Results don’t define success: Gulzar on the ongoing board exams

If you are a student feeling stressed finding ways to deal with the pressure is essential for your wellbeing especially during exam season With some board exams underway and others set to begin we speak to renowned personalities who have faced failure and struggles in their livesmdashexperiences that either shaped them into who they are today or became challenges they overcame to excel in their fieldsSubodh Bhave award winning actorIn conversation with midday veteran Indian Urdu poet lyricist author screenwriter and film director Gulzar along with Dr Narendra Jadhav a noted economist public policy expert and former member of the Rajya Sabha and Planning Commissionmdashboth of whom are mentioned in Arun Shevates book Napas Mulanchi Goshtamdashshare their perspectives and advice for students on overcoming academic and personal setbacks They also reflect on their own life experiences the challenges they faced and the resilience that led to their successlsquoWorked thrice as hardrsquoSpeaking with midday Gulzar said ldquoI couldnt complete my intermediate education due to various factors including the partition Later I had to leave St Stephens College in Delhi and move to Mumbai in search of a job because of family circumstances and financial difficulties My education came to a halt and I couldnrsquot complete my graduation But I worked three times harder to achieve what I have today My parents played a crucial role as a support system helping me overcome those struggles and carve out the life I have nowFrom left Prashant Dongre along with author Arun ShevateHe then spoke about how the pressures on students have evolved over time ldquoTimes have changed and with them the expectations placed on students Today parentsrsquo high aspirations and expectations often add to their childrens stress and anxiety Back in the day families offered a builtin support system helping to ease such burdens and pressure But in todayrsquos world things are different Parents need to be a source of reassurance for their children giving them the freedom and emotional space to develop Its crucial to help them realise that an academic setback does not define their futurerdquoA message for studentsTo students Gulzar shared a heartfelt message ldquoFailures are lessons not the conclusion of a chapter in your life Life goes on and you must take the lessons with you while leaving failure behind Students need to understandmdashfailing an exam is not failing at life Exams are merely a way to test what yoursquove learned they are challenges that encourage you to keep growing If you score low it doesnrsquot mean you are less talented or a less capable personrdquoEncouraging students to adopt a growth mindset he added ldquoSuccess is like climbing a mountainhellip you canrsquot take a straight path you have to move in a spiral to reach the peak Keep moving forward keep learning and donrsquot be disheartened until you achieve what you set out to dordquoldquoAadmi bulbula hai paani kahellip Aur paani ki bahti satah par tootta bhi hai doobta bhi haihellip Phir ubharta hai phir se bahta haihellip Na samundar nigla saka isko na tawarikh tod paayi haihellip Waqt ki mauj par sada bahta aadmi bulbula hai paani ka Man is a bubble of waterhellip Breaking and sinking on the flowing surfacehellip Yet rising again drifting once morehellip Neither the ocean could swallow him nor history could break himhellip Ever flowing with the waves of time man is but a bubble of waterrdquo Gulzar added reciting one of his versesMeanwhile Dr Jadhav shared that although he had never failed any annual or board exam he did experience failure in a school test ldquoI failed a math exam in Std VII because I had typhoid and couldnrsquot attend school for several days Unfortunately during that time a crucial chapter on compound interest was taught As a result I scored only 30 out of 100 It came as a shock to my classmates my teachers and me But instead of feeling defeated I took it as a challenge or perhaps even a kind of revenge In the next exam I doubled my score I believe that for any exam big or small students should always set ambitious goalsrdquoAspire for moreHe further emphasised the importance of aiming high ldquoHaving no aim or setting low goals is a bigger crime than failure itself Too often students are content with just passing thinking that 35 per cent is all they are capable of But one should always aspire for morerdquoSharing words of encouragement Jadhav drew from his motivational speeches ldquoPratyek vyaktimadhye ek rajhans dadlela asto Within every person lies a swan a symbol of excellencemdashwhether in academics arts sports or any other field One must recognise their strengths and talents No one is born without potential they just need to explore and discover what they are truly good atrdquo he saidlsquoScores donrsquot define usrsquoldquoScoring high in school or college doesnrsquot necessarily define success I believe everyone has faced failure at some point big or small but what matters is how they overcome it There is no need to feel disheartened by low marks or failure in an examI grew up in the slums of Wadala and studied in a municipal school until Std IV At one point I thought I would become a goon and later I even considered being a peon But life had different plans and through sheer hard work and determination I was able to shape my futurerdquo he saidJadhav also shared an inspiring example ldquoTake Sachin Tendulkar for instancehellip he wasnrsquot particularly good at academics yet today he is a legend in the world of cricket Success is not defined by exam scores alone itrsquos about recognising your true calling and working relentlessly toward itrdquo he signed offmidday also caught up with awardwinning actor director producer and writer Subodh Bhave Only a few people are aware that he failed in three subjectsmdashPhysics Chemistry and Mathematicsmdashwhen he appeared for his HSC exam However instead of letting failure define him he used it as motivation to pursue his passion for acting Bhave believes that academics alone donrsquot determine success in lifeDonrsquot let pressure ruin youldquoAs board exams approach each year students often experience fear and stress My advice is simplemdashdonrsquot let exam pressure ruin your life You are the future of this country and your potential is far greater than any exam result Exams come and go and even if you donrsquot succeed at first life always gives you another chance The pressure around exams is often created by society but students must believe in themselves You have immense power withinmdashdiscover it use it and trust yourself Have faith in your abilities and in Godrdquo Inputs from Archana Dahiwal