22nd Dec 2023
Start with a dream!
“Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become.
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will do what you imagine and at last, you shall create what you will.”
Dreams are not what you see in your sleep, dreams are the passion which don’t let you sleep. Sometimes you’ll be the only one who believes in your dream. Do not stop.
The world needs you to model what’s possible for the rest of us.
And if you are one who is still unsure about which game to even start playing, just get into any game you like and are reasonably good at, and then tinker around.
Keep learning, keep exploring, and you should find that one game that would become the only that you would like to be in.
I remember this beautiful poem composed by Mr Harivansh Rai Bachchan, titled ‘Madhushala’ (tavern or house of wine) and which I first read many years back. A passage from the poem reads thus –
“मदिरालय जाने को घर से चलता है पीने वाला,
‘किस पथ से जाऊँ?’ असमंजस में है वह भोला भाला,
अलग-अलग पथ बतलाते सब पर मैं यह बतलाता हूँ –
‘राह पकड़ तू एक चला चल, पा जाएगा मधुशाला।”
“Seeking wine, the drinker leaves home for the tavern.
Perplexed, he asks, “Which path will take me there?”
People show him different paths, but this is what I have to say –“Pick any path and keep walking. You will find the tavern.”
What Mr. Bachchan’s advice was essentially the answer to the “What do you desire?” question.
Pause, reflect deeply, take your time, and you should find an answer. And once you have found what you really desire, or the game you should play and the path you should take, start playing, get better at it over time, and you should win – not against others but along with others who are also playing that game.
That win, I believe, would be your Madhushala.
In fact, over time, you will also realise that your game itself will become your Madhushala, your ‘Summum Bonum,’ your highest purpose.
This may sound a bit philosophical, but you will realise its importance only when you start walking on your path and playing your game, that you can win.
Let the coming year, 2024, be a year of ‘Dreaming Big’
And then acting upon the dream to achieve your dreams and live a meaningful life and stay blessed forever.