Dear members of BCAS family,
Appearing for any of the CA exams? I am not going to wish you luck, for I don’t believe in luck. Let me instead extend my congratulations to you for choosing this profession. It is one of the most respected, versatile and lucrative professions. I say this with confidence as I have received all this thanks to my being a CA. This profession has given me a solid grounding. It is not superficial. Thanks to the hours put in for the exams, I have proved to myself that I can work very hard if the situation calls for it. A very important aspect in my future career. All the juggling that we, as CA students, have to do between the library, coaching classes, office and then yet being socially active, teaches us the need for planning and prioritising. This is something that all successful people do all the time. It is thanks to the solid grind that this profession has given me, which encompasses self-study, articleship and tough exams, that I have benefitted a lot. That’s the power of the reputation of this course.
But for me the most important gain was the in-depth exposure to the businesses of my clients during articleship and thereafter. While the curriculum gave me financial acumen, I learned commerce from client interaction. This came in good stead when I headed business units for an MNC. Today, CAs can be seen in all walks of life. “Versatile CA” as the BCAS calendar for this year says. Mr. Nandan Nilekani – in politics and in the legislature, Mr. Shekhar Kapoor – in the film industry, Mr. Deepak Parekh -in the banking industry, Mr. Prannoy Roy and Mr. Ronnie Screwvala – in the media, to name a few. All these luminaries are CAs.
All of them went through the same rigmarole as I did and now you will. They had a dream and so do you. They worked hard and smart at the same age as you all are today. Are you willing to work hard too?
Recently we had Mr. Nilesh Vikamsey speak to over 400 students on how to study for the exam. He gave some excellent practical tips and tricks. The video is available on BCAS WebTV. Please do view it.
My daughter is appearing for her IPCC this May. As a father, I am pained to see her put in so many hours preparing for her exams. I am aware of so many parties, outings and other programmes she gives a skip. She doesn’t show it but I am sure she must be sad and somewhere deep down has doubts. Both, on whether she can clear her exams and whether all this is worth it. Fortunately, I am a CA and having gone it through myself, I know exactly what her state of mind is. But seeing her toil so much, much more than I did, I am confident she will triumph. If it is of any solace, let me tell you that sadly every CA student goes through this state of mind. And when you clear the exam all that is forgotten. You walk taller.
Hard work never killed anyone. But hard work has a pattern. Our bodies are designed to withstand hardships when we are young and healthy. With age, your ability to work hard diminishes. The smart people recognise this and put in as much hard work in their younger age and reap benefits of that as they grow older. Even if you want to one day at the age of 50 decide that now you will work hard, your body will not support you. So while you could and had no need, you didn’t and when you needed and were willing, the body failed you. Think what is smarter.
That doesn’t mean that it should be all work and no play. But what is the right balance? Should play be a reward for all the hard work or should hard work be a filler between the partying? If you take the 16-17 hours of your waking time, how much of these can be devoted to studies? Are 9-10 hours too much? The average hours put in daily by a working individual are over 10 hours. The really ambitious ones do this and more, easily and happily. Take any successful person as an example. Would Sachin Tendulkar have been the world’s best and most revered cricketer if not for the hours of practice he put into the sport at a very young age? At the start of his career, Shah Rukh Khan slept on the streets of Mumbai and worked day in and out to now become known as the King Khan. Till date he is reputed to be a workaholic. Dhirubhai Ambani was born in a middle class family. He made the famous Ambani family. He started working towards his goal from a very young age.
If you are appearing for the exams this May then you have already dreamt of being a CA, invested some time in either self-study or attending coaching classes, many of you even cleared IPCC and started articleships. But you have developed self-doubts; confidence is wavering, frustration setting in. Right? This is no time for such emotions. I urge you to not give up now. In fact, give it your best. Study like you have never studied before. Work hard. Take care of your health. Indulge in your favourite activities to refresh your minds. Eat well. Sleep well. Hug your parents. Pray not for results, but the ability to work hard. Assume the results will be just 3% again and believe you will be part of that 3%. Go watch Chak De! again. Watch that motivational speech again and again. He who perspires in practice bleeds not in war. If you dream of heaven, be prepared to die for it.
May I request all my CA friends reading this, to convey this message to their article students in their office and outside.
I once again compliment all the students. Yashasvi Bhavva.
Here’s wishing everyone happiness and love.
With Warm Regards
Naushad A. Panjwan
