Page 49 - TPGFBAO First Draft (5th Ed)

ESSAY #13:

SLUMDOG SHASHI THAROOR:

MASTERING ENGLISH

(The following article is by NFA’s Satyendra Pandit. A bright and industrious boy who,
despite his disadvantageous background, used his adversities as stepping stones to work
his way out of poverty to a bright and promising future.)

English is the most important language of the interconnected, globalised

world. It is vital for professional success. As a young person in this informa-

tion age I consider myself not just an Indian but a global citizen and advise

all of you to think likewise. Like me so many of you are weak in English. It is a

big handicap. The weak blame the circumstances for their shortcomings

while the strong and proactive work to overcome their weaknesses. I consid-

er myself a proactive man and have improved my English. I am not perfect

but can manage to express myself orally and in writing. Here I share my

journey of learning English to benefit people with similar background like

me.

My Background

I come from a humble family. My father is a security guard and it is very diffi-

cult for him to run our family. We are living in a one room of a slum area in

Kolkata. Being a slum boy, I never found a culture where I could speak Eng-

lish. I completed my secondary and higher secondary education from a Hindi

medium school. In my school, English teachers were unable to teach us the

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