How you overcame challenged to achieve your ambitions in your life?
Any path towards goals or ambitions is bound to have obstacles in the form of challenges. People have different ambitions throughout their life. The desire or intention to do something or achieve should ideally bring the best out of every individual. At the age if 12, my biggest ambition was to become a proficient Chenda artist, a traditional Kerala based percussion drum. The learning process is physically and mentally exhausting. The learners are made to practice on a huge block of stone, with a tree bark used as stick in one hand and the one bare. The physical pain back then was indeed very stressful, as fingers and palm was frequently injured and was a normal thing. It was necessary to strengthen the palms, wrist and forehands through such rigorous practice. This goes on for five months, after which the practice happens with a 9.5 kg Chenda put on the shoulder for hours, mostly in the scorching heat during the Kerala summer. 11 years since I still practice and I am only glad for such practice sessions I had over the years. At the age of 14 I was part of one of the most important festival in my city, performing with the most famous and proficient Chenda artist among the entire state. This path formed the basis of the cliché phrase-Never Give Up in my life and this is something that I will always look into when I am down.
