A Motivational Session at St. Patrick’s High School – 23rd January 2026

 

A Motivational Session at St. Patrick’s High School – 23rd January 2026

It all started during a casual conversation with my dentist. When he asked me where I did my schooling from, I replied ‘St. Patricks High School, Adyar, Chennai’, he was pleasantly surprised and said “Sir I am also a Patrician”. Thus started the reconnect with my Alma Mater after six decades. 

I was asked by the Alumni of St. Patricks High School, Adyar to give a motivational talk to the students of the 11th and 12th standards. Being an Alumnus myself, having passed out of the school in 1965, it was an opportunity and an honour to interact with the students who were on the threshold of stepping out into the future that would determine the course of their lives. The school itself had grown in size with the addition of more buildings and hostels. But what pleased me most was that the old building stood there intact with the classrooms where once we had attended classes, and carrying memories. The school had completed 150 years since it was established. The campus is beautiful with a lot of green cover and situated on the banks of the Adyar river. In a lighter vein it appeared that I was perhaps one of the oldest members in the Alumni. I also noted that many of the members were not even born when I passed out of school in 1965.

I couldn’t recollect when I had last addressed a gathering, but I am sure it was when I was in active service in the bank. Maybe some seminars, farewell speeches and the like. This was different, this was supposed to be a motivational session where the audience consisted of a generation far removed from my own, whose knowledge levels, aspirations and expectations were more demanding, growing up in an atmosphere of extreme competition and opportunities. Initially it was daunting, but then I realized that whichever generation we belong to, the basic emotions and instincts would remain the same. 

I was clear that this was not going to be a speech or a lecture for there is always the danger of it ending up as a sermon or a monologue and I did not want to do either of them. So I said ‘let us have a talk’ for it ensures there is a dialogue and participation. And that’s what I did.  

And this is what I talked -

“Standing here today is deeply emotional for me. Exactly sixty years ago, I walked out of these gates as a 15-year-old boy — slim, serious, slightly confused, but absolutely convinced that I was destined for something “big”! At that age, of course, we all think we know everything. We have strong opinions. We have big plans.

When I was in Class X, the most dangerous question an adult could ask was:

“So… what do you want to become?” In my time, the options were very limited. You were either going to be a doctor or an engineer. That was it. No data science, no AI, no entrepreneurship, no content creators, no start-ups. If you said you wanted to “explore,” people would look at you as if you needed medical attention! Since I was reasonably good at Mathematics and Science, I confidently announced, “Engineer.” It sounded impressive. It satisfied relatives. And it saved me from further questioning.

Looking back, I sometimes wonder — did I choose engineering, or did engineering quietly choose me? But let me tell you something important: at 15, it is perfectly fine not to have all the answers. In fact, if you think you have all the answers at 15, life will soon correct you — gently… or sometimes not so gently!

When I think of my journey, I realise something very clearly: whatever I became later in life had its roots here. It was within these classrooms that I began to discover my strengths. It was on this playground that I learned teamwork. It was under the guidance of our teachers that I learned discipline. They didn’t merely teach us subjects. They shaped our thinking. They insisted on punctuality. They corrected our grammar. They demanded neat handwriting — something many of you have successfully escaped thanks to keyboards! But beyond academics, they instilled something far more valuable — character.

I love what Salvador Dalí once said: “At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since.” That quote always makes me smile. Because it is so true. Dreams change they evolve as you grow and that is perfectly natural. The key is not to panic when your dreams change. The key is to grow with them.

My Journey took me from St. Patrick’s High School, to Loyola College, and later to IIT Kharagpur. It was not all smooth sailing. There were moments of doubt. There were exams that did not go as planned. There were nights of anxiety before results. And yes, there were days when I wondered whether I truly belonged there.

What I learned was that talent may open the door but discipline keeps you in the room. Success is usually the result of small, consistent efforts repeated every day. There are no shortcuts, the real progress happens quietly through persistence.

One of the biggest challenges you face today is competition and  comparison. As someone who has seen six decades of change from a youth just out of school to where I find myself today, the biggest hurdle I have faced is comparison. It robs us of our joy, confidence and potential. Growth is not a competition; it is a personal evolution. We all want to grow, to be loved and held in high esteem. We work towards realizing our full potential and fulfillment

Ambition is important. Without ambition, we drift. But ambition must be balanced. When I talk of ambition I look at it as -

Personal growth – To become healthier, wiser, more confident, emotionally balanced, understand , empathize and accept. 

