U.R. enlightening

When Prof. U.R. Ananthamurthy spoke, on college day, many people sat talking, inside the auditorium. Many complained of his incoherence. But what I loved was his flow from one thought to the other. His thought pattern was like a cool breeze. The impression I had about him, which was formed from the time he argued for re-christening banmgalore into Bengalooru, the local langugae (Kanada) equivalent, was that of a progressive social reformer with a conservative edge.

But when he spoke on Monday, the 10th of March, his words had a sort of coolness to it. Wisdom flowing from a wise man.I was learning. I sat and listened to him, trying to catch every word over the mumbling and grumbling of the MBA students sitting in front of me.
The following are some of the thoughts which struck me most:]

• Wisdom appears passive
• In order to stay young, it is important to be humble. Then there will be, always, something yet to learn, yet to know, yet to experience, yet to be reached
• One must learn to be quiet within oneself. It makes you more productive and enrich you.
• Thinking, reflecting, debating, etc. are important things in life, or else you'll just be toeing someone else's line.
• We have multiple identities (like student, son, a software engineer, a Maharashtrian, a poonawalla, an Indian, etc.) which are continuous. All that is part of the same person and ought to be respected that way. That's were growth, development, exchange, peace, etc. prevails.
• One needs to stay rooted where he is ,and yet be progressive and modern in his/her approach

Mr. U.R., thank you for coming and letting your thoughts flow.