ADVENTURE OF BREAKING FREE!
Adventure is the experience of reaching out and trying something new. It’s praying for wings, for the ability to run and not be weary. Adventure is taking direct action toward an exciting new goal; adventure is overcoming your fear. Adventure is breaking the shackles of inability that one is wearing on his own, adventure is breaking free from all the bounds and soaring high in the sky. The adventure phase of boundless achievement is where you launch your plan and solve the problems along the way. As Dany Cox the pilot, motivational speaker and author says – “Ultimate adventure lies just across the threshold that marks the boundary between our developed and undeveloped potential.” Have you ever pushed yourself to limit to get the feel of that adventure? Ever tried something which even you considered sort of impossible, were afraid to take on it, but ultimately tried it and came out successful. Pearls of success are hidden in the depths of ocean of impossibility. Adventure is diving deep and bringing out the pearl from the deep ocean surface. Look around you will find many such successful divers. I will share a story about myself, which I suppose my first adventure. But before that, let me share the background of my story. Both my parents were working, my father was an officer with ministry of finance and my mom was working in the department of family and health as Lady Social worker, her job was to visit remote places and oversee that the government schemes pertaining to family health, and ensuring that the facilities are reaching them. Her postings were mostly in small tehsils and my father was posted in big cities. Me and my sister were divided between our parents, my sister used to be with my father and I used to live with my mother. My father and sister used to visit us during her holidays or on festivals, while going back to his place of work, my father used to tell me to take care of my mom, not to tease her and look after her like a responsible “man.” I tried to live up to the expectation of my father to the best of my ability and competence. Being the only son, lean and thin in structure, and not being very strong physically, at least that’s what my mom thought; she was very protective towards me. She asked me not to pick fight, don’t argue, be humble etc. I grew up very obedient and somewhat timid boy who would not pick fight, and avoid confrontation at all costs, and was bullied and teased by stronger and bigger boys all the time. I was a bright student, and though I studied in Hindi medium, my English was very good because of my father and mother, who were well educated and have inculcated a habit of reading books. I was also inculcated with good values like I never cheated in the examination. Though I was frail but was very strong headed, and held on to my beliefs. I studied my high school from a small tehsil in Sultanpur district called Musafirkhana. Though it was a tehsil, 90% of it didn’t have proper roads, and the power used to come for few hours in a week. Those days the examination centres used to be in some other school, and used to span for over a month. My examination center was in a remote place called Thauri, approach to that place was only through ekka (one horse driven vehicle), and there were no bus or taxi services available. My father came with me to settle me there, in those villages, people used to host students during examination like PGs in towns. The house where I lived belonged to the father of Dhandhu Chaubey, a boy of much stronger built than I was. But he was simple and friendly, he was respected also as he was son of the chief of the village, the Prdhan. The village didn’t have electricity and most of the villagers have not seen a ceiling fan and had never travelled by train. My examination center was at some distance from the house of Dhandu Chaubey. Everything was good, I started liking the place, and as I studied well, I was confident about the examination, but my confidence wavered once I reached the examination center and saw the seating arrangement, couple of bullies were sitting around me. I chose not to speak, interact or react to them. The examination passed on well, those guys were busy with themselves and chose to ignore me, I was happy. The day, we had our English examination, I saw those boys standing at the gate of the examination center, I tried to enter the gate avoiding them, but one of them came in front of me and said, we did not bother you all these days, but today you will help us copy, or we will not allow you to leave the center. We will ask and you will speak the answer to us or if we try to peep into your copy you would allow us to do that. I didn’t say anything and went to my classroom, I was afraid and sweating, but was also angry and decided that I would not budge and would not allow these guys to cheat through me. I was shaking, but after few moments I was too engrossed in my paper to be afraid. Then I heard the boy sitting behind me whispering my name and asking me to shift a bit so that he could see my copy, I feigned not to listen his voice and continued writing without moving an inch. This went on for some time then they stopped. When I finished the paper and the final bell rang, I was depositing my copy, and then one of the guy came and whispered in my ear, we are waiting at the gate. I froze with fear, came out of the class and stood in the large school ground watching students leave. Then I decided, I will go out and go out now, how long can I stand like this, and also if I waited some more time all the students would be gone but these few boys, then I might be an easier target. So l mustered courage and walked out of the gate, those guys were standing there I could see from the edge of my eyes I did not stop, did not look at them, just kept walking, after walking few hundred meters, I looked back to check if they are following me, they were nowhere to be seen, I felt sudden rush of happiness, content and power inside me, the fear which was looming all over me, had vanished in a second. The papers continued for couple of more weeks but, those guys never bothered me after that. The fence of fear was constructed by me, and the moment I decided to fly over the fence, I was free.