Get ready for opportunities.

It was the third and final day of the training program, and the time had come for presentations. Eight teams from different departments were required to present what they had learned, what they intended to commit to, and how they planned to move forward.

Our team leader had decided on the first day itself that one of our team members, who was both my colleague and friend, would make the presentation. We had been working on the presentation from the very first day, preparing him for the final event.

The presentations began, and 2-3 team leaders (HODs) delivered their presentations. Just as our team was announced for the presentation, my friend refused to stand up.
It was a shocking moment.
We looked at each other in disbelief.

Our team leader, then, looked at me, and I stood up to collect the OHPs. Seeing this, our team leader relaxed and stopped me. He asked me to conclude the presentation with two lines from a famous song.

I delivered the presentation.
At the end, I didn't just say the lines; I sang the middle lines of the song.

That was it. Our unit head rushed to me from the far end of the hall, showing a victory sign and gave me a passionate handshake. After that, I shook hands with everyone in the hall before returning to my chair. The next presentation started almost 15 minutes later.

It was an evening in 2001-02, and the song was...

रोज़ कहाँ ढूँढेगे सूरज चाँद सितारों को?
आग लगा कर हम रोशन कर लेंगे अँधियारो को।

गम नही जब तलक़ दिल मे ये उमंग है,
ज़िंदगी हर कदम एक नई जंग है,
जीत जायेंगे हम, TPM अगर संग हैं। 

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Post Script:

After that event, I was selected as an internal trainer for TPM (Total Productive Maintenance). Besides my routine duty as a maintenance engineer, I had the opportunity to train everyone in my plant. We also had the privilege to represent our plant at the Head Quarter (L&T Powai).

My message:

Get ready for opportunities. They can come at any time and have the power to change your life.

[My actual DOJ was 19.12.1995. The training period was of two years.]