A moment that made me skip a beat, a moment that permanently left a mark on my mind, a moment that got etched in my memory is the moment in which it dawned on me that it is perfectly okay to stumble and falter. It is perfectly alright to miss the mark and have a few detours in the complex maze of life. It is okay to take one step backward while taking four steps forward. It is okay to harbour doubts and halt midway to recalibrate your journey. This is for the simple reason that it is nothing but a folly to think of life as a Heartless Executioner who is all but ready to condemn you to death at a mere prospect of impending failure. The cruel judge that serves out the judgment of self-imposed misery is nothing but your own thoughts that imprisons you behind the bars of misery and hopelessness. The key to the locked door of this self-imposed prison is your inner resolve.
These thoughts stuck me twice in succession. First one was at approximately 20:23 UTC on 6th September 2019, (approximately 2:00 am IST on 7th September), a moment during much the whole country skipped a beat. A moment during which, ISRO lost contact with Vikram Lander during the last 2.1 kilometres after successfully covering thousands of kilometres. I was glued to the television. Like millions of Indians, I and my family were tracking the mission live. Like millions of my fellow countrymen, we waited with bated breath. I must confess that it was a palpably strenuous moment. I therefore cannot verbalize my feelings when ISRO lost contact with the Lander. I felt deeply for our honest and hardworking scientists. I could completely empathize with their state of mind, their feelings, and their disappointments. What were they going through? What were they feeling? How would this experience pan out in the larger schemes of things? A million thoughts were running in my mind. I was also glued to several social media platforms at that moment. Amidst the million heartbreaks that we collectively suffered at that moment, what really shone as a ray of hope were the many voices of support and solidarity expressed in unison by the whole nation. It seemed as if after a very long time, the whole country stood united for a common cause. It seemed as if the whole nation matured overnight. It seemed as if the nation which invariably has zero tolerance to failure considering the backdrop of dog eat dog competition suddenly opened and embraced the possibility of failure so long as it was preceded by honest attempt and hard work. Amidst our many differences and disagreements, ISRO united us. And this was the most beautiful silver lining that I ever witnessed in my life. This love for science, this sense of solidarity, this state of simple acknowledgement that failure is nothing but a stepping-stone to success was something that ISRO conveyed to the nation. Being an Engineer myself, I could still try and understand what could be going through technically out there, but to see the entire nation talking about technology during that period was something which left me spellbound. I must thank ISRO for granting me the pleasure and honour for experiencing this moment.
Coincidentally, I happened to watch this movie Chhichhore on the very next day. I think this was a beautiful coincidence. Ask any person in his or her mid-30s about the best years and him or her will invariably think of the college life. The hostel life, college campus, camaraderie, crazy friends, funny one-liners took me back to my wonder years. But what really stood out and shone brightly was the simple message woven so beautifully. I remembered my Bachelor’s Days from SPCE as well as my Master’s Days from Clemson at the same time during these 2 hours.
A bunch of friends, who are labelled as “Losers” pull out every trick from the book to win the annual sporting event. They are about to win the sporting event and finally get rid of this godforsaken tag but for a single miss by the protagonist in the last match. In the backdrop of the safe script of the hero always pulling it off in most of the Bollywood movies, this movie took a different course and very beautifully conveyed a message that it is OKAY to be a LOSER so long as you make an honest attempt in your journey. The entire movie is based on the ideology that everyone is taught on what is to be done after winning and no one is taught what is to be done after losing something. At the centre of an attempted suicide, the movie teaches as that a loss gives a second chance to maybe make things right or to reattempt the thing all over again or its just to just let go of things and have a fresh start with a different angle.
Your life is not hinged on one event or competition or a test. The landscape of life is rich and varied. There are many colours and hues to it. It is nothing but cruel to compartmentalize life in the shades of black and white. It would amount to being colour blind to its many beautiful shades. So, everyone reading this, please don’t call it quits merely because you stumble in your journey. Don’t allow a one-off test to alter the course of your life. It is okay to lose some so long as you have the fire in you to win some. Don’t let the winds of pessimism douse that fire away. Personally, I have stumbled on my path several times and yet I am today where I am and honestly, I am proud and happy of where I am today, and I am sure that my family too shares the same emotions.
What happened when Vikram Lander failed in soft landing? Did ISRO give up? Will it not launch other missions? Did people condemn ISRO? Of course, not… On the contrary, ISRO is already gearing up for another mission. A mission that would be bigger and better and would land us on the moon, literally. You also should never lose sight of your moon. One day you will land there. Just don’t give up. Learn from our great scientist. The nation stood by ISRO in honour of their honest attempt. Likewise, your parents and folks will certainly stand by you so long as you are honestly invested in your journey.
IT IS OKAY TO LOSE… IT IS NOT OKAY TO GIVE UP… IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO ACCEPT THE FACTS AND SITUATIONS AND MOVE ON IN LIFE… THIS WAY, YOU WILL ALWAYS KEEP ON SHINING… 🙂
Hiren Rathod.