Learning Curve

After my first blog I wasn’t sure whether I should continue writing. Even though I got encouragement from a few of my well wishers, I wasn’t really sure whether I can write and whether I should do it. I know it seems like a very long time but I was still taking feedback for my last blog till last week, waiting to see more comments on the blog but not many came so I thought of taking oral feedbacks. Last week, while in the process and after a lot of coaxing, one of my very close comrades said, “What should I comment on this? Should I say that it was so stupid of you not to have pulled the chain or should I say that you should become a professor because they usually preach from their mistakes?” Now, I have not been a person who takes criticism well and for a moment I did feel bad also for such a comment. But then, I gave it another thought and was shocked to realise that I took the criticism in my stride and decided to be more alert the next time I face a situation which requires quick thinking. I realised that it’s a drastic change from what I was earlier to what I am now. For the past few months, my father has been telling me that my behaviour and outlook towards things has changed in the recent past and he is proud of that. But I thought it was just because he is my father that he keeps telling me these things, after all, which parent does not see his/ her children as the best in the world? But this incident really made me think, “Has my outlook really changed?” 

Looking back, I realise that in the last few years of my life I have learned a lot about life. Some learning has been hard learned while there are certain things which I just learned without having to burn my hands.Four years earlier I was a happy-go-lucky, easy going, fun loving girl. A confident girl who was sure to achieve whatever she wants. She dreamed of a rosy life. I was and still am a very pampered child at home. Today I still am what I was in those days but I have learnt a lot about life and also about myself.What I am today is because of my family. Had it not been for them, I would have never got a chance to know what life really is. My parents allowed me to live life on my own terms and subtly also told me where I went wrong. And had it not been for their sacrifices and will power I would not have had a career today at all. Despite living in hostels for a greater part of my school and college life, I always had a protected environment. For every little advice I wanted I always went back to my parents. As I grew I started developing thoughts of my own and undoubtedly there were points in time when I thought that I was right and my father/ mother was wrong. But Papa had this very intelligent way of telling me that he dint approve of what I was doing, he would say, “according to me it should be done this way but then if you think it should be otherwise, I wont object to it”.As a kid I always knew my parents have great expectations from me. There was a point in my life when I felt over burdened with the expectation from me. But then, I now realise that there are expectation only where there is a confidence that the expectations are achievable. As I grew, I only became closer to my family even while the people around me wondered that how could a girl who has stayed away from her family for almost all her life be close to her family. When at a certain get- together where I was present with a few friends and extended family of mine an acquaintance asked me whether we are all a close-knit family, someone from my extended family answered, “as a family we are close knit but you know Prachi has been in hostels since childhood so as a person she is not very close even to her real brother.” I was zapped at this but I dint react. At another time the same person also told me upfront that I would not know the close bond that a family shares as I had lived away from my family for a greater part of my life. I tried to retaliate on this but then realised that there is no point trying to explain my relationship with my parents or brother to anyone. There is also a cousin of mine who is the same age as this particular person mentioned earlier who told me that “Prachi always remember, your mother will always be your best friend. She is the only one who will always show you the right path.” I still thank her for this advice. Today when I look back at these two incidents, I know that there will always be two kinds of people in your life, people who try to tell you that you don’t have anything and people who will encourage you and show you the right way.Everyone gets to meet both the kinds of people in their lives, the only thing that is important is how you tackle them and what you learn from such incidents. Having met so many people of both the kinds, now I have a better understanding of people and can handle situations better than I earlier could. I feel I have become wiser, patient, mature and more tolerant, especially after I started working.

This blog is mainly to thank my parents, my brother and all the people who are my well wishers and who helped me grow as an individual. All of you must know your importance in my life and how thankful I am to each one of you to have stood by me at all times.