IIM Results vs. Fate

Luck, fate, destiny, God: All these words come into your mind if something bad happens and you are highly optimistic, which you should be, since if you are not, you stand to get depressed. They say, “Only God knows what is in future?” But do they know that God knows this or not? May be God knows or may be God doesn’t know? Even if he’s somewhere there, who knows about his future? IIM results are out after a lot of tussle between HRD ministry and Supreme Court of India, Congress and UPA coalition parties, me and my fate.

I have been following every news on the internet related to the quota and IIM issue since past 15 days refreshing the google search engine every 5 minutes (whenever I am awake, I mean). I got two calls from B (Bangalore) and L (Lucknow). Anyone who’s read my last blogs must be knowing that I was expecting a positive response from B and not from L in which I am not interested, but all crashed today at 6:33 pm (I don’t exactly remember, no one knows the time of death.) I got final admission offer from Lucknow, but rejection from Bangalore. I entered my roll number and just after entering, a screen popped up saying, “Sorry, you haven’t been selected.” Lemme tell you this sorry word is the most diplomatic word in English language. I was almost sure of getting through and then results made me recall Gita saying “Don’t expect anything from future because it’s not in your hands.” (This is SriMadBhagwatGita, not the young lady from my old colony)

Many of my relatives, friends have earlier enquired about the results and I was supposed to call them today and give the news. But what should I have said now? I didn’t have courage to call. I couldn’t break their expectations. Finally, I called my family and told them the thing. Though they were saying it’s ok, but the feelings behind those words! Alas! I should have been so dumb not to understand them. This was the first time (which I can recall) where I called my father and told that “Papa, I failed.”

Now, friends come and ask result and after knowing, I always see the same expressions of they having pity on me, “Hard Luck, dude”, “Better Luck next time”, “Don’t worry, you have another options” are some of the expressions which are supposed to boost your moral but today they all had lost their essence. They bore imprints of my failure and haunted me everytime someone repeated them.

Till some hours of results, I was answering friends’ queries about results having a fake little smile on face. Smile was only to save myself from the feeling of pity, any face develops after listening. Then, a new friend sent me a message which energized me, “heyyyyy...i do feel sad for u but luk at the better side, at least u r sumwhere, people don't land up easily where u r..i knw u must have tried really hard....but be optimistic cummon...now give us a smile :) a real one!” Ya, that’s true! I haven’t looked at the brighter side. I have got through IIM Lucknow, which also not many can dream of in India. That’s a different story that I am not going to join it. Now I am trying to smile and look forward, God bless my friend.

I know I have some other very good options. I know I can do well in life and this is the confidence that’s pushing me ahead. Also, at this time, I recall my age-old friend Udham Singh saying, “Come’on dude! This is life. Not everything comes your way. And you know! A person overcoming lot of hardships makes a real gem.”