You open your eyes, and the world is spinning. You don't remember why you're there.
You don't remember why your hand is down and why his hand is raised, why your coach has a disappointed look on his face.
And then it hits you! You just got knocked out, my friend.
That was me, as an early adult. I was fighting as a professional mixed martial artist in India's burgeoning fight circle. In my early days, I was unstoppable; at least it felt like it. As an amateur, I was on top of the world! I wasn't looking past my opponents; I was looking through them.
At the young age of 19, and after countless amateur fights, Star Sports gave me my first official contract to fight on Super fight League - India's first Mixed Martial Art Tournament & Grand Prix.
I dispatched my first two opponents with relative ease and then moved up a weight class for more challenge. In my final fight, I remember staring down my opponent before touching gloves and moving into my corner. And sadly, that's the only part of it that I remember.
When my eyes opened, I was horizontal on a stretcher, with my left hand in a makeshift cast and a neck-brace. Right there, I knew my fighting days were over! I left the building with grade 3 concussion and a mangled elbow. My brain had taken a beating, quite a big one that too. And soon, my memory was faltering.
Forget about remembering people... I was forgetting myself! Sometimes, I forgot my name, sometimes my birthday.
So how did this person find his way into a reputed MBA institute? How did his fragile brain survive the onslaught of QA and the complexity of LRDI? His below-average academics were of no help to his battered brain.
I'll tell you how. I kicked off my studies by PAINTING HIS HOUSE BLUE. There was more ink on my walls than there was paint! Mathematical formulas were the first thing I saw in the morning and the last thing at night before sleeping! Formulas & concepts were everywhere in my room and in common areas. (Talk about real-life Ghajini?)
I thought about quitting a million times, but there was no running from this fight!
I opted for developmental therapy as well. My therapist helped me focus my wavering mind and prepared me for the exam jitters. She helped fix my broken brain.
And thankfully, it all paid off.
Today I am a part of SIBM Bengaluru - a part of the illustrious Symbiosis International University! It's a different challenge, a different kind of boxing ring, but I am more than happy to be here finally!
I hope you do well in all the fights of your life!
#ABGLP #ABGLPWOOME #ABGLPWOOMECOMPETITION