Why Me? Coz your struggles make up for your Big days!!!!

Weird title, ain't it? But the first part has always seen a spike in the bad times, especially in the light of the recent events. Breadwinners being laid off, students entering into crucial stages of their school life, would-have-been-by-now college freshmen stuck at home for months, college-goers, maybe for the first time in their life, desperately want to get back and what else, everyone keeps asking the question Why Me? When you put in your best efforts and don't get what you think you should have got, Why Me, of all people? Why, Why, Why??? I can understand your frustration because even I am going through the same as all of you. But I was always shown the silver linings, why I should never ever say "Why Me?"

Before we plunge into life philosophy, let's do a little bit of history, shall we? I was born in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, where I spent good 12 years of my life. My father's business was on the track of profit, we were the first house in the locality to have two cars ( One belonging to the house owner, of course. Come on, you didn't expect us to be that rich, did you?), spent nearly 50 rupees every weekend at a pay-and-play video game shop, when my friends used to spend no more than 10 rupees( It was 10 rupees for 30 minutes), all going good. But like every film, there soon came a twist: Changing business environments and few bad business decisions pushed us to the verge of bankruptcy, we realized we had to leave everything near and dear back and move to Kerala. At that time, the only question lingering in my mind was "Why Me?". I studied well, was in the good books of teachers and friends, participated in every possible activity and it ends in this? So, our Exodus from Trichy took place in April 2013.

When we came to Thiruvananthapuram, where I currently reside, I thought things would turn for the better, but I was gravely mistaken. I had to stay (and still staying) in my grandpa's( who likes being an empty-nester) house, who didn't like the idea of an entire family staying with him indefinitely. Topping it off with we had very little money left that my father had to depend on him, and he would use it as leverage against the rest of us( Me, my younger sister and my mom). Then came the question of which school to join. Acho( that's my slang for Achan, meaning Father in Malayalam) wanted to admit us in the most prestigious( yet costliest) school in the city but ended up admitting us in another school, out of practical considerations. I always feel that he made the right decision by doing so, for this decision of admitting me into Sree Narayana Public School would change me forever. 

Twist No 1: At SNPS ( as it is abbreviated), I was sidelined as a "Tamil Boy" who didn't know much Malayalam( even today that is more or less the case, but it has improved) and had very little friends( two to be exact who were NRKs( Non Residents of Kerala) like me). But I moved on and passed class 10 and decided to pursue Humanities over the "popular" Science and Commerce.

Twist No 2: St Thomas Central School in 2017 gave me kind of a cold shoulder, but I won't blame it for the students were from privileged backgrounds and me from a middle-class family. They were talking about things I was hearing for the first time,( Believe Me, I came to know of Netflix only in class 11!!). The exposure these kids got was far beyond mine, and I realized I won' t survive in this cut-throat competition. So back to studies.

In these years in Kerala, I always asked: "Why Me?" Nothing seems to happen my way   (exception Academics). But what I realized at the end of these years is that there is a greater power at work behind the scenes, trying hard not to get you to say "Why Me?" and these "Why Me?"s were a prequel to the final sequence. What was that, FOLLOW ME!

2019 CBSE Class 12 Board Exams. Worked the life out of myself. Gave them my best shot and what did I get in return? 1st Rank in Thiruvananthapuram, 2nd in Kerala and 5th in India!! Relatives congratulating, friends demanding treats, award functions, what more? True Story people, I got more awards in 2 weeks after the results were declared than I did in 6 Years!! ( Might seem like an exaggeration, but take it or leave it).

Here's another one for you.  I am sure you'll know Steve Harvey much better than I do. His Motivated+ Series is a must try-out during these hard times.

Never fuss about what didn't get, keep doing what you always used to do and like it's said in Gully Boy "Apna Time Aayega"( meaning Your Time will Come" in Hindi).

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