Hand in hand with poetry and dance

Vikas Saxena is a poet at heart and a dancer by passion.

He is a strategic career guidance counsellor, who believes in the principles of the Shrimad Bhagawad Geetha and in the tripod theory -- dignity, security and welfare.
A national award winner for entrepreneurship, he gives free career guidance to students passing out of school and to the job-seeking youth. With a vision to bring about change in the way the youth are selected, trained and employed, he has come up with a 'Career Development Programme' which will aid many youngsters on their way to success. "Humans with humane touch bring about all the change you need in the world for happiness and success," says he.

Poetry his first love
Poetry is his first love. He began to write poems at a tender age of 8. The teacher discovered his innate ability to play with words accidentally when he was asked to write a poem on men and women. "I angered my teacher with my first poem, as I had not given prominence to women. Then I wrote another poem which was on patience, for which I was taken to my parents. Nevertheless, I later learnt to wisely jot down poems in the most rhythmic way," he says.
Vikas has been awarded the International Poet of Merit Award for his on-the-spot poem 'Love at First Sight'.
He can also dance in about 360 variations of waltz, which is a form of ball room dance. He says: "I learnt it when in school. I like swimming; you just don't forget it. I also like to dance and make people dance."

Lawyer to career guide
Vikas grew up under the watchful eye of his parents. A lawyer by profession, he wanted a change in employment. So he shifted to the IT sector. Then he switched to career guidance. An amalgamation of all these gave him the prestigious 'Arch of Excellence Award for Individual Achievements and Nation Building'. He says: "I was fed up with tareek-pe-tareek routine of the Court and gave up my law career and got into sales. It is here that I learnt a lot in life. Then through HR and career guidance, I have served all age groups. I am happy that all of them are excelling in life!"

Most memorable
"It was during my sales career that a tough target was almost achieved, but failed right under my nose. My bosses gave comforting words, but I was bent upon winning. I went to my opponent company and with play of words, I made it into a win-win situation and turned a foe into a friend. It was a stepping stone in my life."
"A former colleague e-mailed a two-liner, remembering my part in making his career, which speaks of my victory in my work in bringing happiness and peace of mind. My winning the poetry award was surprising and a memorable moment of my life."

Inspiration
"I draw inspiration from the Bhagawad Geetha, Chanakya, Gen. Patton and my parents. My support is my wife, but I would not have been what I am without the encouragement of my parents. I thank them as much I thank God."

Hobbies
Reading spiritual books and poetry, listening to music, historical knowledge books/CDs, interacting with people and Waltz (Ball room dance).

Future plans
"Reach out to more students and guide them through my tripod model and the 6 P's - passion, perseverance, prudence, patience, prayer and positivism -- which I am bringing out in 2012 as Career Development programme and to finish my book called 'Ventures Into Adventures'."

Achievements
• AN Jha Memorial All India Debate Award in 1976
• Swami Vivekananda Centenary Celebration Award by AB Vajpayee in 1963
• Arch of Excellence for individual achievement and Nation Building by AIOEC (All India Organisational Entrepreneurial Confederation) in 1997
• International Poet of Merit Award by the International Society of Poets, USA, in 1999
• Special recognition by Valtesh for notable contribution and role as a key member in enabling to achieve SW CMM Maturity level 5 for Valtesh in 2005

Love for poems
Vikas Saxena began to write poems at a tender age of 8. The teacher discovered his innate ability to play with words accidentally when he was asked to write a poem on men and women. He has been awarded the International Poet of Merit Award for his on-the-spot poem 'Love at First Sight'. He can also dance in about 360 variations of waltz, which is a form of ball room dance.

--MANVITA MASGODE