Young Voices Shine at Kaleidoscope 2024
September 20, 2025
It is by Divine Grace that Seth M.R. Jaipuria School, Gomti Nagar, is blessed with the presence of eminent philosophers and thought leaders who instill in our students values of clarity, character, and purpose. In a recent session, Shri P. Lakshminarayanan inspired learners to embrace goals as a path from impulse-led living to intellect-guided action for lasting happiness.
Shri P. Lakshminarayanan opened the session with a gentle invocation of peace and then asked a simple question that changed the room from listeners into seekers. Shri P. Lakshminarayanan said, “Why do we need a goal at all?” and then answered by showing how human life is meant to be guided by thoughtful choice rather than by raw impulse. He explained, “Animals are propelled by senses, but man is meant to be guided by buddhi, the intellect. Our actions can be propelled by likes and dislikes or by reason and judgment, so choose wisely.” The hall was quiet in attention as he held up a clear mirror to the modern mind. “Most of us do what is pleasing and avoid what we dislike, but what is pleasing is not always good, and what is good is not always pleasing. This is the choice between Preya and Shreya. Choose what is good over what is merely pleasant.”
To make the inner landscape visible, Shri P. Lakshminarayanan spoke about the nature of mind. He said, “The mind is chanchal and asthira. It jumps like a monkey and wanders to past and future. It keeps asking for more and is never fully satisfied. The distracted mind has to be brought back through awareness.” He gave a simple image: “If a child bites nails unconsciously, the moment the child becomes aware, the hand withdraws. Awareness makes us choose what is good over what is merely pleasing.”
With the ground prepared, Shri P. Lakshminarayanan moved to the heart of the session. He said, “A clear goal gives direction. Direction creates focus. Focus channels energy. Energy sustains motivation. Motivation builds discipline. Discipline brings growth. A goal gives clarity about what to do and what not to do, and that simplifies life. When life is standardized around a worthy purpose, willpower is saved for what truly matters.”
From purpose to alignment, he guided students to choose goals that fit their nature. Quoting the Gita, he said, “Choose Swadharma. Better one’s own duty, even if imperfect, than another’s well performed.” He explained that each person has a unique inclination, and when goals resonate with that inner nature, effort becomes joyful, practice becomes consistent, and progress becomes steady. “Do not imitate. Insist on yourself. Let your goal fit your nature,” he urged.
He encouraged students to lift personal goals into the light of service. “There is nothing wrong in wanting to be rich or to be first, but attach a higher cause. If you earn well, use it to support education or set up an old age home. If you study pharmacy or research, make medicines more affordable. When you attach a higher purpose, your ambition matures into contribution.”
Shri P. Lakshminarayanan then offered a memorable acronym to test goals. “Let your goal be RICH. Let it Resonate with your nature. Let it Inspire you. Let it serve a Common cause. Let it lead to Happiness.” Students smiled as they repeated the word rich to themselves in a new way, now defined by values rather than only by money.
He connected inspiration to execution through simple practices. “Goals must be clear, specific, measurable and achievable. Write affirmations and write them in the present tense. Read them. Picture them. Feel them. Every night. Then sleep with that inner movie playing. You will wake up with that person already alive in your subconscious.”
The session then opened for a lively interaction, with students voicing thoughtful questions from the students. One student asked how to discover one’s Swadharma when there are many interests. He advised them to write down everything they truly love each morning for seven days without comparing lists. On the eighth day, he said, look for the common threads, choose one as the main field, and keep the others as hobbies. “Let your nature guide your priority,” he explained.
One student admitted to frequent distractions and asked what could be done in the moment. Shri Lakshminarayanan advised holding a specific micro-goal for fifteen minutes, closing all other loops, and gently bringing the mind back each time it wavered. Another student asked how specific a goal should be. He replied that clarity was everything. Vague statements like “I want to be healthy” should be replaced with measurable actions such as walking forty minutes six days a week and sleeping by ten. “What you can measure, you can improve,” he stressed.