Career growth – To excel in your chosen field, whatever it may be.

Social growth – To contribute, to give back, to uplift others.

At different stages in our life success undergoes a transformation- from winning to earning, to stability and ultimately you will understand success as significance.

I have narrowed down on five words which could perhaps help you to focus on the journey ahead and achieve your goals -

Persistence, Patience, Purpose, Passion, Principles. And of course there is one ‘P’ which should be avoided and that is Procrastination.

As I stand here today, sixty years after I left these gates, I feel — Gratitude to this institution, to my teachers, to my parents and lastly to life itself. When I left St. Patrick’s as a boy, I carried dreams. Today, I return carrying memories… and immense respect for the foundation this school gave me.

One day, many decades from now, one of you will stand here — perhaps as a leader, a scientist, an artist, an entrepreneur — and you will say, “It all began here.”

My journey began here. Yours is unfolding now. Make it meaningful, ethical, and joyful. Before I end I shall leave it to you to answer for yourself at some stage in your life -

What difference did I make?

Whose life did I improve?

Did I live by my principles.

Thank you, and may your future be bright and purposeful”.

MEMOIRS, JOURNALS AND CONVERSATIONS by GS.SUBBU

 

MEMOIRS, JOURNALS AND

CONVERSATIONS

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

                                                                                    ― William Wordsworth,

“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”

                                                                                    ― William Wordsworth

BLURB

GS. Subbu puts together bits and pieces, slices of life, in metaphors, in conversations, and in humor, to arrive at an understanding of the world we live in, of relationships and empathy, a journey of learning,  an inquiry into life, and an acceptance of reality,. Memoirs, Journals, and Conversations’ is metaphorical in its contents, whether it is the author  talking to himself or with objects surrounding him, leading one to serious introspection. The author in his own words says “I pause to reflect on what I have seen and experienced, what I have understood about life, and what it means to live”. Appreciation of Art, The Dream of a Disturbed Man a short science fiction story, Homage and A Tribute to All Parents also form important portions of the book

PREFACE

When I reflect on my journey as a writer, I feel fulfilled and satisfied that I have been able to say what I wanted, an outlet for my feelings, views, and explorations into territories that had eluded me before. I now await to venture into fresher pastures. But before that, I wish to share with my readers and seek their indulgence to undertake the journey along with me, for after all, it is they who have pushed me from milestone to milestone.  

I found in the process that I could explore all those things that I have been passionately interested in like art – painting, and music. It was on the way, on that journey, I saw things with a new perspective, a perspective that had been sharpened by the experiences on the way. I came across two amazing books that played a large part in my development as a writer and helped me become a published author from a blogger – ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King and ‘Fallen Leaves’ by Will Durant. I learned from Stephen King that “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut. Good writing teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth-telling. We read to experience the mediocre and the outright rotten; such experience helps us to recognize those things when they begin to creep into our own work and to steer clear of them. We also read in order to measure ourselves against the good and the great, to get a sense of all that can be done. And we also read to experience different styles.” 

To this day I fall back upon Will Durant and it becomes more relevant as you age and the years pass you by. ‘Fallen Leaves’ is considered his most personal book and the last, presenting his own opinions on the major problems of life, politics, religion, and society. I have taken the liberty to reproduce  from the Preface to the book where he writes-

“Vanity increases with age. Here I am, going on ninety-five; by this time I should have learned the art of silence, and should realize that every educated reader has already heard all opinions and their opposites; yet here I set out, fearful and rash, to tell the world – or one hundred millionth of it – just what I think on everything. It is all the more ridiculous since at my age, a man is deeply rooted in the ways or views of his youth, and is almost constitutionally incapable of understanding the changing world that assails him, and from which he tends to flee into the grooves of the past or the safety of his home.” 

There has been a perceptible slowing down, especially after 2020, and I recognize that. Maybe I can no longer run, but still capable of pushing my way to the next milestone, and like Durrant says, I am also learning the art of Silence.

I pause to reflect on what I have seen and experienced, what I have understood about life, and what it means to live. I ask myself whether it is vanity that forces me to write. Maybe it is there in some measure, but to be truthful, I have found that my writing is a mirror I hold in front to understand the lessons that life has taught me. It has taught me that each day is a celebration. As you wake up to see the sun streaming through the windows and you stretch your limbs, re-enacting the very process of being born again and living one more day, it is a CELEBRATION. 

