#madeofgreat - Steve Jobs

If you were to ask me what greatness is and what constitutes a person to be anointed to be #madeofgreat I would say, it is their never-say-die attitude in the face of adversity.

These greats are made of sterner stuff than most of us. One of them is Steve Jobs.
What made Steve Jobs great?
Was it because he was a bright mind?
or was it because he built Apple - the iconic brand that all look up to?

Let me share why I feel Steve Jobs was #madeofgreat.
Though I had never met the man in person, yet the stories about the events in his life are so impactful. Some people leave an indelible mark on you that you weep silent tears when you hear the news about their untimely passing.

The Start to Greatness: 

Early in life, Steve took a major risk by dropping out college to build Apple Computers Inc with his friend Steve Wozniak in 1976. He was just 21 then.
Though computers did exist then, Apple Computers revolutionized the way computers interacted with the users by making it more user-friendly. Some fine details like fonts, typefaces and styling that Steve introduced into the Operating System changed the way people used computers. And so Apple churned out products and the investors were happy to invest into the company.

Post the meteoric success of Apple in the following 3 years, the company was met with fierce competition from IBM. In addition, Apple products met critique of not being IBM-Compatible. Under the pressure of IBM breathing down Apple's neck, a disgruntled CEO of Apple (Mike Sculley) believed Steve Jobs to be hurting Apple and made him feel insignificant in the company that he built.

In 1985, Steve Jobs was made to leave from the same company he built from scratch.

Simply, he was kicked out of his own compay.

In the face of this adversity and challenge, Steve started NeXT a software and hardware enterprise and subsequently purchased George Lucas' animation studio- which later became Pixar. It was because of his foresight of realizing the potential of Pixar, he invested $50 million of his own money into the company.
I am sure many would've laughed at the decision of a recently kicked-out founder investing heaps of his own money into another entrepreneurial plunge that may back-fire.
But it was Steve's gamble that paid off. And Pixar generated truck loads of money by belting out wildly popular hits like Toy Story, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles.


Steve is revered to be one of the greatest inventors and creators of modern technology. I don't doubt that for one bit. He made no compromises in designing the iPad or the iPhone as sleek and user friendly at a time we just couldn't think of a phone that could fit into the palm of our hand.

His achievements have sown the seeds for belief that an entrepreneurial journey can be rewarding regardless of the hurdles that one faces. He has left a technological legacy that many will cherish for decades and more.

What drives you from within is what makes you great!

The most powerful part of his life that made a lasting impression on my mind was him regaining the confidence to build another company from scratch after being kicked out of his own venture. I felt it was remarkable how he did not let the setback affect his belief system in the darkness of adversity, but re-instated his confidence and determination to move ahead to build another great company and keep making marvels.
Steve's life incident is a worthy lesson to me as I draw strength from the way he moved on without cribbing, without any hesitation in taking risks, keeping the passion to excel alive and most importantly NOT GIVING UP.

It was Steve Jobs' self-belief, perseverance and never-say-die attitude in the toughest of times that defined him to be #madeofgreat.

Like a man who embodies qualities like excellence, perfection and never-say-die attitude to be attributed as #madeofgreat, a brand like TATA Motors is displaying these qualities since decades in the motoring world. TATA Motors is an epitome of a brand belonging to the India's globally renowned group TATA, that has now partnered with another renowned brand - football phenomenon Lionel Messi to be their global ambassador.

What do you think of Tata Motor's Association with Lionel Messi?

The best answer will win an Amazon Voucher worth Rs. 750!

Note: Contest closes on November 26, 11.59 PM.
So comment with your answer soon!

Book Review: Kissing Frogs for a While

Book Title: Kissing frogs for a While

Author: Pavan Tarawade 

Pages: 136 

Genre: Romance/ Chic-Lit 

Price: (Paperback): Rs. 150  (Flipkart) 

Publisher: NotionPress

Pawan Tarawade is a first time blogger-turned-author of 'Kissing Frogs for a while'. The book revolves around Ayesha,  a successful career girl at the so-called marriageable age, who is pressured to get hitched, primarily from her parents and partly because she's the only one among her friends who's yet to find her soul mate. She reluctantly explores the option of arranged marriage while trying to heal from a bitter break-up which is what the story is mainly about - the five guys she meets. Will she find the right guy and get over her past or will the past continue to haunt her?

Frankly, I felt this book was written in a hurry. The character build up is not thorough and could have used a lot more details. Ayesha's  thoughts, her expressions, her actions could do with more reasoning and decription. The initial flow of the story was sketchy and half baked at some parts and could do with much more finesse. Though the story can be related to more than half the girls out there, overall it leaves nothing to imagination. What I liked was the end, which was nicely tied though expected.

I have read and reviewed many a book by first time authors - be it Rishad Saam Mehta, Upendra Namburi or Prtihvin Rajendran and found them living up to the mark in terms of language, story, flow and narration. All I can say it is an early start for Pavan and he needs to hone his literary pursuits and I wish him all the very best.

The College Search Engine - Collegedunia

Even before a student enters tenth grade, they are bombarded with a cloudburst of information that is utterly indigestible. Everyone – from a distant uncle, the neighbour, the doodhwala uncle to the rickshawallah guy will pass on unnecessary feedback (direct or indirect) on what course is best, or which college is better. Sometimes, even the best of friends can advise us out of good intention on why one should go for a particular college. But let me tell you, only choosing a college for one’s friends or the distance from one’s home is a seriously fallacious choice.

More importantly, taking such backhanded advice into consideration and being influenced by it can be detrimental while making the right career choice.

Then again, the dearth of knowledge can lead to assumptions taking control of our decisions. A student who has lived all his life Chennai, Tamil Nadu would not be able to know the nitty gritty details of a college that offers a course in BioTechnology in CBD Belapur, Navi Mumbai.

I graduated from engineering in the year 2009. Let me tell you, there were only a handful of websites back in 2005 where such a gamut of information could be accessed.

This is where websites help students out to become aware and get all the information on their fingertips. However, it is only when such information is segmented and structured systematically and the access is made easy, is when one can actually digest the facts and eventually take decisions.

Collegedunia.com is one such website having a repository of 20,000 colleges across courses from various colleges and universities in India. Students can also keep abreast with various competitive entrance exams, events in the city and college festivals.

What feature I really liked is that one gets to know about all the top colleges and comprehensive information at a glance.

For example: If you need know the top universities in Chennai, you will get details of all the types of universities and can be further refined by streams, fees, duration, course type and more. And each result with have substantial information including the fees, the faculty, the placements and the companies that have provided placements.

(And if Chennai is you choice of study destination, it is a good one. Did you know the average rate of literacy in Chennai is 90.18%, as of 2011 Census?)

You can also stay updated of the various entrance exams for different streams and updates and news if any.

So you are in capital of Tamil Nadu for studies and want to know the various events in Chennai to unwind, you can find out that too.

Collegedunia.com acts like an extensive search engine for a student to narrow down the college of their choice and get all the information. Its website is seamless and easy to navigate as well.

With Collegedunia.com, arm yourself with knowledge and be better well informed of all the aspects whilst taking a life changing decision. 

Good luck to all students reading this to make a smart career choice!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, though all the views expressed in the post are factually correct and belong to the opinion of the author.