THE SEVEN-CRORE POISE






Pic.: Candice Correa


I admire people who remain calm and composed under stressful situations. What is a stressful situation? Well, it is difficult to define in one flat definition…

Last night, I watched the historic episode of KBC, in which, the Delhi-based two brothers – Achin and Sarthak Narula – went home winning the 7-crore prize!

In yesterday’s episode, the two brothers had to play only the last two-questions… The 13th question would take them to Rs. 3 crores if answered correctly, or it would crash them down to Rs. 3,20,000 if answered wrongly…The 14th and the final question would strike the 7-crore jackpot if rightly answered, or drown them down to Rs.3,20,000 if wrongly answered!

As Amitabh Bachchan asked the last two questions, I could sense the tension in my heart… It, almost, stopped! But, the two brothers, particularly Achin, the elder one, showed not even a bit of tension on his face… Their minds were thinking clearly, they could poke fun at themselves… While talking about the problems their family had to go through - their mother’s cancer and father’s business losses which made them lose their house – I did not see any melodrama…. And, finally, when they made it, it was a triumphant reaction… not a loud, eccentric outcry!

A very few people can exhibit such a poise under high pressure situations… I remembered some high-pressure cricket-matches, particularly India-Pakistan nail-biting last-overs! I remembered the brave-hearts who maintained their cool and clinched the victory!

The success, which we saw yesterday on KBC, was not by fluke. The young brothers were extremely intelligent, focused and hard-working. Achin, 28, the older of the two,had been trying to be on the hot-seat for last ten years, which means, he was continuously trying since he was 18! Imagine the kind of preparation that had gone into it… Imagine the perseverance and commitment… They deserved every bit of their success!

And, for the way the twosome displayed their levelheadedness, they deserved every bit of respect the world showered upon them, last night!

As the winners took home the 7-crore jackpot, I took home this:

“It is the fear of failure – which comes from the attachment to the outcome of our efforts – that robs us of the poise and our ability to enjoy the process of success!

Yes, that’s was the jackpot I took home, last night!


GERALD D’CUNHA



Comments

Manoj Tiwari said…
Simple and inspiring! Manoj Tiwari
October 11, 2014 at 7:28 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MUTHU KODI KAWARI HADA

Image
Pic.; Ashwin Mohta M y Hindi was always bad. It still is. One reason for this was, that they introduced Hindi for us only in 6 th standard. Or, was it in 8 th ? I don’t remember… I only remember struggling to write and read… leave alone speak! But, I loved Hindi movies, and, strangely, I could understand the dialogues and the lyrics of the songs… I used to sing those songs (of course when no one was around me!) as if I was the lyricist… One of the songs was a very funny one. ‘Muthu Kodi Kawari Hada’. It was from Mehmood’s super-hit comedy – ‘Do Phool’. I was a 15-year-old high-school boy when I had heard that song (not watched the movie). I could grasp the meaning of two words – ‘Muthu Kodi’… which meant ‘Give kiss’… But, what ‘Kawari Hada’ meant, I have no clue till date! It was just like ‘Why this kolaveri di’... Yes, why ask? Simply enjoy the beats… And, the beats are great… The rest... Who cares? Really! So, whatever bit of Hi
Read more

SELLING MIRRORS IN THE CITY OF THE BLIND

Image
“I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty. I laugh when I hear that people go on pilgrimage to find God.” - Kabir T here is a universal human weakness – and it dates back to the days of fallen civilizations – and it is: to place people on pedestal and trying to be smothered by them, feel loved and protected in their company… worship them as mentors, heroes,  gurus, Mahagurus and Satgurus… Make these mortals larger-than-life cut-outs, worship them as flawless, pure and give one’s all… And, then, ‘take’ everything from them blindly as divine… Give everything to them blindly… Eventually, what happens is:  one more dangerous bondage… What was supposed to free you now becomes a new prison… It’s sad to see this happen! T his room, where I am writing this Post, has no image of any deity. I have no image of any Guru or Master around me… My question is: “Am I not able to feel close to Almighty God?  How does it matter
Read more

"HAPPILY EVER AFTER IS NOT A FAIRY-TALE... IT IS A CHOICE"

Image
“Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone… It has to be made, like bread; remade all the time, made new.” – Ursula K. Le Guin,  The Lathe of Heaven T welve years ago, when Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie got married, the world began to hail the couple as ‘Brangelina’. It became a fashion for couples around us to call themselves so… Norbert and Teresa renamed them as ‘Noresa’…  Amol and Vishaka baptized their relationship as ‘Amoshka’… and, Salman and Nargis became ‘Salgis’! I and my wife, too, got tempted to re-christian our matrimonial relationship as ‘Germa’... That is, Gerald and Anima, to be precise! B efore I proceed any further, let me make it very clear, here… that, I have no business to judge on the break-up of Brad Pitt and Angelina’ Jolie’s marriage. I have no inclination to go into why, how, what when etc behind it… The couple ‘chose’ to split. And, it’s their choice… Only they know how good or bad… how joyful or painful that
Read more
THE WILD, WAYSIDE FLOWERS
There is, always, something extra-ordinary in the wild, wayside flowers...