sadly his return from retirement was a disaster and every
sundry driver was overtaking him and it really a bad fall and taken the sheen
on Schumacher.
It’s the same story with Roger Federer. He has won every
title on the Tennis circuit and is the highest Grand Slam winner but sadly
clinging on to the circuit and being beaten by lowly ranked player this year.
The invincibility around him is gone and he has become a easy target for anyone
to beat.
The less said about Dr Manmohan Singh, the better. He was
held in the highest esteem and seen as the
architect of modern Indian economics and a man of impeccable integrity in his
first innings as Finance Minister under Narasimha Rao, but sadly in his second
innings as a Politician he has become the butt of ridicule. Not only does he
seem to have failed as a Politician (surrounded by corrupt Politicians) but
also as a Economist, with the Indian Economy having hit the lowest nadir in it
its economic history in the last 3 decades.
He fails to understand that a watchman’s primary duty is to safeguard
the safety of the property and the people that he has been assigned to and
cannot absolve himself of his responsibility when allround theft is happening
in front of his own eyes. The joke was when he was nursing his ambition to have
another go as Prime Minister a third time around. He is 86 and wants to
continue to run the Government at 92. Running a country is no joke (sure he
must have realised by now) and requires able bodied people and sure Dr Manmohan
Singh is not able bodied any more – physically or mentally.
The same with LK Advani in his later eighties wants to have
a shot at the Prime Ministers post again and playing spoil sport in allowing
Modi have a shy at it. What a poor climbdown from a statesman.
Well if we were to only blame politicians, Narayan Murthy
has been a real disappointment. When he said that the CEO’s role must be a
limited tenure and must have a definitive retirement age, every one in the
industry welcomed his idea and he set a great example. But his sudden return to
Corporate life 5 years after he retired has raised eyebrows in all quarters.
Adding salt to his injury, a person who vociferously lobbied against promoting
dynasty rule whether in politics or in business, got his son into Infosys as
his Executive Assistant and earned the ire of many inside and outside of
Infosys. What a climbdown from the high pedestal of morality.
And so it is the same case with Amitabh Bachan or Sri Devi. They
still want to be in the limelight competing with younger heroines and heroes.
There are very few who got it right like Sunil Gavaskar, GR
Vishwanath, Steffi Graff, Pete Sampras etc, who quit when they were still in
their prime and left with their head still high.
Its often said that its lonely at the top and the glaze of
stardom is their only company. May be its true. These stars find it very
difficult to go out of limelight for fear of being nudged out of
attention. What they fail to see is that
the reputation that they had assiduously built over the years and the
invincibility that they had gathered around them is slowly disintegrating and
they might set into sunset as a failed HERO.
It not just for these stars. Even in normal life we find it difficult to time our Exit. How long do Parents continue to call shots in a family and force decisions on their children and control the family. How long do Senior Executives in Corporate world cling on to their post even when business is declining and blocking the growth of talented youngsters. How long does a spiritual Guru / Godman hang on to his pedestal. Its time that seniors pave the way for youngsters and gracefully pass on the mantle rather than be forced or eased their way out.
Well its easier said than done and looks like a strong
temptation that many stars are finding it difficult to resist…………Even a lesser known mortal like me is struggling in this regard !!!!!!
.bmp)