0Every now and then the same question crops up, “What is this soft skills? And why has it become so important that every course now has soft skills as a subject?” Well, I answered this question almost a year ago. Here it goes, once again:
‘What the heck is ‘Soft Skill?’ (Kids, if you are reading this article, ‘heck’ is a swear word [a bad word], so don’t pick it up and keep it out of conversation.
People are classified into five categories according to the way they work. Here are their Sanskrit names:
Vyastah: ‘Busy People’, nearly perpetually! You’ll see them running around (mostly hyper) trying (mark the ‘trying’) to get things done and yet never getting anything done. There is always an excuse. They terrorise their juniors and drive their seniors crazy.
Sustah: They can sleep on parapet, on the chair. Sleeping while standing is not a problem too (and this is not in the Mumbai local train, but in their work place). The pace of their work would put giant sloth to shame. And there’s always an excuse for not doing a work or not completing the work.
Trastah: Oh God! They are always sad. They thrive (prosper) on depression, anything and everything can depress them. Smiling for them is like paying tax. You’ll mostly see them with a grumpy look, wallowing in self - pity, somewhere in a corner.
Vastah: Ah! The perennial (permanent) complainers, they love to connive (scheme), malign and complain. There is always a ‘but’ in every good thing. The food is good, but the ambience is bad. The girl/ boy is pretty but short. The weather is pleasant, but there’s so much dust.
Mastah: Everything is joy for them, give them work, they are happy; give them more work, they are still happy. Thorough professionals, they are always full of beans (happy and energetic). Dignity, control on their emotions, perfectionism, quickness to accept mistakes, readiness to change and willingness to learn are all a part of their personality. They’ll always find a solution to every problem and without making too much about it.
You’ll find each type among yourselves. Soft Skills is a discipline that believes that behind every Vyastah, Sustah, Trastah and Vastah is hidden a Mastah, who can be brought out by patience and proper coaching. ‘Soft Skills’ is a discipline that helps a person to achieve this ‘Mastah’ state. Of course, some people are born ‘Mastahs’, while some others have to learn to become one, and Soft Skills which include communication and behavioural skills give a learner that required guidance.
That explains it all.
