‘Born with a silver spoon’ in one’s mouth is not the ultimate reality behind every glory. For talent can be inherited, or gifted, still it takes a lot of doing in keeping up with what one has been gifted with. People turn their heads at chance display of luxuries and talk about those handful who are born rich, and will probably die rich. While holding nothing against this mass opinion, I would like to draw attention towards the same glossy, high-end stories, but from a different perspective.
Children of established empires have lot more to show than mere riches. Next gen Birlas, Ambanis, and Tatas inherit family business and take it from strength to strength. New age politicians like Omar Abdullah, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi now bear the onus of their respective parties. It’s relatively easier to treat this legacy march as ones gifted birth right. But, more importantly, this talent inheritance is an issue worth exploring. Is ‘Like Father, Like Son’ concept the ultimate reality of all reigning companies? If yes, then why doesn’t it hold true every time? There are ample examples from our history that show the same.
Why couldn’t Mughals succeed after Bahadur Shah Zafar? He had eight sons, but not even a single gene showed its Mughal valour at the right time. Strange, isn’t it? Sad as well, our history might have changed a great deal had they carried forward the legacy like Zafar. Never mind, why moan when we have Amitabh Bachhan? Yes, we do regard his son’s great “IDEAs”, but it’s still time before he outweighs his dad’s almost devotional fan following.
What I intend to convey by this ‘Famous Dad-Flop Son’ connect is the truth behind one’s apparent inheritance of talent. There are times when legendary enterprises disintegrate due to incompetent second generation or because of the pretension that’s very typical of young people, of being capable of replacing their predecessors.
Very few in the present milieu actually have the caliber of upholding their parent’s enterprise or goodwill. Why, because next generation heads, today, are answerable to thinking minds, raging competition and responsible youth.
Adi Godrej, Aditya Mittal, Jagdish Khattar, Anil Ambani and Nusli Wadia are some such successful examples. After studying abroad, their conscious decision of settling back and taking their legacy ahead is indeed very promising. There’s a difference between inheriting an empire and upgrading it towards new heights. In this case, I emphasize the latter. Exemplary enterprises of modern India have stemmed from this wonderful mix of traditional adherence, parental foresightedness and modern education. And, that is commendable. It’s a great motivational/ inspirational tool for every Indian. After all, that’s what we need: a generation that knows how to fly high towards its dreams, while staying grounded to its roots!