I feel indebted to all those authors and their books for having shown me the way whenever I faced a wall. I find it necessary to list here the learning points and processes I underwent while reading them, especially Stephen King’s ON WRITING and Will Durant’s ‘FALLEN LEAVES’ 

The need to arrive at a comprehensive view of life through my own and the lives of others has been my inspiration. I see stories in every person I meet and every place I visit, and they inspire me.

When I look back at the road I have traveled, I keep discovering those little joys, some sadness, successes, failures, and questions about life.   

All writers undergo the same process: an idea, giving it form, writing it down, reading, editing, re-reading, re-editing, and the final product. It is an iterative process until you are satisfied that you have nearly put down what you wanted. Research becomes an integral part when you write across different locations and timelines.

The most fulfilling aspect of writing is the ability to translate emotions, ideas, and perceptions, which are intangible, into words. It is an outlet for your imagination and a world of your own where you are the creator. Imagery is an essential part of storytelling. I have relied on it to capture the mind of the reader and enhance their reading experience so that they can visualize the setting on which a story is based. 

This book is essentially a selection from my writings over the years. I thought it fit to group them in the form of memoirs and journals to give a wholesome picture and bring it out in the form of a book. I am sure the reader will find it seamless and travel on the journey with me. 

This journey of selecting from what I have written over the last fifteen years and editing and putting them together has been rewarding and, at the same time, a satisfaction of evaluating how far I have traveled on my journey to self-discovery.

AUTHOR BIO

This is the sixth book of GS.Subbu (the others being- ‘I am just an Ordinary Man’, ‘Darkness and Beyond- A Medley of Many LIves’, ‘Autumn Leaves- Seasons of Life’, ‘The Diary of Mrityunjay’ and ‘Secrets of the Soul’. An Engineer by qualification and a Banker by profession, Subbu started his journey in writing as a blogger, after his retirement. His blog ‘Sublimation’ has been the backbone of his writings. ‘Memoirs, Journals and Conversations’ is a compilation of a selection of his writings over the last decade and half, exploring various aspects of life. 

The book is now available on

https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0G8FHTDV7

https://direct.notionpress.com/in/read/memoirs-journals-and-conversations/

A CELEBRATION OF THE 300th POSTING ON MY BLOG- MILESTONES: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

 

Painting by Maitreyi

A CELEBRATION OF THE 300th POSTING ON MY BLOG

MILESTONES: THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

As the year 2024 nears its end, I sit back to reflect on my journey as a writer. It has given me fulfillment and satisfaction that I have been able to say what I wanted, an outlet for my feelings, views, and explorations into territories that had eluded me before. I now await the dawn of a New Year to venture into fresher pastures. But before that, on reaching a milestone of 300 posts on my blog, I seek to share with my readers and seek their indulgence to undertake the journey along with me, for after all, it is they who have pushed me from milestone to milestone.  

A long-felt desire came true when I created this blog fifteen years ago in October 2009 and named it SUBLIMATION. For me, it meant merging with greatness, an expanse beyond compare, beyond beauty, transcendental; and Sublimation, the process of becoming sublime. Did I hope to achieve this by expressing my thoughts, feelings, reactions, and relationships? Was it going to be a mirror reflecting the distortions that I had failed to see, recognize, and accept? Time will tell. There were too many questions to start with-

What do I write? How will I sustain the flow? If I am to to put myself in the public domain will I be able to pull myself out of my personal space?  

When I first became active on my blog it was more of an inward journey and more for myself. However, a few inputs from some of my well-wishers made me realize that when I write something that I place in the public domain, it has to have a certain interest to the reader. I was and am interested in people reading what I write. A valuable input came from one of my friends. He said “You write well but most of it is philosophical excursions, the only thing I can say is that I like them by way of comments but that does not really mean anything. With your varied interests, you should be able to write on things which the reader can connect with”. I took him seriously and changed my approach. I found in the process that I could explore all those things that I have been passionately interested in like art – painting, and music. I found that slowly the number of page views increased and I knew that I was now connecting.  I also found that there is a joy in sharing, a satisfaction of a need to be understood, and a need for adulation. This is especially true of any creation that is put up in the public domain for consumption. 

In an earlier post of mine ‘In Need Of Appreciation’ I mentioned that the reason why the need for sharing arises is the same as the reason you start conversations: to connect with the people who may resonate with you. Therefore appreciation and feedback, even a critical one... anything that starts a dialogue is most welcome.

