You Might
Have To Make A U-Turn
Once I was travelling in a part of India with which my driver was
unfamiliar.
He made a wrong turn
at one point but drove on for five miles before he realised he was on the wrong
road. He had to stop the car then and make a U-turn, and soon we safely reached
our destination.
This kind of U-turn
is made not only while navigating a road; it is a principle of life.
Every person, every
community, every nation needs at some point to make a U-turn. Failing to do
this could result in an unbearable loss.
For
example, the Tatas established a car factory in West Bengal to produce the Nano
car in 2007.
Very
soon they discovered that West Bengal was not favourable for their industry, so
they dismantled their factory and re-established it in Gujarat. Now Nano cars
are successfully running in every city of India. This success was the direct
result of adopting the U-turn policy.
The
same is applicable to nations. One such example is the course adopted by the
United Kingdom after the Second World War. British leaders, especially those
who were associated with the Fabian Society, felt that they were now unable to
control India and other “British colonies” and proceeded to adopt a policy of
decolonisation.
As we
know, Churchill emerged as a hero in WWII, but he was defeated in the 1945
election. The reason for this being that a desire for post-war reform was
widespread amongst the British population and the man who had led Britain in
war was not seen as the man to lead the nation in peace.
There
are numerous examples in history of the success of those who adopted the policy
of U-turn and the failure of those who did not.
In this world, nothing is certain, neither
for individuals nor for nations. So every individual or group of people ought
to adopt the U-turn policy where it is relevant. When they find that their
journey is taking them down a blind alley, they need to revise their policy,
they must reassess the whole matter, and if it appears that they were heading
in the wrong direction, they should change course without any further ado.
India is also a good example of this kind
of policy. After Independence, India adopted the socialist model for its
economy, but the result was hardly encouraging.
Then in 1991, India introduced a new policy
in its economic planning. Now, in recent years, Indian authorities have brought
about such great changes in
economic policies as may be described as a paradigm shift and yet, perhaps the
time is ripe for yet another perspective that can cleanse the system of
impurities.
The U-turn policy is a law of nature. No
one is able to see the unseen. No one can foresee all that is going to happen
in the future. This makes the journey of life a jump into uncertainty.
A wise man is one who can reassess himself,
reset his priorities, replan his project and mould himself according to
changing circumstances. Don’t try to fight against realities. Simply accept
them. When you cannot change reality, change yourself.
Sometimes it appears that the U-turn policy
will lead to some loss, but any such loss is the lesser evil, while going
against reality is to opt for the greater evil.
The U-turn policy is only another name for
what may be called acceptance of reality and adjustment to the changing times.
The
U-turn policy is the policy of the wise: it ensures success, while not adopting
it is risking failure. Success and failure are both in your hands.
I’m accepting just two more participants before closing registration.
As with all classes on PE, I’m not intending to conduct this course
again after the first run. So 
A BIG BILL BOARD
INSIDE THE TATA STEEL PLANT,
JAMESHEDPUR.
One who knows not
but knows not
that he knows not
is a fool,
leave him.
One who knows not
and he knows
that he knows not
is simple,
teach him.
One who knows
but he knows not
that he knows
is asleep,
awake him.
One who knows
and knows
that he knows is
wise,
follow him.
Philosophy guides the course of action and life.