Challenging attitude

I was awestruck to see a contestant on “Kaun Banega Crorepati,” the Indian version of hit TV game show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” winning one round after the other. Being a handicap was not an obstacle for him.

At the end of the game show, he revealed that he had been living with physical deformities ever since his childhood. But he never allowed those physical challenges to pose an obstacle in acquiring success. Today, he is working as a professor at a renowned medical college in India.

“I always had a very challenging attitude, which helped me achieve success in life,” he said.

His inspiring words reminded me of another great Indian, Dhirubhai Ambani, the founder of Reliance Industries. His journey from a small village boy to a business tycoon was well-presented in his biographical film, Guru.

As I was planning to write about them, my uncle reminded me of NR Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys, well regarded as the Father of Indian IT. With a challenging attitude he established India among the world’s top IT business centres.

While I was writing this piece, I got the news that India’s iconic actor Aamir Khan’s popular TV show “Satyamev Jayate 2” will begin on Sunday (March 2), and the first episode will be dedicated to another iconic Indian figure, Dashrath Manjhi, who single-handedly carved out a road by cutting through a hill in Bihar.

Better known as the Mountain Man, he carved a 360-foot-long and 30-foot-wide path by cutting down a hill upto 25 feet deep. He achieved this insurmountable feat by working day and night for 22 years just because he didn’t want anyone to suffer the fate of his wife, who died due to non-availability of a proper road to a hospital from his village.

I realised that one must challenge the challenges that come his way to keep going till he reaches his goal.

(Published in The Gulf Today on March 1, 2014)