“Go to Cambridge and study further I will recommend your name and you will get grant from the trust”. This offer was not a small for me being in the lowest rank of Air Force but many things never allowed me to accept his offer. I was responsible for my family and I was in bond with Air Force for 15 years. I could have managed both but I could not manage my ego of accepting his help.

My meeting with him was very casual. I met him in 1976, when I was in my world of imagination sitting in Bund garden, Pune. “Your lines indicate that you’re lucky and you are going to be famous in future”. I turned my head and looked at the person sitting on the same bench next to me. Till then I had not noticed him being in deep thoughts. He was an old person with magnetic personality and gracious appearance. I understood the person wants to talk to me and this was a very good way to start a conversation with a stranger. I kept quiet for a while, observing his palm, face, etc. Then I predicted about his recent happenings in the life. It was just to make him feel that even I know the subject. There was a broad smile on his face and his gesture became friendlier towards me. “Oh! Nice, what do you do?” “I serve In the Indian Air Force”, I replied.

We started interacting and it continued for few minutes. He invited me to see his rose garden which he said was just nearby. It was a short period to know him well, still I accepted the invitation. I was always adventurous and also proud of being the first youngest trained commando of IAF. So, there was hardly any fear to refuse him.

After reaching his residence I came to know that he is a very rich man. He invited me to join him for tea along with his two grand-daughters. After tea he coolly asked me, “How did you so accurately predict the recent happenings of my life? I have invited you here to seek a very important guidance. My son is planning to take up some foreign collaboration and it is a very vital decision for our future progress”. I guided him with the best of my knowledge and took his leave. It was a nice meeting and I felt very comfortable with him. He came till the gate to see me off and offered some cash stating that it was for my conveyance. I refused politely and assured that I can manage the expense without his help. He stopped me and said, “You are behaving like a soldier. I am happy. Give your office phone number; I would like to be in touch with you”.

Hence forth, I used to get his calls or his signed letter informing that he is in Pune and that I should meet him. Sometimes he used to come to pick me up to the 9 BRD, AF (Viman Nagar).

“Never think that I am doing a favour by taking you for a drive in an expensive car and taking you to clubs, etc. There was a time; this was done to me by one of my friend’s father. He inspired & motivated me very much and due to this from a normal employee I am now an industrialist. Now, it is your turn and you have to prove it. I used to laugh after listening to him and always used to say, “I am a fauji (soldier), what else? I can’t be like you”. But deep in the mind his words always remained.

He was a good cricket player and he also enjoyed playing bridge. Once he won Rs.1lac in bridge and with that money he started a small workshop with one lathe machine. This was the beginning of his business.

In 1987, when I resigned from the Air Force, went to visit him in his Mumbai office. To my surprise he could not recognize me and behaved like a stranger even then he asked me if he could do something for me and told his son to do the needful.

His son could guess my uneasiness as his father was not able to recognize me. He clarified that his father hardly remembers anything and comes to office just as a routine. I felt very sorry for him and walked out remembering all his goodness and his words of inspiration. He was Mr. J.N. Marshall, the main person of Marshall Group of Industries. His life inspires me to believe in hard work and not to forget the gratitude shown by others.

One should always motivate and help people to come up in life.

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