Responsibility is Taken, Not Given!!

When I went to Shilpakala Vedika on 25^th January 2026 for the 19^th Thanksgiving Ceremony of abhaya Foundation, I had no clue what was in store for me. I got an opportunity to accept the Best Volunteer Award from the hands of the ex-Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Nadu.

Since the last 16 months, I have been associated with maintaining the Accounts of abhaya Foundation. This is a new experience for me with an insight into the field of accounting. Every year, abhaya Foundation conducts an event expressing gratitude to the donors and beneficiaries. Similarly, beneficiaries, mostly schools express their gratitude through various cultural programs. I was attending a planning meeting over a conference call and in the process, I volunteered to handle the audio and video projections for the event. This simple action had far-reaching consequences. For a voluntary organization that runs on sparse human resources, every support that can relieve the senior management to handle more important activities leaves a major impact.

So much so that it led to me receiving the Best Volunteer Award, which came as complete surprise. This award reminds me of the advice that was given to me twenty years ago by my then manager and mentor, Rajesh Nambiar, who is currently the President of Nasscom. He told me, “Responsibility is Taken, Not Given”. Many people wait for tasks to be assigned, roles to be thrust upon them. But I have realized over the years, that success comes to those who are ready to take the plunge, not waiting for a tailormade platter. Early in my IT career, I had taken up ownership in projects seeing the gaps. Giving a talk on a product based approach to software led to my role in leading the overhaul of the TCS Health Care Product way back in 2001.  Later on, whether it is launching a new course training for CLAT or transitioning to a junior college in Abhyaas, though the tasks were daunting, I have never hesitated to take the first step and the results speak for themselves. Believe in yourself, put in your best efforts and never hesitate to take up a new responsibility. Success will follow.