The Power of Passion

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By Sharat Kalaga

HOUSTON: Passion is a term commonly used in today’s society. But what truly is passion? How does it correlate to success? In the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) session at India House, my class and I learned from a proven leader what passion is, and how it can benefit a whole community.

On November 14, the YLDP class of 2016 was honored to have Vijay Goradia, founder of Vinmar International, speak to us about his success and the attributes required to become a regarded leader. Vinmar, a global distributor of petrochemical products, has had phenomenal growth and profitability with annual revenue in excess of 4 billion dollars and markets in over 100 countries. Listening to Goradia, the point that really stood out to me was his PASSION. Coming to America with a desire to become the best, Goradia said he worked countless hours and made sure all his customers were always satisfied, a feature that was driven by his passion.

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Today, Goradia, a highly accomplished entrepreneur, passionately dedicates his time and wealth for education and entrepreneurship through avenues like Pratham, an organization providing remediation education to millions of children in India. Goradia, who is the founder of the organization, spoke vividly of his personal experiences with the under privileged and how his passion to spread education has caused those around him to benefit in a positive manner.

The YLDP class of 2016 cherished Goradia’s inspirational session as it carried a strong message to us, that passion and desire to be the best is the first step to being great. We learned that having passion in any field and “wanting to go the extra mile” is what creates success. We also learned that having a passion to be the best can ultimately improve the lives of others, affect the society around us in a positive manner, and lead us to creating a better community. Passion is the absolute love for something and the strong desire to be the best. Goradia exemplified this meaning and gave us the desire to pursue our passion.