Only in The Darkness, Can You see The Stars - Prince Priya Ekka, IIM Ranchi

Rising From the Ashes

The most certain thing in life is that there will be curveballs. Unequivocally, hardships come my way too. My name is Priya and I am a student of IIM-Ranchi.

Growing up wasn’t a flowery experience for me. I graduated from a convent school with a science stream. Throughout these years, the convent had inculcated a strong sense of morality and uprightness to which I held true.

Onwards, I chose to be a science graduate. I was at a new place and there were new faces in multitudes. Albeit I was shy, I let my walls down and trusted some of my batch mates to come through. They became my friends. It was then that I learned a harsh lesson. Contrary to the lesson that one wouldn’t be harmed if one didn’t harm someone else, I learned that it didn’t hold true in real life. They were wolves in disguise and letting them in was a critical error I made. By their awareness of my simplicity, they plotted against me. This caused a lot of inconvenience for me. This made me realize that the world I lived in, could, in fact, be a cruel place at times.

Young as I was, the situation was overwhelming for me. Having allowed them to come close enough to break me, I had no other option but to start from scratch. I chose to take responsibility for myself and took a transfer certificate. I then applied for admission to a government college to pursue a graduation in commerce. Upon getting through the admissions process, I let my parents know about the decision I took. Although I took complete responsibility for it and my parents understood and believed in me despite their trepidation, this path wasn’t entirely smooth and a trail of naysayers arose. These comprised of people who were closest to me. Despite their incessant firing of doubt on my mind, I shook their opinions off of myself and chose to look headfirst at things that mattered. The subjects were new but thanks to a wonderful mentor, I was able to grasp my concepts and had a lucid understanding which helped me get through with flying colours. Not resting on my laurels for long, I stepped onto the path I had chosen for myself and applied for admission into the prestigious St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. I encountered the greatest tutors whose teachings kindled an inquisitive fire inside me which burned all questions that came my way, one problem at a time and I inched my way forward. Despite being overlooked for being an introvert, I surpassed the stereotype and my colours bloomed through. I participated in various seminars and conferences and was lauded for my contributions.

Looking back at the things I’ve been through, I do not hold it against the people who took advantage of my simplicity. Rather, I am in gratitude to them for the lessons I learned. Through all these hardships, I found the light that had always been inside my heart, nascent but ever glowing. Like the conscientious leader Aditya Birla Group is, in my spirit, I aspire to burn the light of righteousness bright, setting standards by example for others to follow. I choose to stand by what’s right. For the unjust is transient and upright, eternal.