Jamie woke up late on Sunday; his hair ruffled. He squinted his eyes and looked around the room.
It had been a month since his visit to the used-books store.
Several books were strewn on the floor; posters of the 8 chambers were stuck on the wall with his questions and comments scribbled on them.
A real mess!
“Just like my mind”, he thought.
I have read so much, but know so little.
At the far end of the room, lay an empty bottle of wine.
The phone rang.
It was his client, the CEO of Woodies shoes. Jamie straightened up and became his professional self.
“Hey mate, I am sorry to disturb you on a Sunday. The Chairman-founder just called. He happens to be in town and wanted to know if you could drop by today to meet him at his farmhouse. I think he wants an update from you, since you are our consultant. Can I bother you just this once on your holiday?”
“I…ok. Not a problem. But does he know we are recommending that he sell the company?”, asked Jamie, still feeling groggy from his late-night reading.
“Not yet. He hasn’t been reachable for a few years now. But that’s not surprising. The man’s a bit of a recluse. He just dials in to attend the Board meetings. But look, I want you to know that I much appreciate you doing this for us; taking the bad news to him.”
“That’s ok. Leave it to me. I’ll take care of it. How can I reach his farmhouse?”
It is a 100km drive from Bangalore; near a place called Lepakshi. You can’t miss it. It is off the highway near the village – the only large farmhouse in sight. Turn left when you see a signboard called “Patanjali center”. Thanks and Bye for now.”
Jamie hung up the phone.
###
A few hours later, Jamie had crossed the state border and reached the small town of Lepakshi.
The long and winding roads, the persistent drizzle and the music on the car stereo had lifted his spirits.
As he rolled down the window to ask a roadside vendor for directions, a young boy came over, with a stack of tourist postcards to sell.
“Sir…buy the famous Lepakshi temple photos…very good…only Rs 100”, he said.
Jamie smiled to himself. “What a rip-off”, he thought. “Just for a postcard..i can get them off the interne…..”
His thoughts abruptly ceased as he spotted an image on one of the postcards.
He reached out for the postcard to take a closer look.
(source:passengerview.wordpress.com)
Several flashlights went off in Jamie’s mind…A hooded snake? Here too? In a temple? What a coincidence!! How?
It took him a few minutes to recover from the shock.
He then continued driving, till he arrived at the farmhouse. It wasn’t difficult to find.
When he passed through the gates, he noticed the place was sprawled over a few hundred acres, at the edge of a forest. There was a massive residence in the middle.
He parked the car and looked around. He saw an old man wave to him, from beside a hedge.
Jamie waved back and walked over to meet the chairman and founder of ‘Woodies shoes’ and give him the bad news.
###
After a firm handshake, the Chairman looked into Jamie’s eyes and asked the question. Straight.
“Is it true? The rumors?”
“I am afraid it is”, said Jamie. “I am sorry, but I did the best I could. At the next board meeting, the CEO will be recommending to sell off the company. As a shareholder and founder, you will keep losing money, if we allow the company to continue like this.”
The Chairman turned away from Jamie to attend to the lawn and the flowers by the hedge.
For the next few minutes, there was only the sound of lawn shears at work.
After a while, he paused and turned to face Jamie.
“You know, the news doesn’t come as a surprise to me. Don’t feel too hard on yourself. I suspected this a year ago.”
“Really? That was when they started to get into trouble. How did you know back then?”
“The new management team sent me a 300-page document to read. They said it was a ‘Vision document’ that described their vision of “Woodies shoes” and how it would flourish as a global company.”
“Yes, sir. I have seen it too. Pretty impressive document; they had evaluated many options. Woodies is really a global business and your executives are among the best business minds in the industry.”
The Chairman smiled.
“I know, son. Running a business in these modern times sounds difficult, but remember, the entire constitution of the United States was written in just 4 pages.”
Jamie was awestruck.
“Wow! I didn’t know that. But what did you think after reading the business vision document? How did you realize things were going downhill?”
“Actually, I was searching for a specific word and I couldn’t find it anywhere in the 300-pages.”
“Really?” (Jamie tried hard to remember). “It had pretty much state-of-the-art business thinking in there. What word didn’t you find in there? Platforms? Metrics? S-curves?”
The chairman paused for a minute before replying.
“Feet.”
“What???”
“Son, there was not a single mention of “feet” in the 300-page vision.”
“Sorry, I don’t understand.”
“If we don’t care about people’s feet, why are we in the business of shoes?”
Jamie was stunned.
“You are our consultant, aren’t you? Tell me. How many of my Executives care about people’s feet?”
Jamie was silent.
“How many departments in my global company know about people’s feet?”
“This is a new way of looking at things, I must admit”, said Jamie, still a bit disoriented with the old man’s line of argument.
