Most learning comes from hardship?
Definitely, I would even say that we only learn from hardship. Because in difficult times, you have to do certain things and take difficult decisions that otherwise you would shy away from. There is no choice in those moments, whereas when things seem hunky dory, you feel you can postpone decisions.

In those times of really difficult challenges, where do you find the energy, what is your anchor?
I always tell myself a few things: if I leave it as it is, I have not earned my pay; besides, no one else will come and help me take that decision; finally, in a sense it challenges me to use my reason and face the greatest challenge of us all as human beings: we are all born with a certain potential, we all perform at a certain level, and the journey of excellence is the one in which you attempt to reduce the gap between your achievement and your potential. Excellence is not about measuring oneself to others. Everyone was created by God with a different potential. But am I doing as well as I can do? Will I be able to look at the mirror tomorrow and tell myself that I gave my best shot?

When you talk of potential, does it mean each one of us has a specific mission in life?
I believe indeed that there is a specific purpose to each one of our lives. It does not mean though that at the age of 62 I really know what mine is! In any case, rather than understanding the final purpose, it matters more to do my best, whatever I am assigned to do today, whatever I have understood until now.
It would be too simplistic to say that my life was about getting into government service. Still, I would say that the red thread through all my assignments has been my concern to do more for the less privileged, for the underdog. Somehow I tend to identify more easily with the underdog. For instance, I am a huge football fan and I will always root for the losing team --- I never rooted for Manchester United and would more likely support Liverpool, with its working class background. I actually think that all of us harbour some sympathy for the underdog in our teens. Some completely shed it away as they grow, while others retain some elements of it. So I have kept some of that idealism.

... contd.