Learning To Live The Fuller Life

You haven't looked up from your desk and let the wind blow in your face? Or enrolled for that guitar class you wanted to since you were 14? Are you waiting till you are fat and old and bald? If you're looking for help, there's The Fuller Life.

One life. Do more, they say, be it learning soup making, Kalaripayattu or the Viennese waltz! The Fuller Life is an organisation started by Arvind Krishnan for those whose spirit is willing but flesh is weak. "Lots of them in Bangalore, what with the over 1000 IT companies employing most of working population, and working them abnormal hours. These are people who don't have the time to look for courses and get themselves enrolled, and then push themselves to make it," says Krishnan.

 

Using alternative education as a means of compensation sure is a winning value proposition.

Giving a course to an employee's spouse or child keeps him working longer! "The best employees have interests outside of work, and use those experiences to do a better job in the office. Getting colleagues to do things together helps them work better as a team, apart from relieving stress," Krishnan says.

Here's where The Fuller Life comes in, with a network of people and companies that offer a range of courses at a time that is convenient, at a location that is close to home. And they come and collect the fees from you and take you for your first class.

Big corporate houses have got involved in their activities-Indus League, BPL, Hearthland, employees of IBM, Wipro, Infosys, GE, Microland, among 25 others.

"Getting the feeling that work is a fun place to be in, where you get more than just a pay cheque is a great booster. The success of the programme lies in being able to get a person to do what he has always wanted to," says Krishnan.

And why should they do anything more? "To break out of a rut, to meet interesting people, to try something creative to stop watching too much TV, to follow that dream.. to just do more," he says.

That's what corporates are making their employees do. More. BPL has got the Fuller Life to do physical training programmes for its employees and Indus League organized movement and sign language workshops for its people. "The Fuller Life goes to their location and everyone from the MD down shakes a leg...that's a sight to see," says Krishnan.

The organisation is also doing microwave-cooking classes for corporates, where the employees learn cooking during their break times.

The Fuller Life runs courses across several disciplines to accomplish the above. They add as many as three new course every week.

Started in December last year in Bangalore, The Fuller Life will commence operation is Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi and Pune by the end of the year. As of now the promotion has been through word-of-mouth. "We have to know every class in every disciple in every location and that's going to take some time," Krishnan says.

The organisaton is talking to several corporates who want The Fuller Life to do things for their customers. Meaning, the next time you buy cargo pants, you're likely to get to go on a trek. For free.

Getting you to do all you want with your life is their responsibility. Tell them what you want to do and they will do their best to help you do it.