It is important to set a goal for oneself, for that is what makes you move forward. I had never really set myself a goal, it just happened. When I realized that over a period of four years, I had reached that figure of a hundred postings, it gave me satisfaction and confidence that I could write. When I wrote my 100th post on 20th February 2013, I called it ‘A Celebration of my 100th Posting’. Yes, it indeed was a celebration for it was the first milestone in my journey as a writer.   It was on the way, on that journey, that I started seeing and experiencing things that I had never really understood before. I saw things with a new perspective, a perspective that had been sharpened by the experiences on the way.

Three years later in March 2016, I celebrated once again when I reached the 200th post and called it a ‘Celebration of Life’.  During this period I also managed to complete my first two books. Perhaps it was my most productive time, another milestone in my journey as a writer.

During this period, I came across two amazing books that played a large part in my development as a writer and helped me become a published author from a mere blogger – ‘On Writing’ by Stephen King and ‘Fallen Leaves’ by Will Durant. I learned from Stephen King that “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut. Good writing teaches the learning writer about style, graceful narration, plot development, the creation of believable characters, and truth-telling. We read to experience the mediocre and the outright rotten; such experience helps us to recognize those things when they begin to creep into our own work and to steer clear of them. We also read in order to measure ourselves against the good and the great, to get a sense of all that can be done. And we also read to experience different styles.” 

To this day I fall back upon Will Durant and it becomes more relevant as you age and the years pass you by. Fallen Leaves is considered his most personal book and the last, presenting his own opinions on the major problems of life, politics, religion, and society. I have taken the liberty to reproduce  from the Preface to the book where he writes-

“Vanity increases with age. Here I am, going on ninety-five; by this time I should have learned the art of silence, and should realize that every educated reader has already heard all opinions and their opposites; yet here I set out, fearful and rash, to tell the world – or one hundred millionth of it – just what I think on everything. It is all the more ridiculous since at my age, a man is deeply rooted in the ways or views of his youth, and is almost constitutionally incapable of understanding the changing world that assails him, and from which he tends to flee into the grooves of the past or the safety of his home.” 

It has taken me eight more years to reach this next milestone of three hundred postings. It has not given me the same elation as earlier though I did publish two more books keeping to my time schedule of one every two years, but it is now four years since I wrote ‘The Diary of Mrityunjay’ and the promised sequel is only partially done. There has been a perceptible slowing down, especially after 2020 and I recognize that. Maybe I can no longer run, but still capable of pushing my way to the next milestone, and like Durrant says, I am also learning the art of Silence.

Now, when I am on the verge of reaching the next milestone in my journey of 300 postings with more than 1,30,000 page views, I pause to reflect on what I have seen and experienced, what I have understood of life, and what it means to live. I ask myself whether it is vanity that forces me to write. Maybe it is there in some measure, but to be truthful I have found that my writing is a mirror I hold in front to understand the lessons that life has taught me. It has taught me that each day is a celebration. As you wake up to see the sun streaming through the windows and you stretch your limbs re-enacting the very process of being born again and living one more day, it is a CELEBRATION. 

As I reflect on my journey as a writer I feel indebted to all those authors and their books for having shown me the way whenever I faced a wall. I find it necessary to list here the learning points and processes I underwent while reading them, especially Stephen King’s ON WRITING and Will Durant’s ‘FALLEN LEAVES’ 

1. The need to arrive at a comprehensive view of life through my own and the lives of others has been my inspiration. I see stories in every person I meet and every place I visit, and they inspire me.

2. When I look back at the road I have traveled, I keep discovering those little joys, some sadness, successes, failures, and questions about life.   

3. All writers undergo the same process – an idea, giving it form, writing it down, reading, editing, re-reading, re-editing, and the final product. It is an iterative process until you are satisfied that you have nearly put down what you wanted.

4. Research becomes an integral part when you write across different locations and timelines.

5. The most fulfilling aspect of writing is the ability to translate emotions, ideas, and perceptions, which are intangibles, into words. It is an outlet for your imagination and a world of your own where you are the creator. 

