Spreading Goodwill and Hope

Capt Ravi Kant Mahajan embodies the saying, be the change you wish to see. Nidhi Chawla met the ex-armyman in Chennai.

Capt Mahajan with his wife. Photo: Ruchira Ramanujam

One has heard many ex-servicemen complaining about lack of discipline, civic sense and values in common citizens but there are very few who have taken steps to alter that. Capt. Ravi Kant Mahajan belongs to those handful ex-army officers who decided to make a change. His two books “Yes together we can” and “What they don’t teach you at educational institutions’ are all about good values and are aimed at enriching the youth of today.

His first book “Yes together we can” has 36 lessons on self-improvement and self-empowerment. Talking about life lessons like self-confidence, patience and failures, Capt. Mahajan shares anecdotes from his life too. Talking about self-confidence he says, “Idea of writing this book came to my mind when I was in the hospital recuperating from a weak heart. I had never written a book, only small articles here and there. But I wanted to and after a few initial hiccups; I am at it…Attempting to write a book has given me lots of self-confidence and self-belief. Well, I had never thought I will be able to do it. Had I never attempted, I would have never been near it. This is how things take shape.”

Capt. Ravi Kant Mahajan belonging to a business family in Agra was all of 20 years and a student of MSc. when he joined the Indian Army in 1963 around the time of Indo-China war. He received his training in Signals, the Communication division of the Indian Army and went on to serve the nation during the Indo-Pak war of 1965 and then spent two years in Kargil. After spending five years with the Army he was released from service as the requirement for soldiers had dipped by then.

Capt. Mahajan returned to civil life and joined his father’s business of scientific instruments and laboratory equipment. As part of a reshuffle in the family business he moved to Chennai in 1983 with the additional responsibility of expanding the business down south. Ever since, Chennai has been his home.

We spoke to him at his Chennai residence, while sipping ginger lemonade and munching roasted almonds which Mrs. Madhupriya Mahajan very lovingly treated us to.

What are your books all about?

In my opinion the most important thing that one learns at schools and colleges is how to make money. What we are not taught is how to become good human beings. My books aim to address this lacuna. I have always been interested in self-improvement topics and started writing about 15 years back. However I self-published my first book only three years back and the second book end of last year.

Why self-publish the books and not through a publisher?

Pricing considerations! Publishers tend to jack up the prices of books while I wanted it to be nominally priced and easily available to one and all. The idea is to reach out to as many people as possible and not commercialisation. That is why we also send out a lot of complimentary copies to the educational institutions we deal with. Military establishments and few educational institutes have bought a few copies too. My books have no copyrights and are free for republishing and reprinting.

Have the books impacted your family and friends?

You can only take a horse to water and not make him drink it. I believe I must do what I must do whether people change or not. God and society has been kind to us and this my way of paying back. I have inculcated good values in my children and even my employees. I run an ethical business with no commission system and organizations that deal with us know the good value they are getting while dealing with us.

Are there any other books in offing?

My third book is almost complete and will be ready for publication in couple of months’ time. Inspired by a real life incident this book will deal with traits like anger, greed and persistence. The attitude of few University students at a college event which was attended by general public as well was a revelation as to how uncouth even educated youth can be.

What are your other interests?

My business and my writing keep me busy. Every Sunday morning we attend the local Arya Samaj congregation where my wife is a regular bhajan singer and I am asked to address the gathering every month or two on issues close to my heart.

We hope the good word spread by Capt. Mahajan reaches many and makes a difference to their lives. As Mrs. Mahajan says “Even if one person reads the book and changes it is worth the effort.”