Everyone has to face the “Why Me ?” phase in their lives. Interesting is as you grow your Why Me phase should be less intense but we see otherwise. I still remember the day when my 12th std class teacher had come to visit my father to update him about my ‘progress’. I was struck by the “Why me?” hurdle for the first time. In the month of December, when prelims were about to begin, my teacher used to visit every parent to do the reality check and make parents aware how ‘the hope of future’ was going to score in the vital board examinations. I was ‘special’ always. My father was one of the first students of my teacher when he had started his own coaching classes. Hence special attention for me and my studies. He used to point me and ask me questions in front of all the students, which I never answered in first shot. The derivative and integration problems! Oh God! I loathed those topics. The special attention always made me furious and made me ask my father ‘Why me? On what earth he enrolled my name in this class? Why didn’t he enroll me to the classes (where all my friends used to attend) where there was no such personal visit service available?’ Of course, I never actually asked him. To add to it, I used to travel a lot for my dance performances for which I had to bunk my classes. Whenever I couldn’t answer, my teacher used to taunt me about my dance and my ignorance towards study.
Till the day he was going to come to show his ‘kind’ gesture; the personal visit; I was least bothered about all this as my parents and me also, were confident about my pace of study. Since school days my study hours were less than other studious kids and my scores were excellent. I always cleared with distinction. With the same confidence I was looking at my board studies.
I wasn’t home when my teacher arrived. As expected I was at my practice sessions. But then I got a call asking me to rush home immediately. That was something unusual. On my way to home pile of thoughts gathered in my mind. As soon as I entered home, I saw my teacher, and yes that was the silence before the storm. Within no second the complaint bullets started hitting me. The humiliating part was, my parents were witnessing. The harsh reality check concluding about my barely 50% speculated score and the dubious condition of mathematics! Filled with humiliation, I locked myself in my room and again ‘Why me?’ shook my head. Prelims were about to start in next couple of days and with this feedback how was I going to concentrate on studies? All my dreams were running through my head. I couldn’t even dare to imagine my parents’ state of mind. Why my teacher came to me at this time? Why did he keenly tell about my ‘progress’ to my parents” Why did he break my parents’ hope? I was worried whether my parents would force me stop dancing and focus on studies. There could have been there other options for all this drama. Just one predominant question, WHY ME GOD?
The knock on door, my father’s. He entered and just expressed an optimistic statement ‘Thank God it was you!’ The four silent words conveyed everything which I needed that time to wake me up form the slumber. I realized, there is a thin line between confidence and over-confidence. With widely opened eyes and awareness, noted down the final dates of examination in bold letters on my study table. I started to work hard to conquer the challenge. Though my teacher initiated it, I was going to finish it with the help of my self-esteem and confidence.
After the results, I joyfully yelled ‘THANK GOD IT WAS ME!’
That was all when my wisdom was restricted to my school, college and the teenage surrounding. I wonder, what working professionals would do their boss reviewed their work without any prior notice? Would they frustrate and ask “Why Me? “ or would they positively say ‘THANK GOD IT WAS ME!’
