While my challenge may not look glaring and hard to counter. But for me it was one of the most difficult and most visible one. I was never labelled with that but was always judged, that is the difficulty in speaking English. I remember the initial difficulties when, where to put ‘His’ and ‘Her’ was a Nightmare and speaking English seemed to me like a tongue twister. Though I studied in an English medium school, English was the weakest part since I used to fumble a lot and was not able to frame the sentences. English at the time I was growing was seen as a symbol of style, modernity and a status symbol. I use to see how celebrities and people of the corporate world used to speak English and it made me feel like I was inferior. There were many instances where I liked English being used but was never able to replicate the same. For example- I liked pop but I cant sing. Since the lyrics were in English and that too fast. And the time when my teacher used to ask for Roll Number wise reading and it seemed as I was bracing for a war which is just about to happen, Sweating and fumbling.
This confusion and difficulty continued for a long time. My parents put me in different coachings but it never worked for me as I used to feel shy to speak simply because I was confident. Then came the time when the real realisation happened, I was humiliated by some of my friends during the elocution competition in front of my parents. I started systematically reading Headlines and English billboards. There after I asked my father to get me an English newspaper, I started reading the newspaper and watching the English News. I used to converse with myself in front of the mirror, Role playing where I was the Hero, Villain as well as Director. Then the difference became evident as well as the Confidence.
Today when I look back, After studying in a cosmopolitan college like MIT Manipal, Worked in corporate for 2 years and here in TAPMI for 1 months, I feel proud of myself as I was able to overcome something which is the first and foremost prerequisite of corporate and that is fluency in English.I may may not be the best but i am good. With my journey of MBA started, all set to conquer the same. There are more stories of people, of student like me who won against bigger odds than I did. Hence I can definitely say that there is no disability as such. It only exists in your brain.
Prashant Sinha
TAPMI