Free Translation

Yes, I am really feeling Lucky.
Really, I swear.

Those who know me close, very close, must be thinking why I am feeling Lucky and that so suddenly. Ha haha! Really funny for me to feel Lucky!

I have seen so much ups and downs (mostly downs) in this short life of 32 years. If you compare ups with downs, downs will win and that too comprehensively.

First time I felt Lucky was when I got admission at Govt. Medical College, Patiala. The course was, of course, Diploma in Pharmacy. You all must be thinking what’s so special in D.Pharma to feel Lucky. I would like to tell you that after 10+2, I dropped one year to appear again in Pre-Medical Entrance Test for the second time. In my first attempt, my rank was 2897, so, I thought I can easily score a rank close to 300. So, I dropped one year against my father’s wish. My father Sh. T L Verma was at that time Health Inspector at Patiala. He wanted me to do Diploma in Pharmacy because he told me he can get me appointed easily as pharmacist in Punjab Health, but I refused and dropped one year and started preparing for the entrance. Lots of money (into coaching) and lots of effort (honestly sincere efforts) went into that year, but the result of the entrance was not up to the mark. I still remember my friend Sukhwinder’s remark when my father asked him how was our “performance” at the entrance, he replied “UNCLE PAPER TO SAARE ACCHE HI HOTE HAIN, BAS RESULT HI KHARAAB AATA HAI”; means we always perform our best at the exams, but results never compliment our performance.

Ha haha, yes, he was dead right. I took a giant leap in terms of ranking, from 2897 to 645 (jumped over 2300), but that was not sufficient to get me admission into MBBS, my sole aim at that time. I was very much disappointed, so much so that I even did not attend the counselling, because I knew I will not get admission into MBBS. So, quietly I agreed to my father’s last year’s advice and got admission in D.Pharma at Govt. Medical College, Patiala. I felt lucky at that time, because there was a huge rush for D.Pharma that year and I thought I will not get admission at GOMCO, Patiala, but I got it and so I was feeling Lucky. But that feeling of feeling Lucky was short lived and when I completed my Diploma and was undergoing training, Punjab Govt. imposed a ban on recruitment of Pharmacists and I could not even get a job, which I would have got easily had I completed my diploma a year earlier as per my father’s advice.

So, I was there, though nowhere. I started training for Medical Transcription at Chandigarh. Then, living there at Chandigarh, I got another chance to feel Lucky. I came to know that PGIMER (Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research), Chandigarh, one of our country’s premium Institute for medical education is conducting an Entrance Test for admission into BASP (Bachelor of Audiology & Speech Pathology) and I again decided to take on the entrance. And without even preparing for a single day, I appeared in PGI entrance. There were only 3 seats and 1200 candidates. I got 5th rank and could not get admission in first counselling. Nobody leaves their seat at PGI, so I could not get admission. But somehow, GOD had some other plans as the candidates ahead of me who joined PGI, left their seats for other courses when the results from other entrances were out and lo, I was there. I received a letter from PGI to join within a week, but I joined on the same day I received letter, Because

I was

FEELING LUCKY!

Contributed By: Jitendra Verma

Pen is not mere the carrier of ink or writing down some of our notes or important day-to-day routine works, but PEN CAN RESULT BEING MIGHTIER THAN SWORD. This thought may seem daft but yet thoughtful and true. The revolution which can be brought through writings can never be brought with a sword. Sword can only shed blood and hurt people physically, which leads to violence and loss of lives but no regrets. On the contrary, Pen is not all about shedding blood; rather, it is about keeping our perspective in front of others in a better and peaceful manner and may be with the help of proofs too. One can deliver a potent speech which can work wonders on the minds of the audiences and can win their hearts. People get measured by the power of writings but most of the times they do take the help of violence; but this is not the right method to prove you right.

We can take the example of voracious demagogues who give the speeches that are given to them by their writers and they happen to be in the good books of their audiences. There fake promises just being the part of their speech makes them win the people’s hearts.

On the flip side, yet another example of positive and optimistic writings and its influence over people, we can read some of Swami Vivekananda’s quotes which always tell us about being optimistic and believe in doing KARMA without expecting the fruitful result, which in one or the other form do leave a magical effect on our minds.

So hereby, I conclude saying that if we have the right platform to speak or to use our writings, we can make a difference. Say, the difference in one’s lives and situations and make the people think on a different platform, in spite of the regular one so that they can rise up and make the world a better place to live in without any bloodshed and violence and a peaceful abode for every human being.

Contributed by–Nitasha Gupta