A little boy about five walked in through the gates of “Gurukul” school in Mumbai in the year 1974, somewhat scared and timid to face every new thing in this world of schooling. This new world had so many boys and girls like him, some small and some big. Teachers, some kind and some very strict and fearful and the lessons taught, homework assigned and sports activities to take part in were all this boy had been informed of by his elder brother. Alienated to such things that his mother had once told him about. The mother wondered how his little boy was going to cope with this world of teachers, lessons, sports and homework. That little boy was me, the always mischievious, totally uncaring of the worldly facts and a little bundle of joy for his parents. But I took on that world with full enthusiasm, zeal and zest from the beginning as a boy and during the years I spent in my school and after learning everything and adapting the advices of my teachers, I was ready to qualify further and subsequently take on this big mean world.
My school prepared me to accept any challenge and emerge as a victor in every walk of life. The world I had dreaded at five prepared me for the future to take on this dreadful world with supreme confidence, self belief and the unshakable belief in the almighty above all of us. The principle of “Honesty is the best policy” was imbibed in me in the starting stages of my schooling.
A school is an institution which nourishes a child academically and spiritually. In today’s age, spirituality is a forgotten issue as every student has become a part of the rat race of outdoing others. Not only did my school give me lessons academically, but it gave me the lessons of life too. I believe that the true test of your character is how you choose to fight all the obstacles in your life and my school moulded my character in such a way that I can accept any challenges righteously. My teachers taught me to fearlessly play the game fairly and fear no one but God.
Subsequently after finishing my education and after commencing my profession as a businessman, my motto of life became “Play the game of life. I may fall and I may be shattered but let me rise as a phoenix from the ashes always with my undying attitude. I may win, I may loose but let me take everything in my stride and it doesn’t matter whether I loose or win but what matters to me is the satisfaction of playing the game, running the race and crossing the finishing lines even if I am the last one to cross it. There have been times when I have lost competitions in life. So many times I have not made it to the top. Many a times I have seen people cheating and emerging victorious but I have no qualms of not being a victor. At least I did my best, played the game fairly and gracefully accepted my defeat. Gracefully accepting defeat is ingrained in my character. Even if I loose I will always cheer for the winner.
Let me finish here with some of my own minded thoughts:-
I may grow old, my steps may loose its springs
But the lessons of my life, I may always sing
To make me an honest soul without any foul
To play fairly and honestly is always my goal
And when any one needs me, I would always be on a role.