“What else is there, son? There are always new ways to learn about how to run a business. But there is only one way to learn about why you are in business in the first place. And that is to understand what it is you deeply care about. Everything else comes later.”
“Please tell me more”, said Jamie.
The old man’s eyes had a faraway look.
“By the time I turned 10, I was a real explorer. Do you see the woods at the edge of this farmland? I used to run away into them, barefoot, hoping to meet goblins, elves, gods and angels.”
He laughed softly at the memory.
“Every night, when I returned, my feet had blisters and corns in them. My father noticing it, decided to make me a pair of shoes. Not the usual ones, but ones that he felt would be worthy of use by an explorer. He made them with great care and attention, measuring the contours of my feet several times, checking my weight, my walking style, the slant of my spine, the pressure on my heel, the sensitivity of my toe, the temperature at which leather and cloth would feel uncomfortable to the soles of my feet.
Many months of hard work later, when he was done, the shoes he made for me were a work of art and science. They fitted me like a second skin. I promptly wore them and ran off to explore the world.
When I was 20, my father died. I then started ‘Woodies shoes’ as a tribute to fathers who cared enough about their son’s feet, while they went exploring the world. I have since then started many companies, again for things that I cared deeply about. But Woodies always had a special place in my heart.
For it reminded me of a simple truth…
..that birds are not born in the sky, but on land.
It was about celebrating the love of parents, the world over.
Parents, who provided the roots, while their children sprouted wings.”
“Ah! The irony..”, he laughed to himself.
“Today, it is my company that has grown wings, but has forgotten its roots.”
Jamie reflected on the words he heard. They went straight to his heart; more than any other vision document he had read in his career.
“Sir, I regret not having met you earlier. I am sorry that your original vision for the company has been forgotten. You really are an inspiring leader.”
“Not inspiring enough, I am afraid. But that is ok. I am at peace with my decisions. And so must you be. And by the way, don’t blame my Executives. They will move on to pursue whatever it is they care about. After all, it is only through our work that each of us is able to discover ourselves.”
“I will pass on your message to them. Thanks for your time and be well.”
Jamie shook hands, preparing to leave.
###
He turned to walk towards his car, still dazed by the old man’s words of wisdom.
The old man called out to him softly.
“And what about you son? What is it that you care deeply about? Why are you here now?”
Jamie stopped in his tracks, stumped.
“I…I have no idea, frankly” he said, turning around to face the chairman.
“Well, you have been working many years, haven’t you?”
“Hmm..yes. But my work has been in different industries – Real estate, investment banking, management consulting…I cant see any pattern.”
“That is a list of places where you worked son.. but what did you care about
when working there?”
Jamie was lost…in a flood of memories….as his mind ran a move reel, he remembered key moments at work…moments that had been worth remembering, moments that had brought out the best and worst from him….
“I …I am sorry..I am not able to put it in words..perhaps, I need to reflect more.”
“That is what your journey is about now, isn’t it? the old man smiled. A journey to find your roots?”
Jamie looked him in the eye, wondering how much to tell him.
“It is. But it is deeper than that. I need to know who I am, what this is all about.”
“Hmm…who knows..perhaps they are both the same thing“, the old man smiled.
“Oh!! That’s an interesting thought… still…whatever the answer is, I need to know!”
“It sounds like a deep search. How far are you ready to go?”
“As far as it takes.”
“Good; I asked because there are two dangers you must be aware of.”
“What are those?”, asked Jamie, curious.
“The first danger is giving up too easily.”
“And the second?”
“Declaring success too early.”
The words hit home…
“Well…I will remember that. Thanks. I intend to go all the way.”
“Good…and by the way…do you have a plan?”
“I received a clue; from a great Indian philosopher and teacher. He called it the 9th chamber. I wish to learn more about it, assuming it exists. I have a hunch that is where my answers are.”
The old man laughed aloud.
“That’s IT? That’s your PLAN? Some chamber that you don’t even know exists or not? Referred to by some old nutcase?”
Jamie bristled with indignation.
“I think you should treat him with more respect, Sir. He is a deep spiritual thinker and philosopher. Possibly a Master; who knows? All I know is I trust him. I have faith in him. I find his notes and thoughts really eye-opening. I have spent over a month going through the books he had read and the notes he left on them.”
The old man tilted his head, as if assessing Jamie’s conviction.
“Ok. I am sorry. Granted this plan will lead you to some mysterious 9th chamber. But what about the other 8 chambers, whatever they are. Do you know them?”
“Yes”, said Jamie, going down on his knees to draw the 8 chambers on the ground.
The old man leaned over to look at it.
“Aha!” he exclaimed. “So, you are on the path of yoga?”
