Sunday Nuggets from my Dad..:) (Part 48)

Son, sometimes in life, a casual banter with a friend becomes the cornerstone for one of the most momentous and celebrated moments of one’s life. Let me share a story of two such friends, the main protagonists of this feature who are almost your age now.

The two friends were a part of the larger circle, their gang of friends in the class, the group that was populated by members who were majorly the mid-benchers, the non-existent or the so called numbers of the class but had little identity otherwise as they were neither the notorious ones nor the studious ones. It is a difficult one to be in as the latent aspirations of the inhabitants of this group craves to be in the limelight that hogs either on the back benchers or the front benchers but somehow they remain resigned to the fate till the time a moment comes that transforms the dust particles on their canvas into the glitter.

For most especially the romantics, the month of March ushers the beginning of the spring and for the students, it alerts them of the impending board exams. It was the same with these two friends who were in XII grade of their school. The institution, the premier of the city, was known for its illustrious pedagogy amongst the many other traits that it revered about. Both of them had science as their main course and economics as their optional subject. They were sincere in nature, one more sincere in studies than the other one especially in the field of economics which was corroborated by the marks he received on a consistent note.

It was time for pre-board exam results, the penultimate before the final hooter of the board exams. With little element of surprise, the boy who was good in economics came out with flying colors and the other one received an average grade. It did not matter much to both as the results were merely an output to the efforts that were put in as inputs.

“Dost, you need to be serious in your studies. How about we bet on who scores more in Economics in the board exam?” the boy asked his friend who had not received a good grade.

“The bet is on. Let’s see who score more.” The other boy replied more due to provocation than saneness.

The finale was after almost a month. In the interim, the farewell happened, an occasion organized by the juniors for the outgoing batch of seniors for which they were a part of. There used to be a title ceremony, a ceremony in which seniors were called on stage and based on their repute, an individual title, pre-decided by the juniors, would be bestowed on them. ‘The Economist’ went to the boy who had shown his expertise in the subject throughout while his friend received the title of ‘Today’s Orator’, something that was compatible with his repute of a good public speaker.

“Mom, I am not sure if I would ever be able to score more than him. He is an expert in Economics and today, he received the title too.” the boy confided his fears to his mother as tears flowed from his eyes.

“Son, you don’t have to compete with him. In fact, you don’t have to compete with anyone. What I want is that you compete with yourself? Show me something that extracts the best from you. Prove yourself to yourself. Can you do it? Can you have a bet with yourself? A bet that you would not stop before you reach your aim.” the mother spoke as she rubbed the moisture from the cheeks of her ailing son.

That evening, in their modest abode of two rooms and a kitchen, she put the dining table aside to make space for a folding cot for her son, a make-shift study room for him. An old lamp with a new 40w bulb was kept beside his bed, his main ally to defeat the darkness, the natural and the man-made. All the family members were asked to stay in the main room and only knock on the other door if they had to use the washroom which was next to the second room where the boy stayed. The kitchen was also adjacent to it and she ensured that all the required activities did not cause any distraction. The dinners were prepared and served early to ensure that the room is given to the boy for study.

The preparation leave had started, the clock ticked as the countdown started. The journey was arduous as he had never pushed himself so much before. There were times when he thought of quitting but one thing stopped it, the words of his mother, a promise that his mother took from him. Slowly, he gained confidence in himself and in the subject, not just economics but others too. It is often said that the victories are sweet; perhaps, one reason of it is that they come after lot of pains. It was a similar case with him. The final pain was yet to be inflicted. As the d-day arrived, he suffered from high fever and bodyache. It was unbearable and for once, it seemed that he would not be able to appear for the exam. Beating all odds, he did as his dad accompanied him to the exam centre. The hour had arrived as the answer sheets were distributed.

“I know that you will win the bet. Good luck!” a friendly voice sounded next to him as he was about to fill the details. It was the voice of his friend who with a gentle voice tapped his shoulder and went back to his designated seat.

The board results were announced. In a chorus that entailed the anxious and the ecstatic, there was a whisper for the topper of Economics. The unexpected demanded atleast a whisper. The boy with an average grade had leaped to become the topper. Short by 5 marks to an otherwise cent percent, the boy couldn’t believe that he had made it. He was still a number but this time, it was a number that everyone wished for. The icing on the cake was when he was also awarded the merit certificate from the board along with the scholarship certificate. He had won the bet, from himself. The reward was there too. A big hug from his friend who had a big smile on his face, a smile for inspiring his friend and realizing him of his potential.

Son, sometimes in life, you don’t have to look for an inspiration outside the window, it is there, just there for you to see it. And then, at other times, someone brings that to you to embrace it for long. Take the inspiration and give them your indebtedness and gratitude. Be one to someone, let someone be to you.

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