I fall down. But I stand up again. I stumble. Yet I manage to regain my poise. Finally, I learn to stand up. This is how we learn things in life. All our accomplishments are the result of countless failures. Whenever we try something new, we know we may fail a number of times. It is not because we are insincere about our work, but because we like to do things our way. Nevertheless, one should not give up if one fails. For even in the midst of failures, we are constantly developing new ideas and we stand a chance of succeeding, however dim it might be.

When in second grade, I scored a perfect nil in Mathematics. I was very sad to learn of the result. I spent the whole night crying. Though I was not a very good student, I was not dumb either. I could certainly do better than score a perfect zero! I started paying extra attention to getting a hold of the subject. That is all I could do at the time. My efforts paid off during the next exams. There was scope for improvement yet. Some years on, I was among the top scorers in the numbers game.

It was around this time that I first learned to ride a bicycle without the support of extra wheels. First time I tried it, yes, I had a nasty fall and seriously wounded myself. But this didn’t deter me from trying again and again. I refused to give up and before long, was at ease riding on my own, sans any support. Ditto for my maiden attempts at swimming and cooking (an omelette!) and umpteen other stuff I ventured upon.

Initially, we mess up, at virtually any thing we do. But with repeated practice, slowly but surely, we get the hang of it leading to fruitful results. I’ve had got many rejections for my articles and felt demoralised for my inability to memorise new words and extreme nervousness in making speeches. Here, too, I have been overcoming the odds steadily.

My failures are my greatest source of inspiration. Failure provokes a desire to keep trying and aim higher. No matter what the profession, there is no area of expertise one cannot master by constant effort. These days, every time I start on a new project, it is not failure that I think of, but success that comes with the tireless effort, no matter how many times I may have to try.