“No”, said Jamie. “These are 8 chambers. I am just a seeker.”
The old man laughed aloud again.
“Son, these 8 chambers are the 8 stages of Yoga too.”
“What???”
“Yes. As you move from left to right, you master the 8 stages of Yoga as taught by the great Sage Patanjali. Through these stages, you return to your source and recognize your roots.
It is an ancient map
Created for journeying birds to find their way back home;
To rest in their roots;
Weary from their flight in the sky of worldly life.”
“Oh! I had no idea. I just know them in a different context – how to have a perfect holiday“, said Jamie, shaken by this newfound revelation.
“Ha ha. Yes, it would be a perfect holiday indeed.”
“But…wait…you said there are 8 stages in Patanjali’s Yoga…is there is a 9th stage?”, asked Jamie.
“Smart question. No.”
“Then…that means… there is no 9th chamber as well.” Jamie’s face drooped. “I have reached a dead end.”
“I DIDN’T SAY THAT”. The old man’s voice had an intensity that startled Jamie. He suddenly appeared a lot taller than he was. His eyes looked as if they were on fire.
“I don’t understand”, said Jamie, recoiling involuntarily.
The old man’s gaze softened.
“The 9th chamber is beyond the 8 chambers. Yet, you can’t find it without them.”
“Then, where could it be?” Jamie frowned, searching frantically in the drawing on the ground.
After a few minutes, the old man spoke.
“To find it, you have to see through the illusion of the 8 chambers.
“I …I can’t think of anything like that”, said Jamie, whose mind was all over the place now.
“True. You can only recognize it.”
The old man stretched out his foot and with a swift motion, started to erase the drawing on the sand.
“Watch carefully.”
Jamie stood transfixed as the figure started to disappear slowly…and with it, the 8 chambers started to fade from the sand.
Till only the sand remained.
“Behold! The 9th chamber”, laughed the old man, removing his foot from the sand.
For the next few minutes, Jamie stood still, as if in a trance, staring at the canvas of undifferentiated sand.
He then slowly regained his senses and looked up at the old man, who now had a wide smile on his face.
Jamie smiled back at him.
“Now, I recognize you”, he said.
So relatable. People grow, but forget their roots. It’s just like you keep a pencil upright, and one can focus light on the pencil in such a way that the shadow appears twice as long as the pencil. The key is to remember the length of the pencil, and not start believing that the shadow is the actual object. Many of us forget the essential ‘life’, and start to believe in ‘larger than life’.
i understand all this (8 chamers).. but still its not helping me.. i have at few times realized it.. i am just so tired.. i just want to go home..
Intriguing as ever!
One can relate so much with this mind blowing blog.
Jamie his personal self.and Jamie the professional. Jamie the seeker ‘several books………..with his questions and comments scribbled on them.’
An image can throw light on our past experiences and give rise to so many questions……..
An awakening thought for people in business……really churned .
Love for the parents,who provide the roots………
Whatever one is pursuing,one should give hundred percent to it,without losing the original vision.
Making us aware of the two dangers…..giving up easily and declaring success too early.
The 9th chamber in the concluding conversation reflects at the emptying of the mind.In Yoga while meditating all the senses get lost and one is in unison with the abstract.
Wow!just lost myself going through it. Great reading.
Thanks Alka, thanks for stopping by and sharing so many of your insights on this post. Look forward to more of these from you, as you browse through the others. Have fun and keep dropping in to refresh and rejuvenate yourself. Take care and have a lovely day.
the expression ‘close your eyes it’s a surpriseeeee’ – you got to master the art of closing your ‘eye’ and its reflections there-of to be able to see the surprise Shakti
‘Life’ as they say, may well have been an ‘accident’, but ‘I’ isn’t
‘Life’ as they say, may well ‘find it way’, but ‘I’ doesn’t
‘Life as they say, may well live in the ‘moment’, but ‘I’ can’t
Wow! :)))
I believe, its about seeing the slate that you started out with Shakti, and “now, i recognise you” probably means that he may have finally met the ‘Teacher’
Bingo!
The re-appearance of the used books’ store feels straight out of a haruki murakami novel. almost like Kafka (on the shore) , the 15yr old boy – out there – in search of something – wanting to become the strongest 15 year old boy in the world.
very strong imagery from the hooded snake, carried forward here. This is a beautiful way of flying while grounded deep within.
Coming back to books, and in this case, the blog:
Its true, the more we read, the more we realise; how little we know.
Urban Monk, do you think we destroy all the 8 chambers while trying to define/measure/find the 9th one?
It is a simultaneous process i feel. how did you find it?
What does “now, i recognise you” mean?
Wow! you do read a lot :)
and nice questions, shakti.
keep seeking; more wonder will unfold
I don’t wish to spoil your surprise.