‘A paani-puriwallah can inspire me’

With his new book out, author Subroto Bagchi may  now do something he and wife Susmita have a common love for — travel. “In fact, it’s the only two things we really enjoy,” laughs Susmita, “Writing and roaming the world and we’re empty- nesters too,” referring to daughters Neha (27) and Niti (24) who are studying and working in the US.

It is also Susmita who he’s known since they were just 18 years and studied together that he looks upon for an honest appraisal of his work. “Of course we do have our disagreements,” she avers, “but I’ve really liked all his books.”

In the latter — The Professional, Bagchi (co-founder and vice-chairman, MindTree Ltd.) has sought to share knowledge of what makes a consummate professional. And he admits it is the banal, everyday imagery that serves as his mind fodder. “I can find inspiration everywhere — from the cabbie who drives me to the airport or even from a paani-puriwallah on the street. When it rains what happens? His raw material gets spoiled right?

His principal’s gone, he’s lost his interest but he’s back again. Look at the solid resilience of such people. All we do is worry about our careers, but there’s so much more to it all, we just have to open our eyes,” he says. 

So what according to him would make a successful entrepreneur? “Someone with a capacity to build a legacy, not one of wealth but one of intellectual and emotional value. Today it’s no longer a question of where you’ve arrived from; it’s about what you’re going to do now. It’s about making a choice then cultivating it and finally exercising that choice against all odds. All it takes is one day at a time.”