Develop courage and conviction to follow dreams: Capt Gopinath

Bengaluru: Captain G R Gopinath, who was the chief guest at the seventh edition of the DH Changemakers Award ceremony on Friday, urged people to imbibe the values of the changemakers to develop the courage to dream and the conviction to follow those dreams.

“All changemakers are big dreamers. Be it Basavanna, Shankaracharya or Ramanuja...Ramanuja did not agree with his guru. Shankara created his vision. In politics, literature and other fields, there are big believers. But each dream and belief must be followed by achievement, hard work and perseverance,” he said.

Commending the achievements of this year’s Changemakers, he lauded their persistence to solve social issues and dream with optimism, regardless of their social and economic status.

What set the Changemakers apart was their selfless contribution to society, he said, adding that their work serves as an example to the public to reflect on what they can do with the resources available to them.

“Cynicism is suicide. If we criticise everything, we will get no solution in life. We are all part of the problem and the solution,” he said, directing the audience to ponder upon what they can do before they depart from the earth.

The first secret to success, in his opinion, is self-trust. This, coupled with the courage to take up the necessary work without expecting any returns, is the only way one can bring in change, he said.

Capt Gopinath did not hesitate to admit that some people were better placed to access certain resources to achieve their goals in life by way of their caste, economic status, and orientation.

He, however, said that self-trust could help one rise above these challenges and find ways to solve an issue that is close to one’s heart.