The ‘Winning Formula’ is an illustration of what motivation and faith in oneself can accomplish. Along with anecdotes from his life, K.J. Alphons narrates 52 stories.
NEW DELHI: A book by a former Union minister and bureaucrat K.J. Alphons, “The Winning Formula, 52 Ways to Change Your Life”, will be released on 21 November 2024 at the India International Centre in New Delhi.
K.J. Alphons was an unlikely candidate for success. He grew up in a village with no electricity. Although the son of a schoolteacher, he scored only 42% in the board examinations. But he went on to become one of the toppers of the civil services examination and feature on Time magazine’s list of 100 young global leaders, becoming an MLA, MP and Union Minister.
The “Winning Formula” thus is an illustration of what motivation and faith in oneself can accomplish. Along with anecdotes from his life, he narrates 52 stories, each about a person who has achieved the extraordinary in their own way. Seven days is the perfect amount of time for an idea to percolate and take root. Read a chapter a week, ponder on the idea and let it inspire you to find your purpose in life and become a better human being who can make their home, workplace, community and the world a happier space. These are not unattainable, Utopian ideals; rather they are a roadmap created by ordinary people like you and me to achieve success and change the world.
The book “The Winning Formula, 52 Ways to Change Your Life,” published by Bloomsbury, is a motivational book, written with the objective of inspiring people of all age groups. Unlike a lot of motivational books which are theoretical, “The Winning Formula” is a lived book. This book has 52 anecdotes, each about 3-4 pages, 13 from the life of Alphons and the rest 39 from the lives of ordinary people who did extraordinary things. The message of the book is very simple: anybody can do what Alphons and others in this book did, provided they want to do it. It does not require extraordinary intelligence to do things: all that is required is commitment and the right attitude.
Alphons narrates his childhood in a non-electrified village, in a family with nine children. His parents adopted two more from the orphanage. As a carefree child, he had a great time with his siblings and parents. But at school, he was most of the time near the bottom of the class.
He never participated in any competitions in school. When he scored 42% in school, a lot of people called him an idiot. But in a moment of awakening, he decided that he is intelligent and talented. Then there was no going back. He learnt English, and took part in every activity in college. He describes colourfully his effort to become an orator. In the first debate, shoes were thrown at him. He didn’t give up. He persisted and eventually became the best national debater. This is a trait that Alphons has imbibed in all walks of life ever since.
Once he decided to do the civil service, he decided that he wanted to be among the toppers. Though a student of economics, he took sociology, history and sociology, studied for just nine months and got to the target. How he did itis a lesson in determination, discipline and hard work (chapter 2).
He is pretty critical of the training in Mussoorie Academy. Since just a few hundred people get selected for the civil service, out of one and a half million people who apply, everybody who gets into the civil service is brilliant. Alphons believes that there is no need to prove one’s brilliance once again in the training academies and that the focus must be on building up the right attitude. They should discuss and debate how some bureaucrats have managed to do an outstanding job, in spite of the system there.
Alphons believes that there is no point in blaming the system. All through his life, he has believed that he is the system and that there can be no excuse for notsystem delivering. He says that it has become a habit for bureaucrats to blame the politicians for all the failures. Although he quit the IAS, he believes that IAS is the best job in the world and that he was able to do everything he wanted throughout his career. He says if there is a rebirth he will get into the IAS for the next thirteen births, but every time he would resign since he believes only in one birth. As a young Sub Collector, a do few months into his job, he took on Chief Minister MGR, a demi-god in his times, who threatened to arrest him if he crossed over to take over a temple located in Kerala, on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border. MGR backed out. The reputation of a bureaucrat is established in the first five years of his/her career.
As Managing Director of Kerala Milk Federation, he increased sales manifold by trusting the citizen: he replaced damaged milk at home, without asking any questions.
As District Collector of Kottayam for three and a half years, he pioneered the literacy movement in India, by making Kottayam the first 100% literate town in India. He built a cancer hospital with contribution from 8.2 million people. His district achieved a quality of health index better than most developed countries.
Through his “Mass Contact Program”, he took the entire district administration to the panchayats. Even during the British period, district collectors used to go and camp in villages and listen to people. But the Kottayam experiment happened with a lot of preparation lasting for months. Two panchayats would be clubbed together for a program. Petitions were received over 15 days, examined over the next 15 days and the district administration went to the designated panchayats, well prepared to deliver what was asked for. On average, 5,000 petitions used to be disposed of in one program. It required no government sanction or additional funds. It revolutionised district administration and eventually won the highest UN award for best innovative practice in governance. If India has to become a developed nation by 2047, we need a bureaucracy where every member believes that she/has to make a difference.