My Crowning Glory Day.
Let me go back in time- to a bit of ‘history’(Pun intended)…I was in Xth Board.
As is the case with most students, parents, teachers, relatives, our friends, friends of family, literally psyche us out with their theory of how ‘crucial’ this year is, that our future depends on how we score in the Xth Boards. (And, history repeats itself in XIIth Boards). So, anyway,
I was also equally psyched out, and, totally sure that passing Xth with flying colours was a matter of life and death.
The year just flew by. Since I didn’t feel the need to go for tuitions(and, perhaps, we couldn’t have afforded them either), I had to rely on our school teachers, my parents, the second hand Navneet guidebooks, and, the tuition class notes which my friends used to so obligingly lend me, in exchange for my English notes. (Yup, I’ve always been lucky enough to have a minimum five strong friends’ circle, be it in school or college, and, the rest of the students were also, well, quite friendly). Incidentally, I also can’t think of any school year, when I was so relaxed, too, during my free times- going to see the occasional movies, be they Bruce Lee or James Bond or Blue Lagoon-ish, listening to the radio(Tape decks were a dream- unaffordable), reading Hardy Boys, Alfred Hitchcock, Tintins, Archies, etc.
There was one guy who was tipped to be the topper, courtesy his good command over Science and Maths, and, his excellent handwriting, as also the fact that he had tuitions in the important subjects. But, when the exams came, something happened, he supposedly fell ill in between, and, continued for a month after the exams too.
Anyway, the results came. And, guess what,
I’d topped in the school. Just when I was feeling exhilarated about it, reading the results on the notice board, our English teacher came and congratulated me-
for coming second in Gujarat State, in Higher Level English(as a subject), something unique for the school. I cannot think of any other day which more befits the title of ‘My Crowning Glory Day’, than that special day! I couldn’t believe my eyes and ears. It brought life to the phrase' floating on Cloud 9'.
(I hope that I'll be able to visit my ole school this time, during my Baroda visit beginning from Saturday).
Subsequently, I got a letter from the Principal, telling me that they wanted to honour me by presenting me with a prize on Independence Day. But, even that day was not so precious,as the day of declaration of results.
Incidentally, this friend of mine, the tipped to top-per, came 4th. And, one day, he sheepishly admitted to me that it was only because he’d done below his expectations at the exams, that he’d feigned this prolonged illness. Good Lord, I’d thought- what agony his parents were put through in that period, when a simply truth would have sufficed.
Other ‘Glory Days’ I can think of:
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Being selected best boy of the class, by the gals, in Class VIIth. (ROFL- I can’t forget that day- at that age, I was so shy(still am, somewhat!) that I went beetroot red, and just remarked’ how’d the girls know?’, and the class teacher burst out laughing.
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Being selected Class Monoitor in 9 of the 12 years I was in school.
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Getting admission into Mech Engg , in Baroda, without any hassle, courtesy a decent Std XIIth score.
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Topping in Mech Engg in final year, getting a medal to boot.(And, still wondering whether I’d have been better off having taken English Lit, rather than engineering)
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Being selected in my first company, as the sole selected candidate out of 164.
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Getting my first salary, on Aug 01, of 1.5 months- a princely sum of Rs. 3650/-. (Now, fresh graduates wouldn’t think of joining any firm at anything less than 4-5 times that much).
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Growing from G.E.T. to Sr. Engineer to Asst. Manager to Manager- Engg, in the same co.
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Being selected for a three months deputation to Abu Dhabi from the same co. This trip also gave me the courage, the impetus to move to Dubai in 2002. Otherwise, I’m sure, I’d still have been rooted in Baroda.
- There’ve been
glory days in Dubai, too, but perhaps that deserves a separate post on my blog.*smiles*.
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Being invited by Citadel mag, Pune, in 1994, to do a feature for them, on them, for their annual. Still have the mag and a PDF of it, if anyone's interested.
Crowning Glory days on blogs-they deserve another post-perhaps part II??
When I think back to all these events and others not mentioned above, I cannot help thinking
how thankful I should be and am to God, for all these special days and for keeping me fit and fine all these years till date. And, yet, on some days, I wonder what I’ve achieved and what I’ve lost in all these years!! And, ponder on whether my existence is justified. Amen! Perish such thoughts!
And, that’s what I was expecting people to write about, when I suggested this topic-
it really made me feel good, I hope you enjoyed it, too. And, do write about your crowning glory day- I’m sure it’d make for interesting reading, and, at the same time, would surely make you feel ‘great to be alive’, when you remember those 'magic moments'.Cheers!
