Not often do management students have an opportunity to interact with a high ranking official from the Ministry of HRD. Hence it was a huge privilege for students of Jaipuria, Lucknow when Mr. Anil Swarup, IAS, Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India made his presence felt on the campus on 29th December. He conducted an interactive session with the students, faculty and staff of the B School regaling them with his experiences and inspiring them to achieve their goals.

Anil Swarup is among the Top 35 Action Heroes of India by India Today. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration award winner is also known for his National Health Insurance Scheme.

The welcome address set the stage perfectly for Anil Swarup, who started his talk by sensitizing the audience about the functioning of the government body through real life examples and experiences. He shared his fundamental principle in life to enjoy every moment because you have no control over the future. “You need to have a discerning eye to identify an opportunity and to be judicious enough to avail it and be committed enough to achieve it,” he said urging the audience to make the most of the opportunities they have.

Listening to Anil Swarup talk about the time when he was assigned the task of formulating a
Health Insurance Scheme for the unorganized labor was inspiring and eye opening. He prepared a list of over 300 questions in a bid to cover all the queries anyone would have about the scheme. Through his own example he encouraged students to be curious and dedicated. “It is not essential that you know everything but it’s your desire to learn that matters. Be passionate about what you do especially when you can benefit strangers who need assistance as it is a big high,” he said.

‘Clarity of Thought’, ‘Having a clear cut focus’, ‘Curtailment of Craving’, ‘Discernment of a Kick and Acquisition of the Anticipated Goal’ and ‘Walk the Talk and then Talk’ were his personal mantras that Anil Swarup shared with the audience. He also mentioned working on Monetary Group and focusing on transparency; an important element of work environment. “Today Trust is in short supply and when it grows, you can get work done easily. You have to work on your interpersonal skills to be an effective team player and leader,” he reminded.

In fact, he addressed every student in the audience as a leader and said that leadership is about inspiring team members and treating them as our close ones. Anil Swarup used examples from popular books like “The Secret” and “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari” to drive home his point. “One should be selfish about change if it benefits the organization. There is no such thing as Objective Reality. Our interpretation is just a subjective analysis of the objective reality,” he concluded amidst a huge round of applause.

The interactive Q and A session that followed after the talk was the perfect culmination to what was a hugely informative and motivating day for the students.