Will and a combination of Karma

Since my days at Ramakrishna Mission Rahara , I have always believed that if you do good for others, the almighty will reward you. And you will be rewarded in ways you could never have imagined.

Our daily lives are full of ups and downs that will shake you to your core at times. The entire world will align itself against you to ensure that you are pushed until the bitter end. There will be times when you feel as if you have lost the battle. I'm not here to discuss my personal struggle; that's something I made for myself and own. This story is about how one can be abundantly rewarded.

The only way to overcome the odds in your life is to believe in yourself and put forth your best efforts. You should not decide how you want to be rewarded. Gita said that, “You have a right to perform your prescribed duties, but you are not entitled to the fruits of your actions”. And, I trailed that.

Now, why am I telling you this story? – Meek, a miracle occurred. Yes, I saw #cristianoronaldo on the field, leading his national team and scoring his 108th goal in international games. I've been following his progress since he began playing for Sporting. I'm not a fan; I'm a worshiper for #ronaldo . What else can you think of? Don't forgo, guys, this is just the beginning. You must know how I saw Ronaldo without a match ticket.

?#cristiano had a significant impact on my professional career. He has no idea what a difference he has made. When I first interviewed for 诺基亚 , I remember talking for more than 30 minutes with Jo?o Rocha (my hiring manager) about the Portugal national team, Braga, Sporting, and the incredibly talented Cristiano. It was 2009, and the youngster was playing for Manchester United. We formed a bond during that interview, and we had a great run until Joao finished his time in India. We watched 2010 World Cup matches together, and I was fascinated to see how true fans can support their national teams (remember Portugal vs Korea; 7-0). Joao was wearing a national team jersey and was shouting throughout the game. He appeared to be inside the field. Ronaldo's love has since become a passion for me.

Fast forwards to 2014, when I was preparing for the World Cup in Brazil with Sharath Bharadwaj . Nope, it didn't work. I had a scheduled office trip.

?Now, in 2016, we realise that if we plan well, we can definitely make it to Russia in 2018. I contacted two of my childhood friends, Subhranil Bhadra and Debopam Som . They had already witnessed Euro 2016 at that point. Sharath joined me back. We started making our plans and booked our match tickets during the 3rd attempt. I made certain that I was logged in to the FIFA ticketing site for 5 consecutive days to avoid being kicked off the site (used to get up at night just to click the refresh button). The ruse worked. My friends were waiting in the waiting room for hours while I landed at the ticketing room in 20/25 minutes.

What an experience; we couldn't sleep for a few days after purchasing our match tickets.

Finally, the time came to explore Russia, beginning with lost luggage in St. Petersburg, enjoying Borscht, singing and dancing to Hollywood tunes (Mithun is truly alive in their hearts), meeting Stanilov, receiving assistance from locals for post-match transportation, and many other unforgettable moments. Don't be misled by the media; Russia is a beautiful, friendly, and unquestionably wonderful country. Unfortunately, I must keep this brief. This is not a story about Russia. Spasiba Russia.

Time, well, time is everything. Euro 2020 and Copa America were running concurrently. It was difficult to manage as a football fan, early morning Brazil, Argentina, and other talented Latin American countries firing against each other, late night Euro. Oh man, it was difficult in deed. You don't want to lose any matches, but you also need to balance your work and personal lives. Believe me, FIFA must think about and collaborate with UEFA. As the tournament progressed, every football fan turned their attention to the Copa America.

Messi, yes, Messi will have reached the level of greatness if Argentina can win the tournament. And, yes, it happened. I called Subhranil Bhadra around 4 a.m. and was connected with Debopam Som .

I had no plans for FIFA22 in Qatar until that point. Believe me, these two Argentine football fans will go to any length to see Messi play for Argentina. ?Let's do it then, I said.

? Amitava Banerjee and Debajyoti joined us in forming a new group. I used all my experience to book the tickets for 4 matches. Because you are in India, you have the best chance of obtaining the tickets before the draw. We were delighted to learn that we will be watching France, Croatia (for the second time), England, Ghana, and their respective opponents. But we were disappointed because there was no Ronaldo or Messi. We always hoped for an Argentina or Portugal match, knowing that this could be their final World Cup.

?What is this, my friends and family asked? You're going for the second time, and you still can't get a ticket to see #ronaldo. The truth is that they had no idea how difficult it is to obtain such targeted tickets. But really the truth was that they were instilling a desire in my soul.

?On November 24th, we arrived in Qatar at dawn and started to realize that we had made a wise decision in signing up for this World Cup. What an arrangement!

We were in a local grocery store at 9:30 a.m. when Debajyoti informed me that there are two match tickets available for that day's #portugal2022 vs. Ghana match. Two of the ticket holders were unable to travel. I recognized there is a thin chance. If you were unable to attend the game, #fifa provided a legal way to transfer your tickets.

?We began looking for options, went to DECC (Doha's FIFA ticketing hub), stood in lines, spoke with #fifaworldcup officials, and learned how to transfer the tickets in our name.

Knowing the reliable source, we were unconcerned about meeting them. Debajyoti gave up hope; after a sleepless night and delicious #Majboos (served by robot), you definitely need a nap. I was frantic, determined, and focused on getting the match tickets.

I dashed to the stadium to meet the professors, only to discover that the tickets could not be transferred due to technical difficulties. The primary owner should ideally transfer the tickets to the other participants within a specified time frame. This was not done for these two tickets. It was as if you could see the tickets but not touch, use, or transfer them. In this context, keep in mind that these are digital tickets; there were no physical tickets available.

I kept going and pushing myself harder than ever before because there was another match outside of the stadium. I want to win that at any cost.?I managed to find a FIFA office, which was kind of hidden in a corner far from the main #974stadium, with my last bit of energy. Once again, we?waited for a FIFA official. When we first met, she inquired about our ticketing status and validated our #Haaya cards. She suggested a way for us to use these tickets. Let me not go into detail about the procedure she described to us; it is best that we never use such tricks again.

Now I can see a glimmer of hope. Maybe I'm seeing Ronaldo play in front of my eyes. I wasn't sure until I could enter the stadium, because the tickets hadn't been transferred in our name.

Finally, I entered at the stadium around 4:45 PM local time, more than two hours before kickoff. I couldn't believe my own eyes, and I'm still not sure I got reserved seats to the Portugal game.

I called my loved ones to tell them I'm inside the stadium and will see Ronaldo play in an hour. I could see their joy; despite their lack of football knowledge, they support Ronaldo and the Portugal team because they adore me. They simply wanted this to happen to me. Their joy revealed and made me realize how much they care about me.

I realized there is definitely some power capable of performing miracles. If you continue to do good for others, you will be rewarded, and the magnitude of that reward is incalculable. You won't believe in Karma until you've experienced it, and once you do, you'll have a free personality for the rest of your life.

Agar kisi cheez ko dil se chaaho to puri kayanat usey tumse milane ki koshish mein lag jaati hai.?

?#qatar #fifaworldcup2022 #ronaldo