A Memory, A Legacy Lives On - GM Row

It must have been the year 1998, nearly 17 years ago when I first met him. Mr. GM Row had Sharp, piercing eyes like he saw all the way into your heart and yet his eyes had kindness in them. He was on the Local Board of Advisors of AIESEC in Bangalore and brought a no-nonsense yet emphatic approach to engaging with us, young college students trying to take our first, uncertain steps into an adult world.

In 1999, when I applied for an International Student Exchange Programme through AIESEC, he was on my interview panel. My first ever interview in life and I was nervous. I distinctly remember he asked me to define Statistics. I went blank. My score of 94 in Statistics didn’t mean anything if I could not even define the subject. He must have seen something else in me. I passed the interview.

This was how I was first introduced to Mr. GM Row. I knew then that I will find a way to connect with this wonderful gentleman again and make him an important part of my life journey. He did go on to become a very dear friend, advisor and role-model for me in the years to come.

In 2002, when I embarked on my social entrepreneurial career, I attended a conference organized by Rotary and Bangalore Cares. Mr. Row was conducting a session on Fundraising and it is still one of the best sessions I have attended. In his unique style, he spoke about two fundamental rules – You need to ask and you need to say ‘thank you’. They became my core tenets. He shared a personal story of how he had sent hundreds of hand-written inland letters (those blue postal letters from another era) asking for donations from family and friends and successfully raised money for a cancer charity. The power of reaching out and asking for money without hesitation or embarrassment is what I learnt from him. For me, he continues to be one of the finest fundraisers that ever lived. The foundation of passionate fundraising came from that session and he became a role model.

Many years later, I had the privilege to work directly with him and my other role model Murray Culshaw when they invited me to join the Board of Bangalore Cares (now India Cares Foundation). Mr. Row and Mr. Culshaw are legends in the voluntary sector for their hardwork, commitment and support to several hundred charities and causes and I could let go of the opportunity to work with and learn from the best in the sector.

Working with Mr. Row gave me the rare opportunity to get to know him intimately. The various Board Meetings at his home, his sharp insights, his remarkable integrity and his unflinching commitment to transparency were traits I learnt from him. He also became a close friend and committed supporter of Dream A Dream. Every year, a letter, hand-written by him will come to my office with a donation to Dream A Dream and words of sincere encouragement. I cherish those letters.

Over the last few years, his health was failing him but not his spirit. He made sure he passed on the mantle of India Cares Foundation with a thorough transition. He continued to associate himself with multiple causes and raised tremendous amounts of money through the TCS 10K Run, infact, even being amongst the top 3 individual fundraiser in multiple years.

In April 2015, this amazing man, left us. He has left behind a rich legacy. A legacy of a stalwart in the sector, who has mentored and built many a social entrepreneur like me, helped us imbibe values of sincerity, honesty, commitment, integrity and a never-give-up spirit. They say people come into our lives for a reason; Mr. Row came into my life as a teacher, a mentor and a role-model par excellence.

Mr. Row, you have moved on and your legacy, values and generosity will live on in the hearts of people like me. You were truly a gentleman belonging to an age of grace, chivalry and integrity. I am eternally grateful to you for filling my life with your values and teaching me to live my life with utmost integrity and responsibility. You are missed and hope you know, wherever you are, you will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you.