Reflections of a Survivior

Everyone has to choose a goal,
About what to do in our life?
Everyone has to choose a path,
That will take us to our goal.

Some will choose easy goals,
Many will decide not to make any choices,
Some will take what others has chosen for them,
For they lack zeal and zest for life.

A few will choose challenging and lofty goals,
Goals that are hard and difficult to achieve,
Goals that require sacrifices and risks,
These are the chosen few; the few who will make a difference.

If you want to be among the chosen few,
You should aim high and choose big.
Your task will be hard and difficult,
Your path often dangerous and treacherous.

When you dream big and aim high,
You will have to work harder and journey farther.
You will have to take paths less traveled or
Travel through uncharted waters and unknown lands.

You have a great responsibility; a great burden to shoulder.
As, you are the few on whom the progress of mankind rests.
You are the pioneers, innovators, inventors, and explorers,
Your findings and inventions will benefit humanity.

You are the trailblazers and pathfinders who,
Find objects others can use and places others can visit,
Invent things that can protect, cure, comfort, and support others,
Make new paths, comfortable and protected, so others can follow.

The life you have chosen is not easy,
The burden that you shoulder is not light,
The task that you have to accomplish is not simple,
You have a hard, dangerous, and arduous journey ahead.

Many have gone astray and got lost,
Many others have failed and died,
While trying to achieve,
What you are trying to accomplish.

But that should not discourage you,
Nor should it depress or sadden you.
It should harden your will and resolve,
It should inspire and motivate you to succeed.

Because, if you stop, turn back, or even slow down,
You will be doing an injustice to all those souls,
Who have tried and strived bravely and valiantly,
But couldn’t make it to the end.

When going becomes tough and the path becomes rough,
When travelling becomes hard and the journey looks dangerous
When destination looks distant and the task seems impossible;
Don’t stop; remember the brave men before you and move forward.

When you are drenched in sweat and you’re dead tired,
When muscles ache and burn and thirst and hunger tear your innards,
When your feet won’t move and the arms won’t lift,
Don’t stop; remember your predecessors and struggle ahead.

You might not reach the goal; but fall by the wayside,
But that should not stop you from dreaming big and aiming high,
That should not stop you from striving hard and toiling ahead,
Even if you fail; you will inspire and motivate millions to try and succeed.

Success and failure are separated by a very thin line,
The result doesn’t matter if you have done all you can,
The journey is more important than the destination,
You will be remembered for your journey and your legacy will be your travelogue.

Today I saw the movie ‘Stanley Ka Dabba.’ I have not seen a movie that was equally heart-warming and heart-wrenching in the recent past. It is a movie that will make you happy, sad, angry, and take you through a myriad of emotions. It will take you back to your school days. It will also make you hungry

This movie will help you realize and reemphasize your belief in the goodness of humanity and the existence of pure and selfless love and kindness. It will help you better appreciate the help other have given you, kindness that you received, and the caring and sharing that you enjoyed. It will make you want to become a better person.

The plot of the movie is simple and straightforward. It is the story of Stanley—a fourth standard student. Stanley is very popular in his class as he is a great entertainer. Most of the teachers and all his classmates love him. Stanley never brings a ‘dabba’ (lunch box) to school, but his friends share their lunch with him. Their Hindi teacher—also known as ‘Khadoos’—never brings lunch but eats the lunch of his colleagues and students. ‘Khadoos’ doesn’t like Stanley as Stanley’s friends avoids him preferring to share their food with Stanley. One day ‘Khadoos’ finds Stanley and friends having a great time. He becomes so angry and asks Stanley not to come to school without his own dabba. Stanley misses his classes and his absence is felt by his friends and class teacher who are saddened by the fact. One day Stanley returns to school and this time with his own ‘dabba’. He presents the mouth watering dishes in his ‘dabba’ to ‘Khadoos’ and asks his permission to return to his class. ‘Khadoos’ realizes his mistake, resigns, and leaves the school after writing a letter of apology to Stanley. In the meanwhile, Stanley’s performance in an inter-school cultural festival is appreciated by all. The rest of the story reveals who Stanley is, why he was not bringing his ‘dabba’ and so on.

All the actors, especially the kids have performed well. The movies was written, directed, and produced by Amole Gupte and he also stars in it as ‘Khadoos.’ His son Partho Gupte gives a stellar performance as Stanley. All the actors in the movie from the peon to the headmaster have acted really well. It is a simple movies made on a very low budget. But the constraints on budget no way affect the quality of the movies—it is simply awesome.

This move is a result of theater and cinema sessions conducted on Saturdays and vacation days, each session not exceeding five hours including 2 recesses and without a single day of school missed by the children. More information about the movie at www.stanleykadabba.com.

A must see movie—see it and show it to your kids—it will be an enriching experience.