Anandha Padmanabhan Anjeneyan Essay#2

If you could step into someone else's shoes for a day, who would it be

and why? (500 word maximum).

“Mein Name ist Ananth. Ich wohne in Mumbai. Ich bin ein Animator”,

said Ananth with a smile on his face. The brand head gave a pleasantly

surprised smile on hearing an Indian conversing in German- his mother-

tongue. The meeting originally planned for one hour was wrapped up in

thirty minutes. The time saved was spent on finalizing the literary agent

for his book of poems - “Expressions”. Ananth then went to give the final

training session on compositing and visual effects to designers at a

production studio. He spent the evening at a social welfare association to

teach basic computer skill to the teenagers living in Dharavi- largest

slum in Asia.

Ananthanarayanan V (Ananth), my cousin, is the Brand and Product

consultant at Techdivine studios and school of Animation (Techdivine

studios) - a newly formed digital studio & technical consultancy services

company specializing in online media and content. It also provides 3D

design solutions for publishing and animation industry. Ananth’s role in

Techdivine studios besides providing technical and market research

solutions also includes bringing forth some innovative ideas and

concepts, spreading technical information and increasing the clientele

list. Ananth is an entrepreneur, educator and a person intensely

passionate about art and poetry. He convincingly fulfils these seemingly

diverse roles.

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Anandha Padmanabhan Anjeneyan Essay#2

Even amidst his contrasting profile, certain striking traits grab my

attention. I can identify traits relevant to me in each of his activities

during the day in particular and choices he has made in life in general.

Looking at things from his perspective will enable me imbibe these traits

and grow in the process.

The first trait is ability to see things from the eyes of the customer and

tailor communication accordingly. Ananth makes it a point to know his

customers’ background well before commencing any discussion. His

foresight to understand how a country’s culture impacts the approach to

business is apparent during his interaction with the German customer. It

is a firsthand lesson on customer focus.

The second and more important trait is his entrepreneurial outlook.

While working in a large organization, we run a risk of developing a

stratified opinion of our function and our role in the organization. To be

successful in life, we need to seek, explore and acquire expertise to deal

with rapidly changing world around us. Being Ananth, getting involved in

various functions of the studios during the day, will aid in developing the

ability to look at business from an organizational viewpoint rather than a

functional viewpoint.

We can contribute individually and professionally, to the society in which

we live, by sharing the knowledge acquired from it. Ananth has

successfully put this principle into practice. Knowledge sharing among

the members of an organization enables them to widened understanding

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Anandha Padmanabhan Anjeneyan Essay#2

their knowledge-base and in turn facilitates growth of the organization.

Re-living his role as an educator will be a starting point in developing

this trait.

From a broader perspective viewing things through the eyes of an

outsider will aid in realizing my latent potential. At times we learn more

by stepping aside and viewing the events from the eyes of an outsider.

Many seemingly insurmountable conflicts get resolved in this process.

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