Arundhati Bhattacharya, Former Chairperson of State Bank of India, said ‘constant learning’ keeps the mind sharp and active; an important skill required to excel in one’s professional life.
Delivering her convocation address to the business management and business analytics students of Praxis Business School in Kolkata on Saturday, Bhattacharya spoke about the importance of 3Ls in life — learn, love and laugh.
According to her, ‘learning’ should not be restricted to school, college or universities. Ideal learning process should happen on a daily basis. “One has to keep learning to remain relevant. Brain is like a knife — only if you use it will it remain sharp,” she said.
Such learning is possible from anyone who is a thorough ‘professional’. According to her, a professional is anyone who is capable of delivering her/his duty or responsibility with ‘impeccable perfection’.
Citing an instance from her own life, she said people were initially apprehensive about her being at the helm of affairs of a Fortune 500 bank.
“They (people) found it hard to believe how a woman with a post graduate degree in English would be able to head a bank like SBI,” she said, adding, “Once you are into such life-long learning process, it really does not matter which branch of study you come from.”
Love or passion for the job is very important to develop ones’ career. Without it, one can easily succumb under difficult situations and accept defeat, she observed.
“There will be days when you just don’t want to go to work; on such days, it will be the love or commitment which will help you deliver what is required of you,” she said.
Lastly, she stressed on the need to be able to smile in the face of adversities. “Do not consider yourself indispensable and become too serious in life. You should be able to face adverse situations with a smile,” she said.