“It was not so cold out there in Delhi,” Lulu, my parrot, said and hopped closer to me, “But what were you doing there in MAMC?”

“Maulana Azad medical College, you mean? He must have gone there to run the ‘Mashaal’ (The Torch) program” Nina, my Myna said. Mynas often speak out of turn!

“She is right, we were holding Mashaal event. It was a leadership development program for the healthcare professionals. We did it for the professors of MAMC,” I said.

The evening was setting in and the sun had moved near the west horizon making the sky orange and pink. The lights at Connaught Place were just switched on. And the traffic of cars was adding its din to the noise.

“Dr. Sheetal Amte thought of holding a leadership development program for healthcare professionals, and that was in 2017, nine years ago” I continued, “we called it Mashaal.”

“How many healthcare professionals and medical students have you trained?”

“Almost 500! That’s not bad considering funding is always a big issue”

“I heard that leadership is not included in the curriculum of medical studies?”

“No, it is not. In any case, leadership means different thing at different stages in life. So it is good to learn or refresh”

“We created the Mashaal design to focus on ‘Leading Self,’ and ‘Leading Others.’

“Becoming a leader is becoming yourself, says Warren Bennis, the leadership Guru. We have created our Mashaal program based on this insight.”

“What does that mean? ‘Becoming a leader is becoming yourself’?”

“Okay. Let me read out the answer: ‘It means ‘becoming the person you were meant to be through continuous self-development.’”

“That’s the journey we are all on, and some sleep-walk through it while we must walk consciously.”

“And that is the point. Consciously, you said. Reflecting or introspecting on our actions is important.”

“Reflecting or introspecting? Let me Google it – yes, here is the answer: ‘Introspection is the internal, focused examination of one’s own immediate thoughts, emotions, and motivations to understand the “why” behind them”

“And Reflection?”

“Reflection is a broader process of reviewing past experiences, actions, and their external consequences to learn, gain perspective, and improve future behavior. Both are essential for self-awareness”

“Did you reflect on your experience of taking leadership development to the healthcare fraternity?”

“Oh, Expect Nina to ask such searching questions”

“Yes, Nina, we did. And AGNI was the name we gave to the introspection exercise as. It means ‘fire.’”

“That’s so appropriate – ‘If a spark is lit for a noble cause, it can later turn into a big fire meaning great work.’ Those are the words of Sant Ramdas – वन्ही तो चेतवावा रे.”

“We have a long way to go. The healthcare professionals are so busy that taking out two days for self-development and leadership learning is difficult for them”

“Generally speaking why leadership must be learnt by healthcare guys itself is not clear to them”

“People make choices which give decisive turn to their lives. If we wish to leave some impact on the world around us, we have to make choices. Knowingly.”

“Yes, that’s true. Baba Amte decided to work on eradicating leprosy when he stumbled upon a leprosy affected Tulasiram. Dr. Anita Awchat set up the now famous drug deaddiction center ‘Muktangan’ when she decided to help a young boy come out of drug addiction.”

“And Mashaal is showing the light to such aspirants who wish to make a difference”

“You must be facing several difficulties”

“That’s true. We are inspired by Picasso’s words – “When I haven’t any blue, I use red.” Picasso believed that “an artist should never be stopped by a lack of specific materials. If one tool or color is missing, the artist must adapt to keep the “act of creation” moving forward.””

“I get you. Keep moving forward. And let us know if we can be of some help” Nina, my myna, said and Lulu, my parrot, nodded in agreement.

The sun had just set and the horizon was still lit in the orange light dusk. And a few stars were now glittering.

Vivek S Patwardhan

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” All matter copyrighted.