People come into our lives for a reason, season, or lifetime. A few leave a lasting impact and we’re not the same anymore.
This week has been especially challenging for me with one of my best friends, mentor, and guide passing away. I was trying to recollect all the past memories. Suddenly I noticed that some of them had faded away. How do I hold all those memories as we go?
I remembered the first time I heard him speak at a convention and I was impressed with his humour quotient. Many years later, I had the opportunity to do a professional session together with him. That was the best part that I remembered. Since it was my first one-day workshop with around 30 hand-picked leaders from the organisation I got all the support from him, especially through his humour. My task was to share and bring out work-related stories and anecdotes. His task was to wrap it and share it as a concept so that they can implement it and make it real. I learned that approach from him. In the process, he introduced me to a host of leadership authors. He was influenced by Robert Cialidini’s ” influence” and he used to refer to that every now and then.
To me, he was synonymous with Brevity and Levity
Brevity is the hallmark of modern communication! Being brief does not mean we can’t be thorough. It simply means getting to the point quickly and then ending for maximum impact. Levity, or the ability to keep things light, is a quality that I use in varying degrees depending on the situation.
As someone noted about him, “He not only enthralled his audience with his wit and humour, but established a bond with them.” One of the very few people who can speak on humour naturally. Being a corporate trainer he traveled across the globe and got a fabulous network. He introduced me to some of his professional friends.
He described himself as Professional Speaker, Corporate Trainer, Inveterate Traveller, Cub Photographer, Sporadic Blogger, Whimsical Writer, Aspiring Humorist
In one word, CURIOUS !’
He liked Mark Twain very much and this is what I have seen in his LinkedIn message, “At times, it is better to keep your mouth shut and let people wonder whether you’re a fool rather than open it and remove all doubt!”
A kind-hearted gentleman who helped a lot of people in good times and bad times and will not be forgotten. I had the opportunity of meeting him before the pandemic over coffee and in one hell of a moment, he asked me for feedback on certain areas he needs to improve. That was the moment I realised the importance of being CK a.k.a Chendil Kumar.
Sharing a few words from that touching song from Fast and Furious for my dear friend CK who will be missed and whom I will always remember for being ” Curious & Kind “
It’s been a long day without you, my friend
And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
We’ve come a long way from where we began
Oh, I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again
When I see you again
Damn, who knew?
All the planes we flew, good things we been through
That I’d be standing right here talking to you
‘Bout another path, I know we loved to hit the road and laugh
But something told me that it wouldn’t last
Had to switch up, look at things different, see the bigger picture
Those were the days, hard work forever pays
Now I see you in a better place (see you in a better place)
Uh…
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