Ladies and Gentlemen, Class of 2020

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in this locality and the one closest to the international airport.

I made a promise to myself today morning.

That I would finish sending out a couple of work-related emails before coming here, which I have done. So we can begin.

Today I wish to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. Three stories. Or four. Or five, max. That's it. Five stories. Or six. Maybe seven if we have time. Seven stories. Ok let's settle at seven.

The first is about change. Change is inevitable, it's a life-force. It crops up when you least expect it and when left untreated, can be fatal. Oops. I'm sorry - that's malaria, which is a part of my third story about death.

Anyway, this story goes back to my campus days here, when we had non-stop mind-numbingly boring lectures as I'm sure you all have had. My most vivid memories are of the canteen where we spent hour after hour, in a heady mix of boredom and curiousity as to what might be going on in the classroom. In a sudden burst of proactiveness, I asked the canteen contractor to change the menu. He asked me to go die, thereby losing a regular customer. Change or perish, that was the lesson I hoped to teach him. After that day, I remember, every time I passed the canteen counter with its incredibly delicious-smelling samosas and maggi, I kept chanting to myself 'stay hungry, stay foolish'.

College is really more about small incidents like the one I just narrated, than the textbooks and the porn, the multiple failed relationships, the arrests and so on.

My second story is about bitching. The prof who taught us Human Resources, Dr. Bhargav - is he still around? - was the worst ever prof in the whole frikkin' world. It's not much of a story I know but he was really really bad.

Then there's the one about courage. The degree that you hold in your hand will ensure that you will never be struggling for a livelihood. That doesn't mean you can go around passing the time or experimenting with your career. You can't be a pilot or a cricketer. Go sell soap and fight for your annual increment like everyone else. Marry someone-anyone, have kids, push them hard and be a part of the cycle. Sometimes you need moral courage to be able to do what everyone else is doing. Follow the herd. What are the chances that your individual gut is right amidst a gazillion people who are doing something else. Build the courage to ignore your instinct. Look at yourself in the mirror. Or Not. Whatever works.

My next story is about equity and growth. I think the Sensex will touch 35K atleast. Invest most of what you've got in equity and party hard with the rest.

Then there is this story about what one of you asked me during the tea session - the meaning of success. Now conventional success being as difficult as it is, I think it's prudent to define success in various unique personal ways so as to not feel like a failure. Today I brushed my teeth without falling asleep, for instance.

My last story is about values. When you appear for campus placements, I urge you to find a job that is aligned to your core value. I remember I valued myself at approx 10 lakh post tax during my campus placements and I found a company in alignment to this ask.

While campus life and the academics you have encountered here will have absolutely no relation to your work or life going forward, I'm certain that this college has prepared you well for the real world outside. In the sense that your future in the real world will feel like all those times you walked into a class completely unprepared with no frikkin' clue about what's going on. I wish you all fulfilment and happiness

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