AN ATTITUDE FOR GRATITUDE

shilpa17french
True Story
4.8 out of 5 (33 )

AN ATTITUDE FOR GRATITUDE

“Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It is anything that lifts another person.” PLATO

Every milestone that we create in this beautiful journey called LIFE, is a result of our social interactions, and social interactions occur on a day-to-day basis. Then why do some interactions become milestones of our journey while others fade into utter oblivion?

First let us delve into the meaning of the word milestone.

Milestone- a very important stage or event in the development of something (Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries). Therein lies the answer.

My life is a testimony to numerous acts of kindness, by GOOD SAMARITANS, who entered my life, at the preordained moment, and left behind their indelible mark of positivity. I believe them to be showers of blessings from the CREATOR above. Today, as I sit to write about this incident, I am overcome with nostalgia. The events from the past become a tumultuous cascade of vivid realities as if they had taken place just yesterday. Many are worth mentioning but one stands out, as it is indeed a class apart! This event actually shaped me into the person that I am today-A TEACHER.

Secondary School Certificate Examination, the first threshold to step over to enter the phase which will shape one’s career in the long run. I faltered at the very first step and a nightmare ensued. Being the eldest daughter of three, and the first girl child of my paternal family, I was a born rebel. Maybe I inherited it from my father. He rebelled against his mother and got us admissions in a convent school at that time, which added to my grandmother’s chagrin. My decent score of 81% in the SSC Examination should have earned me a seat for Science in good suburban colleges but for one GROSS mistake, due to lack of proper guidance. I filled only one form for that particular Science College, where unknown to me, the previous year’s cut-off was 84%. All my hopes to secure a Science seat (versus my family’s wish that I opt for Commerce and do CA) in the Open category on merit, dwindled as the lists were displayed and then taken off from the said College’s notice board. My fate was sealed!! Now what?? became my best buddy at that time because it never once left my side.

Next step was crystal clear. I had no choice but to fill the form to seek a seat from the Government quota or I would miss an entire academic year. When I landed at their Office, another surprise awaited me. I can never forget the look of sheer disbelief on the face of the person who enquired about my SSC percentage and heard my reply-81%. He doubly verified it with me to ensure that he had heard it right at the first instance itself. Many other students who were a part of the queue were also surprised, as their scores were nowhere near mine. Yet, I was in the same line as they. Wasn’t it ironical? The officials informed us that we were being given admissions for leftover seats which would not be in colleges of repute and hence should prepare ourselves accordingly.

I was given the time slot for my appointment with the then Honorable Minister of Education of Maharashtra, whom I do not wish to name here. I met a GOOD SAMARITAN-Mrs Rekha Pandit, who was designated to accompany me during the five minute meeting with the Honorable Minister. Before the meeting, she calmed my frayed nerves with her simple advice, “Be your own true self. Fear not. I will be standing right by your side throughout the meeting”. For a 16 year old girl, who had just stepped out into the real world, meeting the Honorable Minister of Education, seemed like a mammoth task. Mrs. Pandit went beyond her call of duty that day. I still remember the meeting with crystal clear clarity-The Honorable Minister saw my marksheet and was about to sign off my admission form by allotting me a seat in the Barfiwala College of Commerce, but was stopped right in his tracks by Mrs. Pandit who informed him that I was seeking a seat in a Science College. Maybe a higher power was working for me because the next thing I was questioned by the Honorable Minister was my PCB score. Without losing even a fraction of a second I immediately answered-96%. Lo Behold!! The rest is history.

My whole world took a 360 degree spin. My eyes could not believe what they were seeing! I had gained entry into one of the best Science Colleges in Mumbai-Bhavan’s College, Chowpatty, that too from the Government quota. Call it GOOD LUCK or a strange TWIST of FATE, the trump card was played for me by LORD ALMIGHTY who had stood by my side in the form of Mrs. Rekha Pandit. If not for that sentence about Science admission spoken by her in the presence of the Honorable Minister, on my behalf and her absolute faith in me, I would have been forced to study Commerce against my will. I am and will be eternally indebted to Mrs. Pandit who that day taught me the most valuable lesson without actually preaching it-The Right Perspective.

Finally I would like to sum up my Life Defining Moment with some pearls of wisdom penned by a wise person whose name I do not know, “Certain people enter our lives at the perfect time, for the most beautiful reasons, and you know right away it is a gift from GOD”.

तुम्हाला आवडतील अशा कथा

X
Please Wait ...