There was a time when I worked in UCO Denim Pvt. Ltd. (Raymond) during my college days to earn extra money. I attended college during the day and worked 7.5 hours (11 PM to 6.30 PM) on the shop floor at night in Raymond company.
This shattered my emotional balance into pieces.
I used to take 2 hours of sleep before attending college,
1 or 2 hours sleep in the college library
and then 1 hour after dinner and before going to the night shift.
Somebody passed this information to my professor, who phoned the department in Raymond to confirm. It was fun watching his reaction when the other person mentioned my Id no. from the register.
During these days, there was an instance when I felt really tired at work. I was in the warping section and then moved to dyeing section as there was no work left. Unable to bear the chemical stink, I went out and slept in a wooden box. As there was no work I didn't care much. I was bitten by hundreds of mosquitoes in the bin but I didn't realize it. Neither I got sick after that.
The Library
It is a trend in Maharashtra to enroll in tuition for every petty stuff. In engineering, most of my classmates were busy in attending tuition classes. They used to ask me if I have joined any special classes and do not want to reveal to get an edge.
The textbooks were simple enough to be read and understood. So, I never bothered about the lectures or the semesters. As I used to be tired after the night shift, the library was a bedroom for me. 2 hours nap was easy to manage
My attendance slumped just like the 2008 stock market recession. Nevertheless, it didn't matter much as HOD from Mechanical Department was very supportive except for the fact of my attendance records.
In the library, after some good sleep, I used to explore the journals, research papers and read them.
At the top of each research paper, there is an email id mentioned by the scholar. I used to mail them and ask queries if I get any. In one such instance, I read a paper on intelligence-driven cars for the future. The Canadian Ph.D. professor instantly clarified my query over the mail. That boosted my confidence to be not one from the crowd.
Inspired by this I showed interest in competitions held by NABARD, Mahindra Rise, NCAT, etc.,
While I was awarded the Best Student Award and won many competitions, I didn't show much interest in scoring marks in semesters. I lost interest in the rat race after 2nd year of engineering. Till then I used to be the topper right since the 10th standard.
All this stuff thrilled me a lot. Though I used to bunk classes, I attended a few like Maths, Thermodynamics, Machine Design coz they were my favorites.
The Businessman who helped me financially throughout my engineering is the only reason for this turning point in my life. He is so a humble person and I thank him from the bottom of my heart. The only return he asked is to educate two unprivileged children in my life ahead. And I will make sure that happens.
He and his family visited the dorm rooms at Columbia University, Newyork so that I could move there for my higher studies.
I am proud to say that all my seminars, projects during Mechanical Engineering are not copied from the Internet and are my own.
I was given a helping hand by the college authorities for filing a patent for the World's first shape-changing car design (the second was from Germany) and sent a draft to IPO Mumbai under the name- 'Drowsiness Alertness Mechanism Based on Variable Aerodynamics of the Vehicle'
I never ran behind certifications coz virtue is its own reward. Always I believe in listening to suggestions from people. But when there is no hole in the road and few are stopping you, you just don't need to react, just pass it.
Why am I saying all this?
It is most easy to do a simple task in a difficult way and call it hard work.
Elon Musk said something like this...
There are lots of problems in life. If you solve the one you will face another. Rather than keeping on solving problems one after another why not aspire big and dream bigger.
On being asked why he doesn't take leave he said,
Running a company is like raising a child. How can I stop feeding it?
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Be Creative. You are not just life. You are a living story.
