Lagaan which means Tax in Hindi is one of the best gifts to Movie
lovers given by Ashutosh. Although the story dates back to the
Pre-Independence Era, the lessons derived from it are not less than any
modern day Management lesson. The story is about the farmers of
Champaner who are burdened with heavy taxes and no rains. When
they approach the Resident British Officer Captain Russel, to waive off
their tax, he challenges one of the young farmers Bhuvan with a game of
cricket. The British were already well versed with the game of
cricket, but the Indian farmers were not even aware about a bat.
The challenge for the Indian farmers was to win the match against the
British to find themselves tax free for three years, or they had to pay
double the current tax. They got help in the form of Captain Russels’
Sister who taught them the game and the strategies. There are many lessons of leadership one can derive from the movie.Think
of Problems as Opportunities. When Captain Russel challenges Bhuvan
for match, Bhuvan accepts it because he knows that there is really no
option. It is a risk, but without taking risks, there are no rewards.
Given the state of his brethren (and with no looming rains), Bhuvan
viewed the instrumentalism of trying to reduce the double tax as a
non-option against the possibility of better quality of life offered by
a victory in the cricket match. In our lives too, we face a lot of
problems. We need to think of these as opportunities for innovation.
Dream Big and Define the Goals. Once Bhuvan accepted the challenge,
his dream was three years of no tax. It may have seemed unrealistic or
even improbable, but then that's what dreams are. Dreaming is about
imagining a different future. In the case of Bhuvan, he not only dreamt
big but also put in place a strategy to make that a reality. To make
things happen the way we want, we have to envision the future, and
paint a picture in front of the others of what we want to achieve.Make
a Beginning. Bhuvan did not wait to start. He did not see around. He
made a bat and a ball, got a kid interested and started. Many times, we
brood and end up thinking too much. The only way one can test out new
ideas is by jumping in, by getting started. Only when we close the door
behind us will we see the doors in front start opening. Small
Victories are Important at the Start. The first time Bhuvan hits the
ball, he does so in full view of the entire village. He makes it seem
easy; he makes them want to participate. In the film, watch the faces
of the villagers after Bhuvan's first strike. When starting any
project, it is important to have small wins at the start to motivate
the team. Building the Team.
This is at the heart of the film in
the first half. Building the team is like recruitment. One needs to
select the right people and motivate them. Just watching Bhuvan go from
one to eleven offers a lot of learning. He understands the pressures
and the soft points of people, and uses this knowledge to make them
part of his team. Watch and listen to the song which he uses to recruit
Goli, the largest land owner in the village, To get Bhura, the poultry
farmer, he makes him feel important as a person who can teach something
(catching) to the rest of the team. Also one should admire how Bhuvan
talks to each of his team members. Each one is treated as special, as
being different.Allocating Roles. Bhuvan also assigns
responsibilities to each of his people. Just getting the people on
board is not good enough. They have to be told what the goal is. Just
as the hand consists of a thumb and four fingers, a team consists of
different individuals. The objective is to make them all work together
like a fist, like a team. Support the Team Members. Bhuvan backs
his people to the hilt, even when they make mistakes. He is willing to
give Kachra, treated as an untouchable, a second chance (on the second
afternoon of thematch) despite the skepticism of others. He knows
Kachra can be a match-winner - and Kachra proves him right. It is very
important in any team that the captain support his team, backing the
right person at the right time for the right job.The Legacy of
Lagaan Movies come and go. Ever so often, one movie comes and leaves
a mark, an indelible impression - Because it succeeds in bringing out
something from within us. Something which has been hidden and perhaps
long forgotten. Something whose existence which we didn’t even know
about. As we go about our lives, we need to be reminded that each of us
matters, that each of us has it within us to make a difference. Living
in today's India makes optimists out of all us (tomorrow can only be
better). But it is we who have to create tomorrow's India. Our ideas,
our vision, our skills have to come together to build this New India.
Lagaan's Bhuvan stokes us somewhere to become part of that team.