Editing Content :: Admin Scraper

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Value

Poorvi chief executive of a large company. Or, opted for a commission in the Indian Army and maybe retired as a general. Or, I could have left for the US and gone on to become a highly successful NRI. Yet, I chose none of these because somewhere, deep down, I knew I could make a more meaningful contribution by working here in Anand, Gujarat. Your grandmother too made an important choice. She knew, in those days, life in Anand could not offer even the simple comforts that we take ardently: in a for granted today. However, she ardently supported my choice to live way that shows and work in Anand. That choice of your grandmother to stand by me has strong feelings given me an everlasting strength, always ensuring that I shouldered my poise: in a calm responsibilities with poise. and confident Whenever I have received any recognition for my contributions towards manner the progress of our country, I always emphasised that it is a recognition of the achievements of many people with whom I had a privilege to be associated with. I would like to stress even more strongly that my contributions have been possible only because I have consistently adhered: to adhered to certain values. Values that I have inherited from my parents continue to and other family elders; values that I saw in my mentor and supporter support here in Anand—Tribhuvandas Patel. I have often spoken of integrity as the most important of these values, realising that integrity—and personal integrity: integrity, at that—is being honest to yourself. If you are always honest to honest and yourself, it does not take much effort in always being honest with others. strong moral I have also learnt what I am sure you, too, will find out some day. Life principles is a privilege and to waste it would be wrong. In living this privilege called ‘life’, you must accept responsibility for yourself, always use your talents to the best of your ability and contribute somehow to the common good. That common good will present itself to you in many forms every day. If you look around you, you will find there is a lot waiting to be done: your friend may need some help, your teacher could be looking for a volunteer, or the community you live in will need you to make a contribution. I hope that you, too, will discover, as I did, that failure is not about not succeeding. Rather, it is about not putting in your best effort and not contributing, however modestly, to the common good. Inlifeyou,too,willdiscoverasIdid,thatanythingcangowrongatanytime correlation: andmostlydoes.Yet,thereislittlecorrelationbetweenthecircumstances a connection of people’s lives and how happy they are. Most of us compare ourselves between two or with someone we think is happier—a relative, an acquaintance, or often, more things someone we barely know. But when we start looking closely we realise that what we saw were only images of perfection. And that will help us understand and cherish what we have, rather than what we don’t have. 84 Reprint 2026-27