6. Imagery is an essential part of storytelling. I have relied on it to capture the mind of the reader and enhance his reading experience so that he can visualize the setting on which the story is based. To give an idea, let me reproduce a passage from my book ‘The Diary of Mriyunjay’-‘For two days I had watched the Himalayan heights through a veil of mist and sheets of rain from the common verandah on the first floor of the lodge where I was staying’. It was necessary to build up this imagery as a precursor to the disaster that follows. The other type of imagery that I have used in my books is by way of dreams. The main purpose has been to take the reader through the dreamlike state to the reality of the present. The river has been used extensively in the book as symbolic of the flow of our life and destiny. The river plays an important role in the book. The creative force of its serenity and the destructive nature of its turbulence on its journey to merge with the ocean are but allegorical representations of our journey through life. 

Before I end this post,  let me wish everyone out there and their families  A WONDERFUL 2025- FULL OF HAPPINESS, FULFILLMENT, PROSPERITY, PEACE, AND GOOD HEALTH.

Acknowledgements:

The Theme painting DRAGONFLY is by my daughter Maitreyi

The symbolism of the Dragonfly has been taken from https://dragonfly.org/the-symbolism-biology-and-lore-of-dragonflies Source - The Symbolism, Biology and Lore of Dragonflies -The dragonfly, in almost every part of the world symbolizes change and change in the perspective of self realization; and the kind of change that has its source in mental and emotional maturity and the understanding of the deeper meaning of life. 

THE DIARY OF MRITYUNJAY-PART TWO- A GLIMPSE

 

THE DIARY OF MRITYUNJAY-PART TWO
A GLIMPSE

With 2024 nearing its end, I am hoping that I will be able to complete Part 2 of ‘The Diary of Mrityunjay’ in 2025 and I hope I shall keep up this resolution, unlike others which have fallen by the wayside. I knew I had a promise to keep- Mrityunjay had given a glimpse of a sequel at the end of the book and this is where I restarted, to maintain the continuity and make it easier for the reader to connect. While I have already posted the Preface on my blog some time ago, I thought I would give a glimpse of a portion of the prologue to create some interest among my readers. I have included some portions from the Epilogue to the first book ‘The Diary of Mrityunjay’ to ensure continuity to Part 2 and help the reader connect.

DIARY OF MRITYUNJAY - PART 2

PROLOGUE

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way. –Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities,

They were difficult times. They were testing times. It was surreal; I thought that this was the stuff one reads in books and sees in movies: of future catastrophes and the race to save mankind from decimation.  Decades ago I read Albert Camus’s allegorical novel ‘The Plague’, which tells the story of a plague sweeping the French Algerian city of Oran. It asks a number of questions relating to the nature of destiny and the human condition. A passage from the book reads -

Everybody knows that pestilences have a way of recurring in the world; yet somehow we find it hard to believe in ones that crash down on our heads from a blue sky. There have been as many plagues as wars in history, yet always plagues and wars take people equally by surprise.

My thoughts went back to Mrityunjay and the words from his book The Diary of Mrityunjay resonated -

‘It’s normal to feel ‘fear’. The fear of extinction is very strong. We are afraid that we may be wiped out before our search is over without finding an answer to this riddle called life. The instinct for survival is predominant in all of us and we are always in search of different ways and means to ensure we continue to survive.’

2020 happened leaving behind a deep scar on our collective psyche. I was sure that the long silences of Mrityunjay were because the scar would have further ignited his passion for exploration, understanding the effect of the calamity, and what his role would be in alleviating the misery. That’s how he was.

It was the beginning of a new year; 2022 started off on a more promising note, not that the calamities of 2020 which carried over to 2021 had completely subsided, but there was hope that the worst was over and now there was mobility and the vaccine program seemed to have had considerable effect. Still the more prudent of us did not dispense with the basic rules of social distancing and wearing masks. 

The last time I met Mrityunjay was in November 2019 when he came to Chennai. Thereafter, we did keep in touch through occasional phone calls. But in 2020 and subsequently, there were long periods of silence which soon petered out into no communication. I knew people were picking up the pieces of their life that lay scattered and putting them back together again. 

Through the year 2021, though there were a few calls and emails from him, these soon petered out. I did not hear from him for more than a year. I wondered whether he had once again gone away as was his wont in search of something elusive. I had reckoned that he had settled down to his rediscovered life, but you could not say anything definitive about him, for that was who he was, calm outside but a restless spirit inside.

That’s for now, friends.

WISHING YOU ALL AND YOUR FAMILIES A GREAT, HEALTHY, HAPPY AND FULFILLING 2025