Way to Success - I

I am nervous. Yes, I am nervous.

My feet are frozen and could sense the drops of sweat falling from my brows. The air condition is on and the temperature of the room is cool yet I am badly perspiring.

The lady in the blue shirt asked me to have a glass of water. She was trying to create a congenial environment so that I could answer the very first question of the very first interview for which I was anxiously waiting for. They simply asked to introduce myself.

The members of the panel were really good. But I can bet they were surely in the utter state of dilemma.

When they looked at my resume, my academics proved that I am an excellent student. I proudly mentioned my PGDM CGPA – 7.2 which indeed is considered as the best. I was even awarded a couple of certificates for my academic excellence and topper in my area of specialization.

Well, I know about myself. I am Nirupa. I come from a village named Tektar, Darbhanga district. Right from my childhood days, I was studious. Enjoyed going to school. I always worked hard to hold a better position in my class. I studied in government schools and then in government college.

I remember, when my cousin used to come to our village to spend his summer vacations, he used to carry a few textbooks. He was seen busy doing his holiday homework. He could read English fluently. Babuji and Maa always praised my cousin. He was considered as prodigious and we were told to be like him.

The book which my cousin left, I used to read aloud and practice. Words were not easy. On encountering a difficult word, I always got scared. My teachers never forced us to talk in English as it was a Hindi medium school. My teacher, who taught me English, used to laugh when I pronounced any of the words wrongly. Steadily, I lost my confidence. I felt ashamed when people laughed at my wrong pronunciation.

Except for my cousin, who motivated me and said that English is a simple language to learn. Of course, a lot of practice was required. He told me not to be afraid. He cited a number of examples of those who could not speak correctly and then of those who practiced and had improved themselves.

The education system in India remained a challenge. They have grown leap and bounds in a few states and cities. Contrary to this statement, it turned from worse to worst in my state.

Since my childhood, I always liked going to school. But in my school, teachers were more irregular than the students. There was no proper timetable. Lack of course plans and too many holidays always sabotaged our studies.

I still remember, during the tenth board examination, my answer sheet was copied by almost, all the students of my school who were present in that examination hall. I passed my tenth, did my intermediate and then opted for B.Com.

During my graduation, in the first year, I had been to my college for at least four or five months. Thereafter, the months reduced to days. I still remember that during my second and final year of graduation, I had been to college only for three reasons:

1.      To deposit my yearly fees

2.      To register for the examination and

3.      To collect my admit card for the final examination.

There was a turning point in my life. My cousin got placed in Google at Hyderabad. He decided to financial support my higher studies.

Well, being a girl child, after graduation, my parents said NO to further studies. They believed, I was overqualified and it is difficult to find a qualified groom for my marriage.

I wanted to be like my cousin. I wished to stand on my feet and earn. But, my family had some other plans. My cousin stood as a pillar and supported me. It was because of his intervention, my parents agreed to send me to Hyderabad.

A new state, people were talking and speaking with their friends in Telugu which was next to impossible for me to understand. My cousin advised speaking in English, even if I was committing mistakes, not to bother but to continue with the English language.

How can I say No to my MENTOR!

I obeyed.

Initially, it was extremely difficult for me to learn. The college where I enrolled for the PGDM course, the teachers taught either in English or in Telugu.

I, who had studied from Hindi medium, could understand nothing. Things bounced off my head. I plead my cousin, not to waste his money or time on me. I lost my hope as I believed that I can never learn either English or Telugu.

Pretty aware of my mental stress, my cousin asked me to take this as a challenge. He gave a timeline of three months and said, in these three months, If I don’t improve myself, he will certainly send me back to Tektar.

Giving value to his words, I decided to give a new start. Every evening, my cousin took a couple of hours from my busy work schedule and started improving my basics. I was determined and did not let down the aspiration set on me by my cousin.

The days passed by. The result of the first semester was on the display board. I failed for the first time. I could pass in only four subjects.

Generally, people turn upset but I was quite happy because it was for the first time I have appeared for the examination in the English language. I was happy that I could get through at least in four subjects. The result boosted my confidence.

Now I knew I can be successful.

The happiness which was so obvious and could be revealed through my body language made others a bit obnoxious. My friends started to corner me. Maybe this was like a blessing in disguise.

My solitude gave me inner strength. From then onwards, I never failed and could achieve a grand CGPA of 7.2.

Placements were going on. I was well mentored by my cousin. He prepared me for the basic interview questions.

And on the big day, after qualifying the aptitude test, here I am sitting in front of the panel. The very first question – Introduce Yourself, reminded me of all those moments, where I felt insulted, humiliated, laughed on my wrong pronunciation…I could hardly speak.

I gathered my courage, after drinking a half glass of water, there was a smile on my face. I remembered the golden words of my mentor – You have travelled miles to reach your destination. Here is the destination. Just speak from your heart and get the permission to give a kick start to your career.

I, Nirupa with full confidence, answered all the questions asked by the panel members of the interview and got selected as a Research Analyst.

Though this may look like a short story, but this is the bitter fact of hundreds of graduates who struggle very hard to reach to their final destination…Way to Success!