Go, Kiss the World by Subroto Bagchi - Summary

**Go, Kiss the World** Subroto Bagchi is an Indian entrepreneur, business leader, and co-founder of Mindtree, a multinational corporation. *Go, Kiss the World* was a speech he delivered in 2004 to the students at IIM Bangalore, offering a unique perspective on success. **Text** Bagchi was the you...

**Go, Kiss the World** Subroto Bagchi is an Indian entrepreneur, business leader, and co-founder of Mindtree, a multinational corporation. *Go, Kiss the World* was a speech he delivered in 2004 to the students at IIM Bangalore, offering a unique perspective on success. **Text** Bagchi was the youngest of five brothers. His father was a modest government employee. He recalls a time when his father served as the district employment officer in Orissa, an underdeveloped region with no electricity, insufficient water facilities, and no primary schools. Bagchi was home-schooled until the age of eight. Due to his father's frequent transfers, the family moved regularly. His mother, raised by a widow from East Bengal who had come as a refugee, played a pivotal role in shaping his values. Bagchi credits his parents for instilling the foundational values that shaped his life. His father, despite having a government-issued jeep, never used it for personal purposes; it was reserved strictly for professional duties. This taught Bagchi the importance of not wasting public resources. Respecting others was another value emphasized in their home. The children were taught to treat servants and drivers with dignity, and Bagchi passed this lesson on to his own children. "We often respect our superiors out of fear, but do we respect our subordinates?" he asks. He believes everyone, even children, deserves respect. Their daily life was humble. They cooked on a clay stove and reading the newspaper was a routine. Bagchi believes that this simple habit, despite attending an Odia-medium school, helped him develop strong English communication skills. The children were also expected to fold the newspaper neatly after reading it. This taught them discipline and the importance of keeping things orderly, just as one would want to find them. As children, they would ask their father for new things, like radios or a house of their own, but he would always respond with, "We already have enough." Through this, Bagchi learned that personal success and happiness should not be measured by material possessions. Bagchi's mother had a passion for gardening, even though they didn't stay in one place long enough to enjoy the fruits of her labour. Some neighbours couldn't understand this, but she believed that true success lies in what you leave behind, not what you accumulate. In 1965, when his elder brother got a job in Bhubaneswar, Bagchi and his mother moved with him. This was the first time he saw modern amenities like running water and electricity. During this time, India was at war with Pakistan, and the slogan "Jai Jawan Jai Kisan" popularised by Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri inspired Bagchi. He often daydreamed about catching spies during the war, and these fantasies fuelled his imagination. Bagchi believes that imagination is crucial to success; if you can envision a future, you can create it and live in it. Sadly, his mother's cataracts worsened and she went completely blind after surgery. Yet, she remained a woman of great insight. Despite her blindness, she said, "I see light even after turning blind," and never complained about her fate. Until she was 80, she practiced yoga every morning, cleaned her room, and washed her clothes. Her self-reliance and independence had a profound impact on Bagchi's life. Bagchi began his own career as a clerk in a government office, later becoming a management trainee with DCM Group. In 1981, when fourth-generation computers arrived in India, he realized his true calling was in the IT industry. In 1992, while Bagchi was in the U.S., his father became very ill and was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, a place that was in poor condition. Despite being near death, his father's main concern was for others, especially the nurse who attended to him. He passed away the next day, but Bagchi remembers him as a man of principle who taught him that true success lies in rising above personal discomforts. Bagchi's parents held opposing views: his father was a supporter of the British Raj, while his mother was an admirer of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. This dynamic taught Bagchi the value of diverse perspectives and the importance of pluralism. He believes that we should not expect everyone to think like us, and that learning to accept differences is essential for peaceful co-existence. When his mother suffered a stroke and was admitted to a government hospital, Bagchi returned to India to be with her. As he was about to leave for his job, he kissed her goodbye. She responded with the words, "Go, kiss the world." For Bagchi, success is not just about achievements; it's about rising above adversity, having the imagination to create a better future, being inclusive, and finding extraordinary success in an ordinary life.