One man is all you need

Five managers crowded around the table. A real estate project plan was spread on the table. The discussion was centred around the marketing of the project. The project was a mall. Lots of pencils and sketch pens on the table. Eyes glittered like how Paresh Rawal's does when he sees gold biscuits in a bag. Let's colour the floors differently and choose to highlight our vision of the project. Let's write something in boxes on the side and explain the project. Let's put in the store names that could populate the mall and create a mental picture for the tenants coming in. Let's colour the anchor stores differently. Most of the ideas were implemented. Spirited discussion resulting in spirited plans. But about two weeks later they were back at the drawing board again. The plans were incomplete and things had to be redone. Immediately, like sullen seven year olds or like unhappy Arjun Kapoor, two managers walked out of the group stating that all that was a waste of time and that they had better things to do. The three left plugged away and created something new and better again. Those plans were presented. Questions were asked by the bosses and some questions were piercing and difficult. Pointed questions were asked to one person who was till then trying to be the leader of the planners. The one person wilted under the onslaught and disowned his plan and fellow planners. "I think they will be able to tell more on this as this was their idea", he said. The bosses now looked at the two standing and asked the same question. One of the two, in spite of visible limitations with architecture knowledge, kept answering as best as he could. Picture Arshad Warsi doing it. You'd know how he was. But somehow the bosses were convinced. The plan was implemented. Some years later, the plan came alive in a city where the mall was launched. Success does not happen just with brilliant overachieving people. It happens with simple, unassuming and Govinda type people too. Who explain things like Arshad Warsi. Mostly with people who don't give up. Sunil Chettri didn't. He kept his spirit up. And used his brains apart from everything else that his training and development provided. In a set piece position, he ran out of the wall towards his own goal, collected a ball with his back towards the Kenyan goal, swivelled and dinked the ball over the wall where there was a yawning breach and left a goalkeeper totally stranded. Sunil Chettri didn't give up. He pleaded with fans to come to see the team. He scored in every match. Somehow, he brought back Indian football to center stage, alone. Sunil Chettri was a commentator in the last football world cup in a TV studio. 4 years back there was no football in India happening that we could speak about. Who knows, Sunil Chettri could lead India into a World Cup at the age of 37. Hope. Grit. Determination. One man. That's all it needs.