FM had to grow hair at Harvard to save money
He, however, looked back at his Harvard years as the best days of his life.
By PTI |
MUMBAI: Despite hailing from a rich business family in Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P Chidambaram used to be so hard pressed for money during his student days at Harvard University that he grew long hair simply to save on hair cuts.
"For the first 10 months of my stay at Harvard, I had an allowance of seven dollars a day and that too to take care of my boarding, my food, my personal expenses, my Saturday dinner, my Sunday meals and therefore, what did I do? I gave up cutting my hair," he said at a function here last night to launch the Harvard Business Review.
"I didn't go to a hair dresser for two years. I cut my hair only in the last week of my stay at Harvard, because, I was afraid, my mother would have been shocked to see my hair flowing down to my shoulder or even below," he said.
He, however, looked back at his Harvard years as the best days of his life.
"Looking back, I have no hesitation to say that those were the best two years in my life, especially as a student," PC fondly reminisced.
What made those days so special?
"It did not prepare me to be a politician, nor a businessman. But it did teach me how to question, how to be self-reliant and find answers," he added.
Harvard made him more inquisitive, propelled him to ask questions and find answers through by questioning, he added.
"It taught me to read more, learn more everyday and on top of it to read more to ask (the) right questions," he said.
"These are the practices, I try to practice even today and question those who work for me," he said.
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