One of my former students who had keen interested in philosophy and completed masters from Department of Commerce in 2020 (and recently acquired doctoral degree from one of the most prominent universities in India) visited me.  We have kept in touch ever since he was here.  His smiling face might be hiding the complexities of life yet I always found him in the mode of a ‘seeker’ who is willing to learn new things and is keen on building his own perspective of life.  Recently he visited me and shared that he is struggling with some questions.  After I was done with my responses, I requested him to pen them down and share with me.

This is what he shared:

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Ambition, Identity and the Idea of Education: a talk with Prof. V. K. Shrotryia

It was a quiet weekend evening, the kind where the world seemed to pause, allowing thoughts to linger and questions to loom larger than usual. I found myself wrestling with one such question:

Is ambition a virtue, or is it a curse?

Does it drive us forward or bind us in endless striving?

Perhaps it was the books I had been reading, the ones that whispered of the peace in ambitionlessness, of letting go. But something did not quite fit.

Could we truly live without ambitions?

And if we did, what would become of vision, of dreams?

Caught in this whirlwind of introspection, I felt a growing urge to seek guidance. And who better than Professor Shrotryia? A man known for his wisdom and his uncanny ability to strip complex ideas to their core.

The next morning, I walked through the green campus of the Faculty of Commerce and Business, Delhi School of Economics — a place known for its academic excellence and its simple, open environment. Amid his bustling responsibilities of managing the department, overseeing academic duties, Professor Shrotryia had somehow managed to spare a few minutes for me.

I reached his office, hesitated for a moment, then knocked.

“Come in,” came his calm, steady voice.

I stepped in, greeted him, and we exchanged a few pleasantries. Then, without much delay, I voiced my thoughts –

“Sir, I’ve been thinking… is it wrong to be ambitious?”

He looked at me thoughtfully.

“Over-ambition is not good and having ambition is not bad,” he said simply. “But having a vision is essential. And there is a difference.”

“A vision? Isn’t that just another form of ambition?” I asked.

“No,” he smiled.

“Ambition is a desire to achieve, often tied to outcomes. Vision is a direction, a purpose that you pursue with constant, perpetual effort. It guides you.”

“But can ambitions become part of our identity?” I pressed further.

“No. Your identity is defined by your past and present, not by your future goals. Your identity shapes your ambitions, not the other way around.” He leaned back, a reflective look in his eyes.

“Your identity has two layers,” he explained. “The first is biological or tangible identity — your age, caste, parents, community, place of birth — all these are parts of you that you never chose, but they are integral.”

“And the second?” I probed.

“The second is intangible or earned identity — it is shaped by what you do, what you pursue, your actions, and your principles. It is not given to you; it is built.”

“So, ambition doesn’t define identity?” I questioned.

“No,” he responded firmly.

“Ambition is an outcome of your identity. It is not the source. But there is more — ambition must be paired with effort to have meaning.”

“That aligns with C.R. Snyder’s Hope Theory,” he added. “Hope is built on three components — goals, pathways, and agency. Ambition without effort is just a dream.”

I nodded slowly, letting the thoughts sink in. “And education? How does it fit into this?”

“Education is the mirror,” he said with a gentle smile. “First, it helps you discover yourself. Only then can you help educate others. That is its true meaning.”

“Education is not an event but an experience.” He further stated.

As I walked back through the sunlit campus, my mind was not quieter, but richer, filled with new questions, new perspectives. I had come seeking answers, but I left with a new way of thinking.

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. And perhaps, the journey of self-discovery was less about finding a final answer, and more about constantly refining the questions.

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Students are the most important part of teachers’ identity!