During my course at this institute, I took part in a chess competition. I couldn’t even lift and place the moves myself on the chessboard. I used to speak out the move and the referee would move the pieces for me. I won the initial games comfortably to reach the semi-fi nal. I still had butterfl ies in my stomach. I had often lost in semi-fi nals in the games and events I had participated in earlier. I was to play the semi-fi nal again and I had the best and the most popular local player pitted against me in the semi-fi nal. The other semi-fi nal had weaker players. If I would have been in the other pool I would have reached the fi nal comfortably. But I had to play the toughest player in the semi-fi nal. Everyone felt proud of this player and cheered for him. I was alone with only my cousin on my side. In the initial stages of the game, I made a blunder and the opponent gained an unbeatable advantage. This brings me to another important lesson of my life.
You will never get life and situations in life on your terms. However, you can choose to
deal with them on your terms.
He already had an air of victory all about him. My only chance now lay in making him commit a bigger blunder than I had made. I did not give up. I stuck to this window of opportunity I might get. If there was any chance of success, I was going to take it. I started taking a lot of time to make my moves. I took every possible minute I was allowed by the time restrictions. Move after move, I delayed playing my moves to the maximum, till the last available second, to make the move. I could make out that he was desperate to fi nish the game and celebrate his victory. My taking a lot of time in a game that I had almost lost gradually started getting on to him. His irritation, while I refl ected and pondered over every move, was clearly visible.
The pieces started shaping out in a way and I saw an opportunity of a blunder I could possibly make him commit. I maintained my normal casual look as if I had no real plans up my sleeve and played the required moves. Body language plays an important part in chess as in any other competitive game. Your body language can give away your intentions. Nothing in my body language showed that there was an imminent blunder. The move from where I could push him to a point of no return came and after making my move I looked away to my right casually just like I did after my previous moves.
He committed the blunder and I dictated my next move within two seconds. My making a quick move shocked him back to his senses as that meant I had succeeded in some plan. He looked at the board carefully and within a few seconds he realized his mistake. He was pulling his hair and moving around like crazy. He took off his shoes and sat on the table instead of the chair to impose himself and get back into the game. The game was nearing the end and I was not going to let him get back now. Over the last moves, I kept my calm and he fi nally admitted defeat. There was utter silence in the crowd. I felt the crowd too appreciated my win. So what if I was not a local favourite. Having said that I think I should admit he was a better player technically. Had I not committed the initial mistake which put him at ease (this was his mistake), he wouldn’t have lost. With the best player out, I comfortably won the fi nal game the next day.
Your ability to win not only involves your skills but also your attitude.
At the awards function, there were very few formal claps for me and when the second guy (who was a local) walked up there was a roar of applause. Frankly, it did not hurt me that I got less applause despite winning but I did feel strange that people could be so insensitive. If the audience did not know about sportsmanship and couldn’t appreciate a good performance what had I to do about it. I wish I had
a better story to tell on that part but then that is how it was. Though the victory could have meant more to me with a better response from the crowd, I had still got my victory. It was not my victory over someone else. It was my victory over myself. It was my victory over my own fears and apprehensions. It was my success at maintaining my calm and not giving in to fear or emotions. I was a different person now and my trials and tribulations had a lot to do with it. Especially, my enhanced patience and calm were a result of the testing period I had gone through.
Nothing teaches you better than what tough times can.
I was nearing the end of my two years at the hospital. I could have taken up a case to be retained in the Army or be employed by the Army but I chose to move out because I felt I could do more productive work outside the Army. I had new visions and dreams. To begin with, I wanted to join college as a regular student and get a master’s degree in computers. Having joined the Defence Academy at eighteen, right after school, I had never been to college. I wanted to go to a college and start afresh with new dreams. I decided on taking up a master’s degree course in Computer Management from Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research, under Pune University. It was quite a sought-after institute and to get an admission there one had to clear an entrance exam consisting of papers on general knowledge, IQ, logic and calculations. Since I could not use a pen and paper to calculate, it made the exam much more challenging for me. It would be a real challenge to clear it and I wondered if I would make it. There were a very large number of students competing for admission to this course. My IQ was defi nitely of good calibre but by calculating in my mind would I be able to compete with those who had the advantage of using a pen and paper to calculate and fi nd answers? I was still in the hospital when I appeared for the exam. I cleared the entrance exam.