"What an idea, Sir Ji!”
I am sure all of us must have heard this line at some point or the other. It was one of the biggest ad campaigns that tried to revolutionize India. Be it health, education, population control, the campaign tried to cover all possible aspects with its intriguing and thought-provoking concepts. Sometimes we don't even realise how something as trivial as a TV ad can impact the perception of a thirteen-year-old.
The "Education for all" campaign by Idea changed my life. It changed my life for good.
I have always wanted to bring a change in society but wasn't I too young for it?
"Starting is the hardest part, Rest will follow"
I started by teaching my younger cousin. He would come occasionally with his friends and we would have long discussions over the topics they were being taught in their school. I even joined a local NGO shortly after some time which in turn helped me to further improve my teaching methods. Everything was going well but then I had my board examinations to prepare for.
I had to give up on my dream or so I thought.
Eventually, I went on to pursue Engineering and there I became a member of an NGO started by my college itself. There was still that thought that kept on bugging me.
Was it the best that I could do? Was it enough?
I wasn't satisfied with the work I was doing. I had to do something more. I went back to where it all started.
That ad.
That idea ad.
They used mobile phones to teach students. The teachers in the advertisement used to teach the students while being on call. They would interact with the students, teach them and even punish them through the phone. I was intrigued, even I can do that, I thought. It was the time when I was preparing for my MBA entrance exams. I was pretty good with my basics as I had already been teaching students all my life. I created a WhatsApp group and started clearing the doubts of MBA aspirants. I didn't stop even after joining an MBA college.
Gradually the group started gaining pace and now I have two groups with over 150 members who discuss their doubts daily. I even have an active Facebook page devoted to helping students in their preparation.
I know it just a start and I still have a long way to go. I'll not stop until I get that "Satisfaction".
Facing challenges HEAD ON
“If you’re not facing any challenges, you’re not growing.”
Have you ever felt being crumpled under pressure? A mind-boggling pressure…
When you know what you have to do, but you don’t know where to start. When you know that there’s no way out, still you struggle to get out of that labyrinth. I have had my fair share of challenges in my life and not a lot of them were as daunting as the period after my class 10th.
I was quite good at my studies till my 10th grade and as it always is, I had to take Science after that. Now I know that studies can’t be considered as a challenge but just hear me out! There were not many good coaching classes in my hometown so I had to leave my place and go out of the station at the tender age of fifteen.
I used to overthink. It was quite easy to stress me out and what more can you expect from a child who has left his home for the first time in his life at that age.
I faced everything there. You name it and I would have already been through it. Missed a flight- Check, missed a train – Check, missed a bus, being cheated upon, being robbed, beaten by a mob; Check, check, check. I was still standing strong but you know what broke me. The news of my sister being ill back at home and I couldn’t do anything about it.
Even when you’re a child, you understand that you can’t show your family that you’re broken. You’ve to make them believe that you’re strong enough to take care of yourself especially when your sister is ill. I used to cry for days and I couldn’t share this with anyone. My grades started falling and I started missing my classes. I was being scolded upon by my teacher. I was being teased by my friends for being in the last position in the class. I started getting anxiety attacks. I started fainting now and then. I would fall anytime, anywhere and I even got injured because of that.
Eventually, after about six months my sister started recovering. I told my parents about the health issues that I have been facing in the past few months. I still don’t know why I got scolded at that time. Not telling them would have been better. I was visiting some doctors already but then got a proper health check-up at my hometown. I started getting better. I didn’t score up to my potential in my intermediate but that’s okay. It was an opportunity cost. I gained a lot from these experiences.
“You will never learn to get up until you fall”
It has now become very easy for me to handle the pressure. I believe that if I can go through all that at that age, I can face anything. I have realised that with time, everything seems to work out just fine. You’ll land up exactly where you’re supposed to be. There will always be a few hurdles in your path but overcoming those hurdles is called living your life. Avoiding problems is never a solution. Facing them head-on, falling and trying again will help you grow up. I have a different outlook on life now. I now maintain a positive attitude and believe in myself.
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