Emerging Successful
with Everyday Excellence
It dawned on me at the college
gathering preparations. We were hunting for a singer who could begin the
singing competition with a pious note- with a song devoted to God. Then these
girls who sang a devotional song on republic day caught my attention. I tossed
them the offer- can you prepare a Ganesha song for the competition?
The next day they were at my desk –
with a classical song ‘Gananayaka’ by Shankar Mahadevan which I had listened to
on a few occasions- with awe. Their teacher had suggested they should sing
that. They wanted me to guide them.
I didn’t know the song nor could I
pronounce Sanskrit properly but I decided to put up a brave face. ‘Go, download
the song and the lyrics, simply practice and practice. Let us see tomorrow.’
When I turned to leave, I heard a
voice from behind. “Ma’am, you too please listen to the song tonight.” Then all
joined in the chorus “Please “Ma’am!”.
After dinner that night, I listened
to the song and the words as many times as I could and by next morning, I was,
well, half across the well. As soon as I reached the college, the girls, 7 of
them, were already there waiting for the go word from me.
I was surprised when I heard them.
They had learnt the song overnight and were quite close. All I had to do was
train them on pronunciations and correct few notes here and there and infuse
some expressions at the right places. With no accompaniments, relying just on
the tanpura App on my mobile, they were fabulous- and I should mention that none
of them had any training.
Looking at their proficiency at the
song, it was decided that they should sing it at the inauguration function,
which was scheduled the next morning.
Again their teacher, Prof.Namrata
Pradnyakar, gave them more challenge. They should be at the traditional 9 yards
Maharashtrian attire- complete with the accessories such as string of flowers
on their hair turned in to buns, nose rings etc. And they have to reach the
college at 8 AM. It meant they should start at 7 AM from their residences!
They did. No need to say that they
were a hit at the function.
This small incident, though ordinary,
somehow triggered my thought process.
First I thought of the teacher who
have them a high target; next the spirit of the students to take up the
challenge; then the time constraint-only one day was left to practice; And
there was no incentive in performing the song as it was not a part of the
competition; The only reward would be the opportunity to perform at the
function but there was every chance of drawing flak if they floundered.
They could have said, “We don’t have
internet facility”, “The other members are not cooperating” “It is too early
for us to come’, “We can’t source the attire and jewellery overnight”, “There
is no one who could help us to wear the attire” and so on.
But they said none of that. They
overcame all hurdles themselves. They were innovative in the sense that since
they couldn’t learn the song by heart, they stuck the lyrics on some wedding
invitations and when they held them in hands the image of Ganesha smiled at the
audience.
When I looked at them after their
song, their face reflected joy and a sense of achievement.
-To me, they presented a perfect
picture of success.
Success and achievements are often
talked about in lofty manner-always citing examples of famous people with
extraordinary feats. We keep them at a pedestal and look at them with awe. We
are so distant from them that we forget that they are human beings too, like
us.
We see at the results, not the rigors. If we analyze their lives closely, I think we
may find the same factors working for them which were behind the girls- such as
opportunities coming their way that are closely related to the things they love
to do, tough and seemingly impossible tasks set for them by someone who has the
power to influence them like a teacher, mentor or may even be a boss, something
or someone who may be there to guide and reassure, their passion towards their
work, the readiness to face any hurdles and on top of all ,saying ‘no’ to
excuses.
Finally the taste of success when
their efforts bear fruit fuels their journey further.
Success need not be the privilege of
only celebrities. We ordinary people, in our ordinary lives, can put all our
heart into our ordinary tasks and perform them extraordinarily. In short,
instead of waiting for some big bang to propel us to the sky, I think if we aim
for excellence in everyday tasks, we can easily navigate the success map and go
places.
