HIMANSHU GURU
Although many married men would vociferously deny the role of their wives behind their
success, they would never take the false step of disclosing their feelings openly
Is the famous saying ‘Behind every successful man there is a woman’ true? Though the statement is known to all we get different responses about its truth. The popular outcome in this context is that almost all females agree it is true. But almost half the male population denounces it. Interestingly, some married men, though they disagree with the statement, don’t openly say that they disagree. Perhaps the reason is that they either don’t want to make their other-halves sad or they don’t have the courage to face their wives after their views are discovered. Orissa Post asked youths whether they believe that every successful man owes a lot to a women.
Sudha Mishra from Bhubaneswar believes there is a lot in the statement. To prove its wisdom she puts forth the example of the renowned social worker and author Sudha Murty. She says, “Sudha Murthy, the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a member of public healthcare initiative of the Gates Foundation, is the wife of Narayana Murthy, the IT industrialist and the co-founder of Infosys. Both of them are doing great work and from their example we can see that a woman is always behind the success of a man.”
Balaram Yadav is a talented automobile engineer from Bolangir. Though he is not married yet, still he admits that whatever he has achieved so far is due to a lady in his life. He says, “Of course, the statement is true. I personally have felt it in my life. But don’t be amazed. I am not going to reveal the name of my lady. She always stands beside me to encourage me and to convince me that I should not lose heart. Whatever I have achieved is due to her. Ok, I am revealing her identity. She is none other than my mom. I owe her everything in my life. Even a few months back when I was moving through a difficult phase of my life, it was she who made everything easy for me. Her repeated efforts to instill patience in me finally convinced me not to worry about anything.”
“A woman provides self-confidence. By praising what you do and not demeaning your ideas or vision, a great woman can elevate you and give you the confidence you need to succeed,” said Mrudugunjan Rath, an HR Manager from Bolangir, who is presently staying in Mumbai. She put forth the example of Ronald Reagan. “Ronald wrote devoted love letters to his wife, expressing his gratitude for her support. The marriage of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan has been described as one of the great love stories of the century. From the 1950s to the ‘90s, before Alzheimer’s slowly took his life, Ronald had mentioned his lady’s pressing concerns. These letters were later published in Nancy Reagan’s book, I Love You, Ronnie.”
Saswat Mishra from Patnagarh of Bolangir has a different say in this matter. “My answer to the statement is no; it may not be a total no, but it is no nevertheless. A person’s success depends only on him; on how hard he works in order to achieve whatever he’s aiming for.
A woman can be behind a man’s success, have an impact on him, motivate him, support him, and sacrifice for him so he could do whatever he wants. But women can also be behind men’s failure. How many times I/we heard about a femme fatale, who causes a man’s misery.
Very often, our ambition consumes us, and leads to hasty decisions. An intelligent spouse can help refine our creative impulses. A supportive life partner can propel you professionally and make life richer and more meaningful,” he said.