Unbeaten...

“Oye Billy, jaldi kar class shuru hoga, Sir tujhe firse entry nahi denge”, {hey Billy, class is about to start, come on quick, else the teacher will not let you in} that was Robin my friend, trying to pull me out from the Gymkhana.

Entry to a college means a lot, including being awestruck, rejection, fear of being “ragged”. I had just gained admission into a college and within a few weeks had the golden ticket – “Gymkhana Card”. This gave access not only to enter the gym, but play indoor games. Like every fresher, I never got a chance as the queue would be eternal and the seniors would almost always block subsequent rounds for their "absent" friends.

Everyday, I would reach the Gymkhana one hour before classes start in anticipation of playing a game. Each time it would end up in me applauding others for a fantastic game. This daily ritual, helped in getting a few friends who like me, waited in anticipation.

Sameer, the tall boy from the neighbouring town was among the few who waited with me. He came from the infamous OFA (Ordinance Factory, Ambernath) campus, renowned for student’s excelling in academics, sports, and theatre. Good things happen to people who wait, and one fine morning, both Sameer and I got lucky. We were the first to reach and the Table Tennis Table smiled and welcomed us. I cannot describe the euphoria and excitement I had on getting the opportunity to play for the very first time. I realised this was the first time I was playing on an actual Table Tennis Table; all my earlier plays were on the home dining table at my place or my friend’s place. Playing on a branded TT table was bliss and beyond expectations. In fact, playing on a smaller dinner table was a boon in disguise.

We began to play, I was almost losing the first game 10-19, when two of our fellow classmates joined. Call it strategy, or sympathy for me, Sameer decided to invite the others and we left our game unfinished. Now it was a doubles match, Sameer, and I on one side and the two classmates on the other. The game began and as if by magic the seniors were seen swarming the table like bees. This was making us conscious and uncomfortable, as they kept screaming and making us nervous. Thankfully we won the first game, and then the next, and then the next. Sameer and I were on top of the world. The next game was tough as we were pitted against the college champion, we were sure that we would be out of this game. We were trailing 9-12, when Robin called me. Sir had already given me an earful during practical’s and made it clear next time he would bar me from attending his lectures. I was a studious yet naughty student. I had never missed any classes and never been late. Today would have been different, I thought I will finish this game and go, after all I am playing against the college champion. The rally went for long, and we lost the point 9-13 the score read.

“Give me 5 minutes I will come with you for class”, I told Robin as I was certain we will lose and would have to hand over the game to the seniors who were waiting. Sameer looked at me and gestured – lets fight, let’s not give up so easily. I smiled back at Sameer, and brushed my hands on my jeans, took a deep breath and put in everything I could into the game. The score soon reached 18-20, both Sameer and I were nervous as the serve was to come from the champion to me, a novice. Fearing the worst, I looked at Sameer, almost chocking and fearful. There was an eerie silence in the room, as if everyone knew the outcome, “Tak, Tak”, the bouncing ping pong ball broke the silence and almost instantly I sent the ball back with a force just touching the edge of the table and score was 19-20. I heaved a sigh of relief and fist pumped as if I had conquered the world. Suddenly the “need” to win sky rocketed. Sameer and I rallied well and bounced back to win the game. Those days we did not have social media and the only way we could share our win was staying back and continue playing! That was the first time ever I “bunked” classes. Sameer and I enjoyed a wonderful partnership and we stayed unbeaten till the gymkhana closed that day.

As the day closed, we hugged and said goodbye feeling on top of the world. Maybe it was a record, maybe it was nth time such a thing occurred, we did not care to validate. What mattered for both of us was that we were “UNBEATEN” even when pitted against the champions. I have never won any other TT match, but the memory of this win is still fresh in my mind.

What began as a duel, ended in a partnership, where we supported each other and made sure that we leverage strengths and positive talk to achieve the end goal. There are times where we need to collaborate, partner with others who may look like competition, but could be a fantastic ally. If we start looking at life with a positive lens, we can achieve a lot, maybe for some time stay unbeaten.

#Attitude #mindset #Collaborate #partnership #workingTogether #BrillianTips #Blog #LifeLesson