'0 under 0' Award goes to Abhimanyu: Age No Factor in Determining One's Success

By: Sonica Arora Daniel, Vice President, Stonex India

Sonica Arora Daniel is a marketing and PR professional with 14 years of experience in communication, digital marketing, influencer marketing, and experiential marketing. Passionate about her field, she excels at creating impactful audience engagements while balancing her professional responsibilities, home life, and motherhood.

Picture this. The greatest archer ever, Arjuna is telling his wife how to enter Chakravyuha. He explains every minute detail. Every step. Every move. Everything.

Pregnant Subhadra is tired. But she listens to him with a lot of interest. And so does the unborn Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu mastered war strategy in his mother's womb. Hence became the winner of the “0 under 0” category. But wait a second, even Arjuna, Dronacharya, Karna, and Ashwathama had the knowledge to break chakravyuh. In fact, unlike him, they all knew how to exit Chakravyuh as well. Alive. 

So that raises a very important question. Does Abhimanyu’s age make him better than others?

Not at all.

I firmly believe that age has nothing to do with someone’s ability to use his/her knowledge and brain. The great Chandragupta Maurya became the king at the tender age of 21. But we all know his success was possible due to Chanakya’s strategies, his ability to spot problems, and his tactics that led to solutions. Mind you, Chanakya was roughly around 54 years old at that time. At the mature age of 54 still he won battles for Chandragupta. And laid down the foundation of the greatest empire of India.

So why then do we have age-specific awards like “30 under 30”, “40 under 40” and so on? What purpose do they serve?

A Harvard Business Review article highlighted that many of the most impactful and innovative work often comes from professionals in their 40s, 50s, and beyond, who have accumulated a wealth of knowledge and experience over their careers. The age-based categorization of awards can indeed be seen as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it celebrates youthful innovation and early achievement. On the other hand, it can unintentionally marginalize the contributions of seasoned professionals whose work may only gain recognition later in their careers.

Marketing awards should focus on celebrating excellence and innovation at all stages of a career. And getting an award at any age should be glorified.

My submission is that we must distance ourselves from this trap of age-based awards. Otherwise, like Abhimanyu, we can enter it but it would be impossible for us to come out. Alive.

Yours truly,

Ageing with the wisdom of experience