Climb Every Mountain

Does the place where you live really affect the kind of life that you lead ? If you mean the location, the city or the village, then it is obviously true. It does affect your quality of life, in terms of the facilities and infrastructure available to you. Also every city or village has its own unique energy that gets infused into the blood of those living there. Growing up in a very academic place like Thiruvananthapuram (phew..it was easier to type Trivandrum but wary of the big brother) was surprisingly fun. I had my own shares of adventures, secret picnics, badminton tourneys, hazardous rock climbing etc. But after engineering where I didn't qualify to even appear for the very few campus interviews, I knew I had to leave for another city where opportunities existed for not so studious yet obviously bright students like me.

Convincing my parents was the hard task. They were very adamant that I keep trying for some little job somewhere in strike infested, communist thriving capital of Kerala. Their friends had somehow convinced them that it's better off getting me married and living somewhere closer to them. It was a task which had no good handling handbook. I reasoned with them. My friend's elder sister had gone to Bangalore and found a good job. My friend was planning to join her and invited me along. We could tackle the new place together. My friend grew tired waiting for me and went on ahead. I started kicking up hell at home. For some reason, my parents tend to not understand my reasoning until I scream and yell and make life a little miserable for them. My neighbours and other uncles and aunts seem to rule their hearts and brains. It was very tough battling out for a chance to go and live in a city like Bangalore. But they laid down weapons finally. And I landed in the garden city.

Bangalore was full of a positive energy back then. Lots of young people. Studying or working. I loved there. I stayed in a hostel with my friend and made new friends. I joined up for a programming class and spent a lot of time hunting jobs and giving job interviews. It was a total learning experience. I had to take bus to entirely unknown areas and find locations all on my own. I survived all that even though my parents worried like hell. My new made friends and I had great adventures together. Exploring the city. We used to sieve through the different markets for fashionable dresses, shoes and bags. It was a life changing experience for me. Meeting so many people from different parts of the country. Sharing ideas. Listening to different concepts of success.It increased my self confidence and wisdom in general.

I must admit I wasn't successful on the job front but I am going to blame the economic slowdown and the bursting of the dot.com bubble. Not me. I was hugely talented and extremely intelligent. In the end I had to settle for a job at my home town and move back in with my family. But I had already learnt to be unafraid of change or failure. You can only fail if you do not take a chance with yourself.

When we have a dream every step we take towards it will only make us stronger. My favorite song from the movie The Sound of Music has the most gorgeously inspiring verses. Goes like this.....

Climb every mountain,

Search high and low,

Follow every byway,

Every path you know.

Climb every mountain,

Ford every stream,

Follow every rainbow,

'Till you find your dream.

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