OYO’s Rohit Kapoor addresses students at Edugraph 18 Under 18 Awards ceremony

A former student of Nava Nalanda and Goenka College of Commerce & Business Administration was the guest of honour at the first edition of The Telegraph Online Edugraph 18 Under 18 Awards -- Rohit Kapoor, CEO, India & South East Asia, OYO.

Kapoor, who grew up in south Kolkata, began his career as a medical representative at the age of 21 before rising through the ranks as a corporate leader.

“I wouldn’t have qualified for this award as a kid. When I read the profiles (of the Edugraph 18 Under 18 participants), I was shocked. Their CVs scared me! The only thing I have is the willingness to learn from everyone,” he said, at the award ceremony at GD Birla Sabhagar on March 22.

“It is fascinating that ABP Digital has taken this initiative of 18 Under 18 Awards. These stories need to go far and wide because I hope these 18 can inspire 18,000,” Kapoor added, before sharing some nuggets of advice for students and parents

Here are excerpts from his address:

To the children:

Being passionate is important but being non-deterministic is also very important. Most successful people don't know what they want in life. Stay open in life.

Second, listen more than you talk. This will help you source knowledge from different places.

Third, practice. Every overnight success story has at least 10 years of hard work behind it. If you do anything for 10,000 hours, you will become damn good at it.

Fourth, surround yourself with good people. They will force you to lift your game. Seek out places where you are not the best; seek challenges.

Fifth, chill. This is also very important in life, especially for children. Don’t make it too complicated. If we take ourselves too seriously, we get absorbed in it and this causes stress. So, chilling is important.

Sixth, don’t take the outcome of this award to your head if you win or to your heart if you lose. Take it as motivation and work harder towards your goals.

To the parents:

Don’t live your life through them, especially your regrets. It is a futile exercise. Living your regrets through your children will only burden them with things they don’t enjoy doing.

If your kid is that talented, then bite your tongue a little and support them through thick and thin. Don’t ask them to be all-rounders, it is not humanly possible to be good at everything. If they can excel in one field in life, that’s great. They need your support to grow.

Don’t worry about them being spoilt. This generation is environmentally, socially and politically more conscious. Let them enjoy their lives.

If your child is a champion in one or two things, my belief is to give them as much exposure to inspiring events and stories as possible. This will motivate them to work harder towards their goals.