BE STRONG…

We all know that life is a long journey. We are well aware that it is full of obstacles and lots of hurdles are on the way. What we aren’t aware of is the inbuilt strong will that we are filled with. The strength within us is never realized and heeded; instead, we waste time complaining about the situation. We often contemplate more hard luck and difficult time. We think that one thing after another is going wrong. Guessing there’s a storm brewing we tend to do uncountable calculations about life.  What needs to be done is to dare to overcome. To have the attitude to stand amidst the storm, find a way to continue, and be unstoppable. Only staring at a gigantic mountain may seem unconquerable until you climb. You don’t fall if you don’t climb but the majestic view can only be enjoyed from the top of the mountain. The choice is yours!!!

There lived a girl in a small hamlet in the Maharashtra state of India. She was passionate and eager as a child. The girl felt great affection for education. Though her mother never wanted her to continue her studies; her father was supportive and always blessed her. She cherished dreams to play study and being happy like others. Girls of her age wanted to catch the butterflies, run through the green fields and dance in the rain, and at night admire the stars and talk to the moon. But destiny had some other plans in her womb. Her tender shoulders were burdened with the obligations and worries of marriage. Her husband was rude and offensive, she became the victim of inhuman behavior. She was thrown out of the house to suffer when about to give birth to her child. The baby was delivered in a cow shed and she cut the umbilical cord with a sharp-edged stone lying nearby. What could be more horrendous for a woman to experience that? Even her own mother’s lap was denied to her.  She couldn’t find any shelter for herself and her newborn baby. This incident shook her up and she thought of ending her life. Do you know who this woman is?? She is the eminent social worker and social activist, Sindhutai Sapkal, who is known for her work in raising orphaned children in India. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2021 and affectionately called Mai (mother) by all.

 A common woman who fell down so drastically in life could become a renowned mother, not of a few but thousands of children!! This is because “Failure is not falling down but refusing to get up”. Every one of us encounters failure at some point in life. What matters is how we handle that setback, overcome the fear of being nowhere and learn from that experience. Failure is not going to stay for longer because it is not permanent. Time changes and with that changes the circumstances. You must remain calm and rise above the situation. When you suffer, learn to tolerate it for some time and at the same time continue to be ceaseless in your attempts to make headway.

After being rejected by her family, Sindhutai started begging at railway platforms for food to fulfill her daughter’s needs. Soon she realized that there were many orphan children facing the same hardships. She knew the pain of wandering without someone to care for. And so set her sights on their wellbeing. She adopted every orphan child who came across her and nurtured all. This gave her a purpose in life and she satisfied everybody’s hunger by begging. This wasn’t easy as it required manifestation of immense courage, mettle, and steadfastness. Gradually she became a mother to thousands of orphan children and gathered a huge family for herself. The one, who was herself homeless, sheltered the multitude. Not only was this an act of kindness, but also highly commendable as many of the children are today doctors, engineers, authors, and in good positions. Definitely, she rose from the ashes like a phoenix. She stood taller, stronger, and more capable after getting a great blow in life. Rightly quoted, “The harder you fall the stronger you rise”. There are six organizations operating under Sindhutai’s name which work for providing food, shelter and education for orphans. Today her life is an inspiration for many. She would not have achieved this if she hadn’t been abandoned by her husband. Sometimes failure becomes inevitable for massive success. Rather success is persistence through failure.

 There is a long list of success stories; from Edison to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who had their beginning in failure. Michael Jordan, the famous basketball player, says: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games………. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” What does it mean? It is as simple as that; we learn a lesson from failure and apply that lesson to get success. We develop courage by surviving the adversities and repeatedly facing them. High pressure creates diamond and gold gets refined with fire. Be strong when you sense difficulties, they will bring forth your hidden potential. Another way to handle a hard time is to be in good company. Supportive family and friends make us emotionally strong. They work like shields when we are battling our hardships. We learn to get the better off from their experience of overcoming adversities. Whatever is your course of action, one thing to be remembered is every effort to face the difficulty will move you one step ahead on your path. Tough situations have built the greatest characters in the world.

                        “So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-                                                   It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit”