Achieving success is almost like finding God—the destination is the same, but the roads are as varied as the seekers. All you need to do is choose your path…

SATISH GUJRAL— A BRUSH WITH SUCCESS

The room is as unobtrusive as its creator, low settees set of with an array of ethnic cushions, plain wooden planks in place of a roof, large windows looking over a manicured lawn. That is Satish Gujral—Indian artist, architect, carver and dreamer.

He lost his hearing in early childhood. Couldn't complete his education. Yet, today, he is a name to reckon with. "My creativity," explains Gujral, "saved me from becoming a burden on society. I realized that my greatest debt was to my ability and I must use it to its utmost."

Gujral joined an art school and become a painter. "Normally, an artist struggles to develop a distinctive style. While a brand might be useful for a product, it becomes a cage for the creative person. He fears experimenting," says Gujral in a characteristically rasping accent.

So he broke free. "Each time I reached a plateau, I tried a different style. Initially, it cost me heavily. I risked being left behind. I had chosen unconventional mediums such as wood and ceramics. Then, in the late '50s, I started working with paper collages."

Changes, flexibility-have these been his success mantras then? Gujral replies: "When I tried my hand at architecture, I had no knowledge of it. But if you're thrown into water, you try to float. I took my creativity that seriously. Recently, the Bulgarian embassy building in Delhi, which I designed, has been chosen by the World Architecture Federation as one of the century's best buildings." Then he points a proud finger at the tastefully self-designed interiors of his house.

His handicap also played an important part. "When I went through the operation that restored my hearing. I realized that my handicap had helped me perceive form as a manifestation of sound. There was a sacred isolation," he explains.

Gujral feels that ruthlessness is inevitable prerequisite of success. "You have to be ruthless, especially with yourself. I'm 73 now, but I still work 12 hours a day. You ought to live as if there is no tomorrow. I've been through three heart attack, but they didn't slow me down because I know that the fourth attack just might be final."

How does he view his success? "Given a second chance, I would do the same thing all over again. That is what I call success."