Author: Deepesh Agarwal
We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us.
` – Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
Arun Kumar (name changed) hails from Saurashtra region in the state of Gujarat. In May 2012, he cleared his CBSE 10th board examinations with an outstanding score and was able to secure admission in one of the top institutes of the city in order to pursue his Higher Secondary education. Like lakhs of other students in the Science stream, Arun had also started preparing for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) which would allow him to obtain admission in a good engineering college in order to pursue his undergraduate studies. After two years of rigorous studies in school as well as coaching centre, Arun was able to achieve a decent score in CBSE 12th board exams as well as JEE. Although he was unable to secure admission into the prestigious IITs, NITs or BITS (which are considered to be the dream colleges for any engineering aspirant), yet his score was good enough to fetch him a seat in Civil Engineering discipline in Nirma University, one of the top private engineering institutions in the state of Gujarat. Getting admitted to Nirma University to pursue engineering was a great deal for any engineering aspirant in the region where Arun came from. His parents very extremely happy and he was equally excited to embark upon the new journey. Soon, he moved to Ahmedabad in order to open up a new chapter in his life.
Although he was happy about his success after two years of hard work, Arun knew that it was just the beginning. He had always dreamt of becoming an IAS officer after graduating from the college. His life in Ahmedabad was completely different from the way he used to live at his home back in Rajkot. On one hand, he was witnessing absolute freedom for the first time in his life. There was no one to pester him to go to college and attend classes regularly. He used to meet like-minded people, made new friends, watch a lot of movies and TV shows, frequent outings, picnics and night-outs. Arun was not the only one in this category. This actually happens with many students who are just out of their homes and are new to hostel lives. In their elation after making it to a good engineering college, students often forget to work hard in order to thrive throughout their coursework. There are some students who find it easy to manage stress and performance pressure, while others succumb to difficult situations. After the completion of two semesters, Arun was detained from the college for a year. He failed in 5 out of 11 courses and the college policies didn’t allow a student with more than 3 backlogs to progress to the next semester.
It was very difficult for his parents to accept the fact that their son, who used to excel in every single examination until a year ago, was detained from the college due to poor academic performance. Arun was given 12 months to clear all the 5 backlogs, only after which the college authorities would allow him to advance to the second year of undergraduate studies. He got himself enrolled in private tuition classes in Ahmedabad to study the required courses. Unfortunately, he couldn’t clear all the backlogs. He failed in 4 out of 5 courses and was detained for one year again. His parents couldn’t interpret what was wrong with Arun. All his friends bullied him by saying that engineering was not his cup of tea. The relatives advised his parents to terminate the B. Tech. the programme at Nirma University. Arun’s father is a Class – I government officer and has connections with a lot of influential people. They told Arun that the coursework at Nirma University was very rigorous for him and he would never be able to cope up with the same. They suggested him to drop out of Nirma University and get enrolled in some other state college where he could pass very easily and obtain a degree in Civil Engineering.
Due to his father’s influence, Arun could get admitted to any local state college directly in the second year of undergraduate studies, without wasting another year which he would if he continued studying at Nirma University. According to his parents, this seemed to be the best option, but Arun denied. He did not want to give up. He had always dreamt of becoming an IAS officer. He feared that if he gave up now, it would be a dishonour for his attitude towards life and would never be able to achieve anything that he had dreamt of. He was convinced that the other option would be very easy for him, but he feared that he won’t be able to face himself after this. He knew that he had to encounter much bigger problems in order to realize his dreams. He requested his father for another chance and assured him that he would definitely pass with flying colours this time. His father was somehow convinced and advised him to work hard. This was also the last chance for Arun as per the rules and regulations of the college. If he failed this time, his B. Tech. the programme would be terminated.
Arun was now mature enough to understand was right for his career. He kept aside all the unnecessary activities and focused primarily on academics. He went to all his instructors individually in order to understand the courses in a better manner. In a year’s time, not only did he clear all the backlogs, but he also got himself acquainted with using a couple of software packages which would be beneficial for him in the higher semesters. After progressing to higher semesters, Arun never failed in any of his courses. He has also started preparing for the UPSC Civil Services examination, in addition to the regular academic schedule. Talking to one of his friends, Arun said that he didn’t want to prove anything to anyone. He just wanted to convince himself that he is capable enough to realize his dreams if he worked hard. He said, “I want to face myself boldly”. If he would have chosen the easier path as suggested by his friends and relatives, he would have saved one year but he would have lost faith in himself.
In this way, Arun Kumar lived through mental and academic pressure and emerged out as the winner. The wise words by Nelson Mandela, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time you fall.” correctly explicates the situation. This incident not only made Arun more confident, but it also helped him to develop a positive attitude which would assist him to encounter much bigger challenges in life and realize his dreams.
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