Reaping the fruits today, of the seeds sown yesterday

When I used to be in school, as every child does, I hated studying too. Studying used to consume my play time, my TV watching time. And the also the most irritating part was painting classes and the extracurricular activity participation when mom used to force us to by heart the Sanskrit shlokas, Hindi and English recitations, paintings practice and essay writings and what not in the name of extracurricular? !!!!!!!! Amma papa always used to say, “aaj mehnat kiya to you will be happy tomorrow and if you enjoy today, you will slog lifelong”

We (me, Lavanya and students and teachers from other schools) were sitting at the coast guard office and painting .The theme was the coast guard saving people in the coast. Before the competition had begun, I still remember a senior officer asking all students there what you want to become. A girl answered, I want to become a software engineer, a boy said I want to join army, Lavanya as ever confidently said “I want to become a journalist”, I didn’t know what to say, so I also said I want to become a software engineer, just knowing it has got something to do with computers and imagined sitting in front of the system and typing something, smiling happily. And as we were talking to the officials there, they asked which school are you from, and the moment we said DTEA. There was a loud noise in the office,” where is Manish? Where is Manish??Call Pathak yaar??”Soon a young smart handsome person entered the arena and his officer treated him saying “meet the students from your school”, and then he talked to us about his teachers and the school during his time , unluckily the conversation didn’t last long, as he had passed the school long time back and the teachers he was talking about had retired. Then the competition took place and we made exactly what mom had taught us, during the practice at home and when the results were being announced, third prize to Lavanya, it wasn’t she who was happy but Manish bhaiya who was filled with pride that his school has won the award. Since then my perception about painting and extracurricular changed and I did it happily, as I understood it was not merely the activity but a means of knowing and interacting with people, gaining knowledge from different parts of the world. From this competition I knew what a software engineer does, I decided my goals of life that day and what I wanted to study in life, and decided to do my MBA-although I only decided and still hated studying. This event took place in 2001, January month on the coast guard day.


The day had come, the captain handling five other people in the ground (the game is not at all known in India-ball badminton) but to represent Delhi was a big thing for me! That was instance where I started to focus on games, and was a part of national event. We had practiced for a short span of time, but Krishnan sir had convinced amma papa that we can go for national game, we reached the place. Played the matches, one after the other match we lost badly. In that unknown game when I saw the terrific competition I decided, I am made for studying as god has given me the power of intellect. Sitting at home and studying , cozy cozy inside the rajai or in the AC thanda thanda (thanks to our parents that they provided us with all such facilities) was far easier rather than focusing on games or playing in hot sun or in the chilly winter getting up early in the morning and practicing. This event took place in 2002, January month.


Then was the year of boards, we both studied day and night, I am proud that we were called nerd, burnt the midnight oil and prepared for the exams. And I still remember the day we both were sitting at home, amma papa had been to office, and we both took a nap of 15 minutes and got up and when mom returned home we both said “sorry ma we slept for 15 minutes while studying”. This event took place in 2003, December month. When the results had come in 2003, May, it was according to what we deserved. Sorry don’t want to boast about, all I can say is it was good, in fact very good is all what I can say.

Then we pursued higher studies, seeing all ups and downs in life, which was a part and parcel of it. And then yesterday 2010, December, I was at Wipro Chennai, Dancing in the DJ night of my office, living our life to the fullest, enjoying life. And then when I was travelling back home, completely exhausted, I was reminded of amma appa’s words which they used to say “aaj mehnat kiya to you will be happy tomorrow and if you enjoy today, you will slog lifelong”.we are Reaping the fruits today, of the seeds that were sown yesterday.


Today 31st December, I am sitting in the corporate office (because of the portfolio I carry in my interviews, of the extracurricular activities and the academic record certificates), in front of the system, typing something, happily smiling as I had imagined myself once, after having completed my MBA. My parents who are full of pride for their children and see the same happiness which I once saw in Manish Bhaiya and the same Pride which he had for his school to have won the competition .and thanks to Krishnan sir to have taken us for that national event, which brought the realization at the right time.

I lost the game but won the game of life.