Page 64 - Sanidhya 2024

The Game-Point!

After the passage of CoVID pandemic, I shifted to Bijapur, Secondly, sometimes there comes a
Chhattisgarh, where my father was posted. There, my situation in the game that opponents
evening routine had changed from surfing reels on social are continuously earning points and
media platforms to regularly playing badminton on the your graph stands stagnated at a
court with one of my dearest friends, Aarav, who was specific point. During this phase,
almost six years younger than me but still, his sports you are unable to find a way to cap
skills were perhaps six times better than mine. Actually, the opponent’s hike and raise your
his father too was a fantastic sportsperson, and utilizing points. This also happens in our
this opportunity, Aarav also started taking lessons from personal, professional, as well as Shivendra Kumar Jha
his father quite early. So, this was bound to happen. If social lives. But I feel that what we S/O Shri Dharmendra Kumar Jha,
Commandant 236th BN, CRPF
I talk about my win-loss ratio with him, then it must be need to do in such situations is not
something close to 1:4. But even winning only a few to lose our cool and concentrate on the game to just gain a
matches against Aarav gave me some philosophical single point. Once you get a point, you get the ‘opportunity’
understanding of relations that I wanted to share. of service in the game and if you utilize that opportunity
In the game of badminton, even if you wisely and serve a beneficial service, you again get another
gain a head start and maintain your lead till 10, 15, or even opportunity and this cycle goes on, which ultimately drags
18 points, there is no guarantee that you will certainly you closer to victory and vice versa. Once you lose your cool,
win the match. The winner would be the one who crosses you get caught in a trap! So, in the game of our lives also, we
the benchmark of ‘21’ first. No matter if you surpassed should try to gain or wait for the right opportunity to act or
your opponent at every checkpoint and you were leading react. Responding in anguish would be again falling in trap
throughout the match, you would NOT be the winner if of the opponent. And please note that if we fail to recognize
the opponent reaches the final point of ‘21’ earlier than the opportunity or miss acting according to it, then it would
you. Yes, you would have been the winner if the match had be again us who would have to face its consequences. One
ended at 10, 15, 18, or 26 or 31 points, but that isn’t how it opportunity would subsequently lead you to the other if
happens. You have to be ahead at the right moment. The understood and utilized properly. Hence, we can argue that
same stands true in the case of our lives also. If one is born success is the result of a chain of opportunities, utilized
with a silver spoon or say if one has some advantage over properly.
you, there is no surety that the said person will turn out to Thirdly, as I mostly play doubles in
be more successful in the future. He may have topped all badminton, I came to understand that trust and coordination
the classes throughout his school life, may have numerous between you and your teammate are of utmost importance
certificates in his appreciation and whereas you may be if you want to come out victorious. No one is perfect and
just any other mediocre boy/girl with not much fame absolute. Each one of us has some advantageous as well as
in the school and your locality but at the end, you may disadvantageous traits. The focus should be to build a proper
turn out to be someone like Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Mark strategy according to these traits and overlap each other’s
Zuckerberg, M.S. Dhoni, Hafeez Contractor, Nani Palkhivala, grey areas. You would not always get to choose your team.
FM Sam Manekshaw, or even more distinguished and such You have to mold yourself accordingly and act strategically
possibilities are really endless. Though these examples with gaining confidence of other stakeholders of your life.
were of a bit high intensity, we can also take examples of Lastly, it’s failure that makes you mature,
our military, bureaucracy, politics, entrepreneurship etc. not success. I have noticed that few people get intoxicated
where academically not so strong people have given out by victories and success. They are not able to handle even
the best results, both in service and in the examinations. a small defeat. Either they never accept the fact they are
These extraordinary names were also the ones who were defeated or they react to that defeat so aggressively that it
far away from their opponents at some point in time, but ultimately causes harm to them only. Whereas people who
they knew that winning the checkpoints like that of 5, 10, have earlier failed or lost, tend to have higher emotional
or 15 doesn’t matter, but rather crossing that ‘21’ does. intelligence and act in a much more mature manner. I am a
They understood that life is a marathon, not a sprint. The strong believer in the notion that life is indeed the greatest
match of life doesn’t end after school, college, or even after equalizer. At the end of the day, I have observed everyone
securing a job. It offers you many innings and provides to be almost on the same pedestal. So, let’s just live with the
you with ample opportunities to shine as a winner. So, flow; things will automatically fall into place.
we should always have some zeal and enthusiasm saved
to play some unexpected innings of life and utilize the
opportunity to come out as the final winner of the game.
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