You will never become the chairman of a company.

"Dad,you will never become the chairman of a company"said my son one day sometime in 1992 when after his post graduation in Chemical Engineering, he had just startd his career as a chemical engineer in a Refinary firm in Mumbai,India and I was then, at the peak of my career as President (Technical) with around six years service left for retirement in a large indian manufacturing company at tha same location.How prophetic was his saying became clear as years rolled by,when post retirement as President Techical,although I worked full time for another five years in two other companies of repute,of which for around two years as Chief executive of A Pharma based company near Kochi, Kerala,all these positions were second in command to the Chairman And Managing Director which position I could never reach since by then I was not only well past the age of superannuation but also entered the state of SENIOR Citizen and hence had to bow out of any further full time service.

What prompted my son to say this forms an interesting dialogue between the two of us,which, I thought, I will share with those who happen to go thro' this Light reading.

Some time in eary 92,before the above mentioned dialogue between the two of us took place,I was in Mumbai Domestic Airport to catch an early morning flight to Ahmedabad on official work and I had just cleared the Security check and was waiting in the lounge,when I noticed an elderly gentleman passing thro the security and he very much resembled one ex chairman of one of the largest multi national companies in our country,India,where I had worked for over two decades earlier,during which preiod for some time had the previlege of working under his chairmanship as a production manager in the company's Mumbai plant.

Having last seen him, as the Chairman of the company, way back in 1972 before he moved to Delhi, on a call from Union Government, to join as a Member Of The Planning Commission, I felt so thrilled to see him after such a long lapse of time. After ascertaining from his mannerisms and his style of walking that he was indeed the same person I had thought of,I walked straight to him and before introducing myself enquired whether he could recognise me.He promptly said yes but lest I make him feel embarrassed I was about to volunteer revealing my official name when he stopped me and asked a couple of probing queries related to both my work during his period in the company and my meeting him once in his house in Delhi with my niece who happened to be his daughter's classmate.No sooner than I answered his queries,he identified me and called me by my official name.Quite honestly I felt dumbfounded and thrilled.

After all as the chairman of the country's one of the largest multi national companies where I had then worked as a departmental head way back in '72our contacts were very limited and my subsequent visit to his house in Delhi was also brief and dates back to'82.Under such circumstances for me to recognise him there is nothing great but for him to remember me and my name ,I must say was least expected.

When I narrated the above incident to my son later in '92 and enquired how it was possible to identify one after such long lapse of time,particularly when I find it so difficult to remember the names of my collegues, if we do not meet regularly, my son instantly replied---
"Dad,that is the difference.That is why he could be a chairman.You will never become the chairman of a company".

On his so saying,how unpalatable it may be,I could not help agreeing with him.