M. Krishnamoorthy
A media coach, adjunct professor and author
“Money is not the key to happiness,” Brickfields Asia College’s Co-Founder and Managing Director, Raja Singham said at the 2023 Convocation Ceremony College last week.
The key to happiness is gratitude. “Being happy with what you have. Because if you're in a quest to always chase after things, you're like that hamster on the wheel that will keep running – ‘I've made my first million, I want my ten million, I want my hundred million, I want this, I want that,’” Raja Singham added, “And you will never stop just to be happy.”
This was one of eight human values he said candidly at the convocation and advised the students to be the best version of themselves.
Watch his convocation speech here: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSNqyoJAP
He explained values: “We're born, live, and die. Life is a gift; don't waste it. So, promise yourself that we all must lead a life of values and find certain values that will be our moral compass to take us through life's journey.”
“When you enter the workforce - be professional, be accountable and take ownership,” continued Raja Singham.
The third one is empathy. “We always feel that we have things bad, but there are others who are worse off. Always put yourself in someone else's shoes. When you look at a problem or anything going on, empathise with others.”
The next virtue is humility. “Always be humble. Realise that whatever we think we have done, whatever we think we have accomplished, at the end of the day, we all have a certain time on this planet, and then we leave. And that's what education is about, it's that culmination of the formal learning and all that informal learning that you go through with your colleagues, your classmates, your friends, your teachers - that entire circle around you.”
Thirdly, RELEVANCE. “The biggest challenge you will face is ‘how do we stay relevant?’ Darwin said, “It is not the strongest nor the most intelligent of species that will survive, but the one most adaptable to change”, Raja Singham reiterated.
Quoting Toffler, he said, “‘The illiterate of the future will not be those who can't read or write but those who can't learn, unlearn, and relearn.’”
“And this is not just for individuals; countries and companies have become irrelevant. And the same goes for people. So, unlike our generation, we could study law, medicine, dentistry, and engineering and be very happy sitting there for the next thirty years because the rate of change wasn't as fast. But today, it is a different game. And you need to be up to it. You need to learn and improve continuously, not just within your area.”
“So, how do we stay relevant?” Raja Singham questioned.
Learning is the fourth value. “You must be prepared to learn. Gandhi said, ‘Live as if you'll die tomorrow; learn as if you'll live forever.’ That thirst for knowledge, that hunger to learn, must always be there with you.”
“Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said it well, ‘The person you are today and five years from now will depend on two things: the people you meet and the books you read.’”
The next thing is to BUILD COMPETENCIES. “I'm an advocate of what we call a ‘polymath’. A polymath is a person who has skills or knowledge and the ability in diverse areas.”
“If you learn across fields, you become more helpful to the community and feel empowered. You have your purpose, values, relevance, learning and building competencies.”
Speaking to more than 700 students and parents, Raja Singham explained how to build an individual’s brand.
“Your brand is your most important asset. And in actual effect, each one of us here is a brand. And that's your single most important asset. And you have to build that brand. You have to work on building that brand and protecting that brand.”
And how do you do that? “Every interaction with another person, face-to-face or online, is your brand in action.”
Another important value, he said, was GIVING BACK. “And I always think if we had 6 billion people on this planet, doing more for the world than the world has done for them, we would be living in a very different world.”
“And why do I bring this up? Today, everyone can do things that were not thought possible before. Technology has been a great leveller. Getting help, getting troops together, getting people to go do good, has never been easier.”
During the pandemic, Raja Singham said BAC organised events and programmes to give back to society.
BAC formed the “Make It Right Movement” and “Uplift” -- two voluntary organisations.
“We worked with our partners, and, in the two years, we managed to give out aid to half a million people. 200,000 in the form of food provisions, which lasted for two weeks. Many were wage earners, migrant workers, refugees, B40 families.”
Raja Singham also touched on the importance of having a balance in life. “Balance is your work-life balance. You must pay your dues. You may have that first job when you come out after graduation; you may have to take a job you don't like.”
“But always keep 10-20% to do things you enjoy initially. But if you find something you enjoy, you will never have to work a day. I always say I've never worked a day because I enjoy doing what I do.”
“You may not have that luxury yet, but at the end of the day, find it. And always have the time for fun, family, and other things, which is important,” Raja Singham concluded. He danced to disco music on stage while graduates, parents and representatives from partner universities rocked on the floor.
Freelance Writer M. Krishnamoorthy (www.imkrishna.net) is a media coach, adjunct professor and undercover journalist. He has freelanced with Bernama, NST, The Star, and Malaysiakini. He also freelances as a fixer/coordinator for CNN, BBC, German and Australian Television networks and the New York Times. As an undercover journalist, he has highlighted society's concerns about going undercover as a beggar, security guard, blind man, disabled salesman, and Member of Parliament.
M. Krishnamoorthy is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact Newswav.
