Ram Sharan Ahuja

An overview on The Endless Learning Curve by Shri Chandra Mohan Bhargava, Former Executive Director, LIC. ‘A real treat to go through the meandering pathways delineated by Mr. R.S. Ahuja our diligently devoted senior officer of financial monolith Life Insurance Corporation of India, the enchanting engrossing 414 pages of spell binding autobiography – “The Endless Learning Curve” – A Memoir of a Forever Curious Soul, which traverses through the countless moments past the Montgomery renowned for Harapa excavations of our rich ancient civilization, now in Pakistan, trudging through the blood-soaked land which was partitioned by the machinations of the crafty politicians of the then freedom struggle. Though Mr. Ahuja might have been around seven years yet the indepth analytical aftermath depicted is nothing short of an eyewitness account of this holocaust. ​The impressionable childhood gives an account of the serene, sedate outlook of the joint family elders who always remained poised and balanced with their hand on the back of children. A rare phenomenon in-deed, when even a morsel would be a far cry in days of depravity, though back in Montgomery, they had a luxurious business, but never a clamour for the past. In these times of teething struggles, joining LIC which in itself was in infancy has been an experience of a close devotion and association with a sense of fellow feeling and the family bondage of a social togetherness. ​Organization of the size of LIC which had a total national character would shuffle the staff to build a cohesive qualified team which may pass through the learning torrential stream with dexterity. This weaved the officers in a multi mega culture of the people and the country, very succinctly portrayed by Mr. Ahuja through every bit of new found experience - a real path way for the future generation which could feel the warmth of our well knit organizational culture. During the days of infancy the country faced the language resistance, secessionist movements in Punjab, Kashmir, North Bengal, Tamil Nadu, the North Eastern states especially Assam. It was more of erecting the monumental structure of new India through industrialization, economic reforms, the period of emergency, the beleaguered neighbours when wars were fought with China and Pakistan, a real narrative of how the nation and the organizations passed through the travails of testing times. How Mr. Ahuja has delineated the details like an astute craftsman when every page keeps you glued to it, is a historic account of the turbulent period. Later the political and economic experiments with socialistic rules of a regulated economy – a departure from British style, the reforms of the economy decades later pushed the socialism on the margin. These vicissitudes of the country did prepare the organization and the work force to a total devotional path where every staff member, the policy holder and the Govt. were a rock solid team which could build the corporation to top international identity. Of course Mr. Ahuja’s incredibly analytical, experience – knit journey to grapple with oddities with total emotional equanimity leaves a saga of truthful journey for the posterity – a must monologue for the inquisitive self to learn.’ ​