I would say just one thing that no one ever said anything to me, as they knew that I was a crazy person. I’ll always do what I want to. And I’ll agree to the fact that I was a geek and hence like to study. I’ll say I’m a student, and a studious student. I still have that simplicity to ask and say that ‘I don’t understand’. And I ask and say this sentence till I understand. I willingly repeat the same question ample of times until and unless I understand, and I even take all the reactions that I get to see because of my this behaviour.
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi, an achiever in life, who can be a role model to many, who has recently achieved the DOCTOR of HONOURS by Senate of The Open International University for Complimentary Medicines, opens his secrets of achievements while talking to Nagpur Today.
Nagpur Today:
Share with us something about yourself personally?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
Nothing much about myself, I’ll say I’m a student, and a studious student. I still have that simplicity to ask and say that ‘I don’t understand’. And I can ask and say this sentence till I understand I would mention.
I always like to let that humbleness of asking anything if I don’t understand stay. Even at the office, I never hesitate to ask my staff as well, if I don’t understand something, in the board meetings as well! I am just incapable of nodding my head if I don’t understand. In my college days as well, many a times, when I raised my hand to clear a query, teachers used to ask me to meet after the class in staff room, because they knew, that I would not let a topic go unless I understand it, and I’ve always taken my queries to depths of understanding. This might be because I’m very clear about the fact that if I know something, ‘I know it’, and if I don’t, ‘I don’t!’ So either the explainer has to explain me convincingly, or one has to accept my query.
Nagpur Today:
Academically, you’re obviously a master. But we would really like to know how you were in extra-curricular activities and about your hobbies as well?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
I had represented basketball at state level, while in Kendriya Vidyalaya. Further swimming was my passion. I dislike cricket, as it occupies too much time I feel.
I would really mention that I prefer to sleep and I love sleep as per my timings. I make sure that I sleep for at least 9 hours a day. In fact I specially find time to sleep. I never start my work until my sleep is over. So sleeping is sort of my hobby, and it is a thing that I cannot leave. I can sleep at any point of time, whenever asked. I feel that there are a lot of thought processes going on, there are so many things that I am thinking about, hence it obviously absorbs me, so there is always a need to relax. I don’t have any such thing in me that I will feel guilty about after sleeping. I feel like everyday I experience death while sleeping. Once I fell asleep, everything becomes numb and zero to me.
Nagpur Today:
So coming to your academic life, I would firstly like to know that how did you end up opting for Psychotherapy & Counseling? Was this your sphere of interest?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
Basically I did my MSc in Genetics. But after that, I was asked to carry further my studies out of India, and to go to South Korea, apparently by my Guru Maharaj Ji advise, whom I obey incredibly. He felt that this field wasn’t ‘Yogya’ (Specific) for me. And there was even a time when I entered into Public Administration and Sociology; it was that phase of life when I stopped my scientific approach. I wasn’t for science stream. Guru Maharaj Ji knows better than me. Hence I turned to the field of arts. Many people think that it would’ve been difficult for me to switch the stream of studies. But I never regret my this decision, and in fact I feel happy, although I was very good at Science stream as well.
Nagpur Today:
Why did you switch to a completely new subject?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
It was just meant to be. Because pretty soon I realized that I wasn’t atoll science that is being prevented. It was just destiny that took me towards this direction. This was the time when I felt that I should know myself more, that’s how I ended up joining PG Diploma in Psychotherapy, after completing my M.A. in Public Administration and Sociology. So although there was a very clear opening for me to join M.A. Psychology, but I was looking for some course, which I would’ve been able to do while travelling, as at that time I was a HR Trainer as well. I was the Coordinator for Maharashtra for HR Development Corporation as well; hence I had to travel a lot. So I was looking for courses that didn’t require my physical presence at college.
Nagpur Today:
Were there no bars for you, from family or friends to not go for further studies, as you were already well settled?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
I would say just one thing that no one ever said anything to me, as they knew that I was a crazy person. I’ll always do what I want to. And I’ll agree to the fact that I was a geek and hence like to study.
