The room was dark. There was a lovely fragrance moving about the room. And there was smoke from a pipe. Behind the pipe, and behind a huge desk, sat a very strange phenomenon. Korah Mathen. That was his name. It was January 1982. The Indian city of Ahmedabad was still having its winter bites.
I was asked to sit and as the man stood up to check some files, I noticed that he was wearing a pair of blue jeans. I could't see whether he had a shirt or a T-shirt, as the upper part of his body was wrapped with a huge shawl, or, what in India is known as a chaddar, a kind of a wrap around for the upper part of the body. The color of the chaddar was undefinable, sort of dark brown, and yet not brown, made of a very rough fabric of coarse material, but warm and comfortable. It was supposed to be the first interview of my life. Actually it was, and incidentally, it was also my last interview. Korah Mathen was connected to the Marketing Department of this huge cloth manufacturing company in Ahmedabad, India and he was also the Chief Executive of an arm of the company which handled rural development projects in the state of Gujarat.
I couldn't see his eyes, as he wore tinted glasses. I saw his slightly uneven teeth, because he was biting his pipe, which constantly blew smoke towards the ceiling. He was a good listener. He allowed me to speak whatever I wanted to speak about myself. And then finally when I stopped, or he could manage to stop me, he started with disagreeing to everything that I said. I was quite amazed. What was I doing there? Was I called for an interview, or, for a debate. I was there inside that room for about an hour, and all the while we were disagreeing and arguing.
Since during the first five minutes of our arguments, I gave up any hope of getting the job, I sat back and enjoyed the debate. Korah Mathen was deeply involved in making me understand his way of thoughts. And I was equally eager not to try to understand what he was saying.
Finally a time came when both of us were tired; he was tired because of failing to make me see the light and I, was tired as I could not see those lights because of my young age. I got up from the chair and thanked him for the wonderful discussion and said goodbye to him. He stood up, looked at me, shook my hand and said very coldly "Come and join from tomorrow. You are hired".
That was the beginning. Next eight years he worked on me, against wishes of all others, who wanted to see me out of the company. He was my first Guru of management and there has been none after that. I can say today, that all that I learnt in school and college would have gone to waste, had I not met this man Kora Mathen. A very strange man, ferocious in his beliefs but dynamic in delegation. He helped shape my future, putting high end ambitions in my head and encouraging me to do and explore what I loved doing and exploring. I just did that with increasing hunger for knowledge.
That was a very long time ago. But I met him yesterday. After many years. Korah Mathen, his wife Sujah, and their daughter Nidhi. Their son Dibith is in Dubai. Sujah treated me with those very well known brownies that she used to make so well. Korah is retired now, but looked the same eager faced traveler.
This page is not for writing a story about Korah Mathen. But this is just to express my gratitude for a person, who, I feel, played a very vital role in shaping my future. Korah had put that burning desire in me in a time when I was still inside a mould, unsure of the final form.
So, if you are reading this Mr. Mathen, please know that I am dedicating this page to you for what you have done for me, and for being my best Guru. Thank you.
