The Save Rimjhim campaign
This is a story about an island that no one had visited or even heard of. It had a huge lake with waters as clear as the open skies. In it thrived all kinds of animals: fish of every colour, shape, size, and type, turtles, squids, alligators, crabs, lobsters, octopuses and more. What made the lake truly special was that all the creatures subsisted only on plants and weeds that grew under water.
One day, a young man named Puneet landed there because the ship he was travelling in had been wrecked. He had managed to survive and reach the island. He roamed around, fascinated by the lake and the creatures in it. One day, an idea struck him and he waited patiently to be saved. Soon, he was spotted by a rescue team and brought home.
Puneet's neighbour at home was Neeraj, a nine-year-old boy. A few days after Puneet's return, Neeraj heard his grandfather and Puneet's father talking. 'Puneet was shipwrecked on an island, which had a special lake,' said the latter, describing it.
'I have never heard of such diverse creatures living together in harmony,' exclaimed Neeraj's grandpa.
'Neither have I. But, sadly, there is a serious threat to the lake. Puneet wants to convert it into a centre for water sports such as kayaking, paddling, canoeing, snorkelling and other activities and build camping sites around the lake. People will come from all over, stay there, and participate in the activities. It will become a major tourist attraction and he will get rich in no time.'
'But what about the creatures who have made the lake their home?' asked Neeraj's grandfather.
'Puneet says he will simply dump them in the sea. He wants the lake to be used only for water sports.'
'But the animals who have thrived in the pristine waters of the lake will not survive in a new environment. They will die in no time.'
'I know. His mother and I tried to convince him but he won't listen. He has always been a greedy fellow and becoming rich matters more to him than anything else.'
'But will he be able to carry out his plan on his own?'
'Since his return, Puneet has been talking to several companies. Two big organisations have agreed to sponsor his project. Now, there is no stopping him. I really don't know what to do,' his father replied sadly.
Neeraj sat in shock. His thoughts kept going back to the animals in the lake. There was no way they could survive in the unknown and unfriendly waters of the sea. Then he had an idea. One person could save the animals: his best friend Razia's sister Noor, who was a wildlife photographer. So, Neeraj rushed over the Razia's house. Luckily Noor was at home. He quickly told her the entire story and waited to see her reaction.
Noor thought for a while and, snapped her fingers. 'I've got it. I'm going to use social media to save the poor creatures.'
Razia and Neeraj looked at each other. 'I didn't get it,' Razia said, and Neeraj too shook his head.
'You know, I have more than 125k followers on Instagram. Besides, I have a strong presence on Facebook as well. I am also a part of several groups on WhatsApp. I am going to post about Puneet and his evil intentions right away. I shall request my followers to spread the word. I am sure the posts will soon go viral on social media . The movement to save our lake, which I am going to name Rimjhim, will pick up.'
'But, didi, will that stop Puneet?'
'It will generate a lot of negative publicity, which I am confident Puneet's sponsors would like to avoid. I am sure they will shelve the project.'
Razia was not so sure but Neeraj loved the idea. He high-fived Noor and ran home to share the good news with his grandpa.
Noor put her plan into action. She created a little animated video about the unique lake and wrote about how some avaricious people were planning to destroy it and how it needed to be saved. As she had predicted, the Save Rimjhim campaign went viral and Puneet's sponsors backed out.
'Noor, even though Puneet's evil design has fallen flat, do you think the danger is over? For all we know, he might renew his project after sometime,' Neeraj's grandpa said during a party he hosted for Puneet's parents, the children, and Noor.
'He dare not, grandpa. As long as our little army of two-and-a-half generations is around, Puneet and his kind will never succeed,' Noor replied, as everyone clapped and cheered.
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These 12 behaviours are not only foundational to professionalism but also transferable across roles, industries, geographies, and organizational sizes. PROFESSIONALISM IS A CHOICE Every morning, when you wear your ID cards, show up to office, or log in to Zoom, you are not just reporting to a job, you are entering an important space of contribution. You are entrusted with a role, time, talent, and resources. How you honour that trust is what defines you as professional. Let us stop glorifying hustle without purpose, knowledge without application capability, and mere presence without performance. Let us stop promoting cronies as professionals. Let us stop pretending that professionalism is just a function of position or pay grade. Professionalism is a personal standard. You either have it or you don't. Let this be the turning point, not just for your career, but for the culture you leave behind. (Author is the Chief Spokesperson of BJP, Chairman of Nation Building Foundation, and a Harvard Business School certified Strategist)
