Charanjeet Kakar

Written by Tushaar Sikka
Leadership Open Elective taught by Jibrael Jos
Nov 2018 at Christ University

If I were to look back and say who was that one person who influenced my life greatly and I greatly adored him, it would be my Maternal Grandfather, Mr. Charanjeet Kakar. Settled as a canteen owner at a railway station he has always believed that work is the virtue of man and he needs to respect it even as age makes a person wither away with time.

His qualities of diligence often inspired me as a child when I would see him returning him late at night, but with a constant smile filled with warmth for the ones back home. 

It always implied 2 things

1. That being the hard worker that he was he never complained. Never complained about working, about working late or otherwise. He knew that success and peaks were a byproduct of hard work and was a strict believer in the quote that “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”

The second thing one could learn and observe was balance. The balance he maintained as he shuffled between his work and personal life, handling both of them elegantly. It’s rare that people who are burdened with stress cope with it jolly and confident. But he was one of those men. 

One anecdote which would help me create the image of the person in context would be when the Canteen he owns suffered heavy losses and barely running, he made the mentality of the employee and fate of the canteen take a U turn with his hopeful yet realistic approach towards life and I will always credit him of giving me the same