THE TEMPESTUOUS TRIUMPH!!!!!

Dear Aastha, This one's dedicated to you............


Howling waves drifted the innocent maiden away,

Farther from the ship, her crew, her heart astray!

In vain did she attempt at fight and subterfuge,

To no avail, went her cries for safety, wails for refuge!

For her journey didn’t begin as tempestuous,

It was in fact an unplanned change of course!

Fair yet young, carefree and yet torn asunder,

She was being taken away by the ocean’s cruel throes!

No hope in sight, she prayed and gasped aloud,

The growl of the waves swallowed the sound!

A shade of green caught her sight, the waves treacherous,

Her spirit was in shambles, her body crying and ravenous!

Destiny didn’t pay any heed, action was the need,

She made her decision, rooted deep the gritty seed!

For it was either the lively shore or the deadly tempest,

Only one way to triumph over the morbid unrest!

And so she took control, started the long, perilous swim,

Like a jelly fish, her legs seemed glued, her wild energy dim!

But try hard she had to and try harder she did,

For surrender wasn’t an option, that wasn’t her will!

Countless nautical miles to the island she swam,

Out of breath, short on life-force, to the trees she ran!

And that was when all colors hued, life turned black,

‘Ah Good’, she mused, ‘finally Mr. Blue’s been sacked’!

She woke up to the light of a bonfire, alert and alarmed,

The face in front of her made her cry out the most sacred psalm!

She couldn’t believe that destiny had truly rewarded her grit,

For her captain greeted her, her heart in a flutter, emotions adrift!

They’d found her, she’d won, the tempest had been beaten,

She thanked her guts, her true grit, that’d made the lifesaving decision!

The ordeal taught her to believe, to never give up,

The elixir of hope and determination was served by the bitter syrup!!

This was actually quite a delightful first for me! Not the poem; but the time, venue and mood of its composition.
My first experiment with exam composing! Having completed the paper twenty minutes earlier today and not being allowed to leave the examination hall till the scheduled three hours were up (which was a first again), all I could think about (after checking the paper twice) was a nice old doodle, but the inner poetess had other, um, ideas and so there went nothing........ 


Actually it's not all that bad, considering it was written by a mind stupefied by three hours of finger-breaking and mind-boggling writing of well, a subjective paper! Maybe I should do this exam composing thing more often....... 

SUCCESS MUST BESTOW HUMILITY!!

Countless experts, priests, politicians, artists and the average nobodies have defined success and its implications in diverse terms and forms. But, how can success be defined and put into concise and eloquent words is a mystery which remains yet unsolved. I think one can perceive success as the achievement of one’s goals, the fulfillment of one’s potential and the attainment of a state of contentment. It's a testament to one's efforts and endeavours and an immortal yet transient tribute to human excellence and persistence.

As many definitions of success vary, so do its impact on different individuals. Some believe success to be the end-point of all of their efforts and stop striving for better. Worse still, some believe being successful gives them the undisputed right of being arrogant, vain, preposterous and disrespectful towards others; that success creates a halo of invincibility and immunity from all things undesirable and obtrusive. Yet, there are others who do not let success alter their personalities and perceptions of life, those who don’t let success cloud their minds or achievements pull them in the treacherous bowels of vanity.

Some would argue the former kind of “Success addicts” are better than the latter ''Success saints'' but I strongly disagree. I opine that one’s achievements, successes and self- fulfilling circumstances should rather make them appreciate life more, value people higher and revel in humanity more than before. As a gifted scholar once said, "Being humble is being human", that humility is a core characteristic of humanity and that anything contradicting the same is an unholy and inhuman abomination of humanity. Humility makes one a better person, a balanced intellectual, a  sensible person and a more compassionate member of the society. In fact, success combined with humility is a golden and lethal combination that has the virtuosity of making one reach unimaginable and unprecedented heights. 

There are many examples in history which bear testimony to the power of humility in enhancing a person’s life and multiplying his/her success. Let’s take sports legends Sachin Tendulkar and Roger Federer for instance. Both of these gentlemen have reached the pinnacles of success in their respective sporting disciplines and have established themselves as role models for many an aspiring geniuses. Despite being who they are, they’re humble to the core. Tendulkar always makes time for his admirers and Federer, with an equal intensity, politely greets his fans, colleagues, superiors and the media. They attribute all this to their upbringings and value sets but much more has aided them in retaining such success for such long periods of time and wearing the thorny crown of success with such panache and elegance. 

In the corporate vista, Bill Gates, the founder Chairman of Microsoft Corporation and an exemplary entrepreneur, remains true to his roots and humble nature to this day. He’s engaged in multiple philanthropic projects and has pledged half his wealth to be donated to charity over a course of time after his death. There are countless such people who’ve taken success in the most righteous manner and have imbibed the virtue of  humility to become materially, emotionally and spiritually richer and more content. On the contrary, when people use success as an excuse to become worse versions of themselves and treat others as inferior and insignificant, its’s the beginning of a painful end for them; one that's beyond their wildest fears. 

Thus, success should be accepted with humility, realism and prudence; its bounties should be shared and its burdens borne with care. For the garland of roses that is success can almost effortlessly transform into a crown of thorns and surely that's not a very successful consequence of success. So be humble and be human. Don't drive success to your head, don't let it overwhelm your psyche or overcome your better angels! Remember, you're the driver of your prosperity, the nurturer of your intellect, an active part of your society and a building block of the future of your civilization! Honour them all! 
STAY HUMBLE, STAY HUMAN!!

Keep yourself grounded,  for peace of mind and clarity!

If you take success to your head, life would become a vanity!!
Vanity is the first step to destruction, to the path of insanity!
Accept success with humility and increase contentment's longevity!!