Nagpur Today:
How were/ are you in your friend circle?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
I was popular and very friendly. I am still in appreciable contact with the friends that have been with me since my childhood. Fathers of all of us as well knew each other, and our children as well now know each other, as friends! So we’re literally having a third generation friendship. I feel that there are a few things that we have to preserve at the cost of so many things; friendship to me is one such priority.
I care for my friends and I love them, hence I have so many of them. Friendships remain forever, and friends are an important asset to me.
Nagpur Today:
As a consultant, how different types of people and problems have you faced?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
If I talk about this in brief, I will say that there are multiple natures in every person. One is person A at some point of time, whereas the same individual is person B at different. So a person’s nature is like compartments. So I’ve faced many kinds, and realized that the person’s psychology is not the problem, these compartments are the problems. An individual himself is unable to access what to live, and how to live a life. The inner conflict is the major problem. Whenever there is a conflict, if you simply go 2 steps back, you automatically know the reason of conflict. The key thing here now becomes ‘acceptance’. So I feel that lack of acceptance in people is one minor problem that I face. So I’ll say that correct attitude is the key. An attitude is always followed by an inclination; hence if your attitude will be wrong, your inclination will also be wrong.
Nagpur Today:
Let’s now talk about your appreciable achievement. The Senate of The Open International University for Complimentary Medicines had conferred the DOCTOR of HONOURS to you. We would congratulate you for your recent achievement! So please let us know, what further do you intend to do?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
Thank you so much for the greetings and remembrance, and acknowledgement of my this victory. I will be doing a post doctorate research as well, which is termed as the ‘Doctor of Science’ (D.Sc) degree. I just had a look around, and realized that Nagpur will be having a single D.Sc degree holder if things work out. So I thought to go ahead with it, being an approach that is kept by a very few people. I may require a lot of time for this, but I won’t take my steps back, let it be a life span as well. I won’t let my aim be anything low, as it is said that ‘Low aim is a crime’.
Nagpur Today:
Exactly you climbed your ladder of achievements, and why did you chose to do whatever you did?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
I would like to tell that I did PG Diploma in Psychotherapy & Counseling from International Open University, Colombo, which is a single year course. But it took me 5 years to attain this degree, for a simple reason that I am a fully employed working man. Still I never ceased to aspire for it. I never left the passion to follow. I was pursuing my studies for the sake of studying, might be it’s my passion. I always try and learn as much as I want to, and I never let that feeling go. I become restless, when i don’t know something, if i want to know about it.
Nagpur Today:
How did you mould yourself in the way that you would want to learn?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
All my life, I’ve been gifted with good teachers. They have even clarified and accepted that they are not supermen that they’ll know everything. But they made sure that they find an answer to my question and let me know. This helped and inspired me a lot.
Also, the solution to any problem I feel is to work upon it. So you need to ‘work’ as well simultaneously.
Nagpur Today:
Are you a hard worker, or a smart worker? If both, then distribute the percentage?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
I am 70% of a smart worker, but remaining 30% of dedicated hard worker, because there is no escape from hard work. First one needs to smartly plan something, and then work hard over it. That’s what I did.
Nagpur Today:
What hurdles have you faced in life?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
There were many. Talking about the way of studying, I was always into acute details, thinking beyond the syllabus, which wasn’t really required to score good in exams. Mine was a second division in 12th Standard, sort of, I lost in that exam. I had been asked many a time that why do I invest my time and why do I want to achieve and attain degrees of achievement, when it will be of no use in my materialistic life. My answer to this has always been that I have done very well in my materialistic part. Now I can think of what I really want to do. If you want to achieve something great, one needs to settle down first in materialistic and basic requirements, which I did. Might be that’s why I didn’t face many hurdles in life as such. But previously, if I talk about my early life, I had limited resources; I faced difficulties in purchasing books. So I used to teach and earn, even at that time. I bought a third-fourth hand books from Sitabuldi footpath. So I would say that hurdles should be converted into opportunities.
Nagpur Today:
What mainly are the activities that you mainly get involved in?
Dr. Manoj Tatwadi
Being the director of Raviraj CSR, which is an NGO, there are a lot of activities that we need to look forward to. Lead, frame and desire, these are the best parts. I’m a consultant to many firms as well, so this again is one of my roles. Their problems, and the responsibilities entrusted by them to me are a part of my activities.
… Ritu Walia
