Felix Culpa – Happy Accidents
“We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” – Bob Ross.
I started my schooling in Muscat, Oman. At a very young age, I was introduced to the world
of technology. A phone in my hand, a million ideas in my mind and lots of hours of fiddling.
My parents prophesised that I had a knack for science. My grades supported their theory. As
I entered my higher secondary, I slowly began to feel out of place. Numbers and alphabets,
combined with alpha, beta and gamma, just added to the drama! With a lot of prayers and
the answer sheets of my friends, I managed to clear my 12 th grade with a percentage that is
better left unsaid. The next part of this story begins at Vellore Institute of Technology. A
young man, following his parents, his building’s, and all his relative’s dreams. I thought
coding came naturally to me. I was excited. I thought I was ready. I remember deciding that I
was going to turnover a new leaf and was going to build a foundation for myself. They say
clothes maketh the man; and I was ready to become a new man. My favourite brand was
and always will be Allen Solly. It is a brand that exudes confidence and that was one
attribute I desperately needed. I was just Clark Kent, standing in Metropolis, the Allen Solly
shirt my cape. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Coding, which was my ‘passion’, turned out
to be my Kryptonite. I then realised that the only natural thing in this college, would be me
leaving. Academics was never my forte. C and C++ fetched me F and F++. During my time
at VIT however, I was a part of a student run organization, called AIESEC. I helped establish
that chapter. I trained members in Marketing and created leaders of the future that would
make the department sustainable. It was there that I made friends for life and it helped me
understand where my passion lies. I headed the Marketing department for that chapter and it
gave me two valuable insights about myself. I realised that I am an efficient communicator
and that I have the gift of motivating people and pushing them to their limits and beyond. My
academics however, continued to suffer. It was then that I made that fateful call. I still
remember looking at my phone, staring hard at the Idea sim, praying against all odds that
my call doesn’t go through. But the network was reliable as ever. I remember every word of
that conversation. Breaking down and telling my father, how I, his perfect son had failed.
How his dreams are shattered. And I also remember him being patient, understanding and
empathetic. He said he was proud of me, proud of how much I had achieved in AIESEC.
Proud that I had the courage to drop out. I then decided to go to Gujarat and pursue BBA.
My mind set on the bigger goal of doing an MBA and venture into the Marketing field. I had
finally found my calling.
As I write this from my room in Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, I realise how
far I come. I realise how much further I have to go. I am thankful for every failure. I am
pleased that I fell. It taught me how to see the silver lining. It taught me how to be happy.
And those are lessons, no school could ever teach me. I still own my failures. I still am
scared. But I am ready. And I can’t wait to see how this story of Archit Sinha, a young boy, a
drop out, a warrior plays out.
