An upturn in fortune? Not quite yet. He keeps underperforming in every major entrance exam. His IIT-JEE sees a massive difference in his performance in the first and second halves; as if two different people gave the exam. Fear of computer reliability meant giving AIEEE on paper and pen, a move that backfired manifold as online papers by general opinion were much easier than the offline one he had to give. Finally, in his own state joint he managed to mark incorrectly four answers on the OMR sheet; even after having used them for at least the last 6 years. With his fate sealed and advice from all quarters that he should try repeating the exams, he chose his college, as he did not believe in looking back. The belief within: I will top my department and get to something of my choice.
Alas! If only he was not so naive. Like everywhere before life had other plans entirely for him. An injury in the finals of a football tournament meant he was bed-ridden for a month. His grades plummeted as he tried to reconcile with the fact that his career was fast changing around him. He would not have the required grades for shifting departments and he might have to give up football for good. The blow changed him for good as a person. He became more cynical and mistrustful, wary of any happy events. However, it also opened new avenues like debating and quizzing which had taken back seats. Studies started to get back on track as he realised he liked civil engineering. Life had taken a new course altogether than he had imagined.
Fast forward, a couple of years and a harrowed young man was wondering whether to prepare for CAT or not. Juggling multiple responsibilities, from being placement and class representatives to being a member of the college debate and quiz team, he had a lot on his plate as his placements loomed near. Yet, this was something he had always been interested in and thus on his girlfriend's persistence and hoping to get to spend more time with her he enrolled. However, as his placement season grew nearer he almost never had the time to study. Parental insistence ensured he did not skip the exam entirely but in his mind, he might as well have. A lacklustre placement had the same niggling doubts he had had all those years back crawling through his mind.
'99.31!' That score flashed on his cell phone that afternoon. Relieved? Elated? Not quite. Turns out even here, he had missed the one institute he had always aspired. As thoughts of skipping the entire interview stage for other IIMs tried to overpower him, his parents acquiesced him to sit through them. His best shortlist was IIML and it was the only institute he now wanted. The interview went better than he had hoped. He hoped to have gotten in. Yet, as the college kept releasing its shortlists, he only kept meeting with disappointment. At last, when he had stopped expecting it, he got a call two days before the course started that he had made it.
The pilot's announcement for imminent landing brought him out of his reverie. As he buckled in the seat belt, a steely smile played across his lips. Life had always been harsh with him. Hundred percent was never enough to achieve the same. Yet, he loved it. He loved the challenges it set before him. As time passed by that became his single biggest driving force; to over-achieve. Although life had never put him on the path he wanted to be on, it kept sending him along similar lines. It was a beautiful game of cat and mouse as he tried to keep abreast with his own unrealistic targets. As he looked back out towards the city of 'Nawabs', he knew that life would not be smooth here; but then again it had never quite been for him. They say, "Failure is the pillar of success". Well, he had enough material to build his Parthenon. As his car pulled up to the institute gates, he smiled. The game was on!
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