A young man on his way to the city met an old man and asked him, “How far is it to the city? Can I get there before sunset?” The old man replied, “If you walk slowly, you will reach by evening.” The young man was surprised at the answer and thought to himself, Usually everyone would say, ‘hurry up’. Thinking that the old man was making fun of him, he hurried on his way to the city. After a while, he slipped and fell. Forgetting the pain of his bruises, he started limping and saw another traveller struggling to walk. They spoke to each other. The new traveller said, “This was my situation yesterday. Neither of us understood what the old man had said. The road is humpy-bumpy and slippery. Maybe he meant that one should walk slowly, carefully, but with determination.”

On your journey towards your goals, the path with its ups and downs, twists and turns, may not be smooth and clear to you. But what is important is to take every step with care and determination. Martin Luther King Jr said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” Every step you take on your journey provides an opportunity to learn and grow. Embrace the lessons you learn with each success and failure, and be willing to adapt your strategies accordingly as you progress. Albert Einstein has wisely said, “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”

India’s recent T-20 World Cup victory against South Africa, featured as the cover story in this issue of TTT, conveys a strong message to us: success is not an accident or a stroke of luck; it is the result of taking the right steps with determination, strict discipline, hard work, perseverance, and teamwork. Each one of the players had begun with small steps from their humble backgrounds and reached the peak of success by recognizing, nurturing, and persevering with their unique talents. It teaches us that those who stand in the limelight today have often endured hard times to get there.

Success may not be visible in the beginning, but it is the courage that will help you to continue that matters. Take one step after another that will launch you on the path to success. It is about pushing forward, no matter how many times you fall. When the going gets tough, the tough ones keep going. Bruce Lee has wisely noted, “I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times.” This illustrates the power of discipline and focus in mastering any skill.

Besides the T-20 World Cup success, we have also featured the daring stories of people like Akansha Jagga (a 16-year-old student from Delhi), IPS officer N. Ambika, and Ritesh Agarwal (Founder of OYO) to inspire and motivate you!

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There are some people who manage to pack a lot in a twenty-four hour day. They are trailblazers who inspire us with their achievements. One such person is sixteen-year-old, now world-famous mountaineer Kaamya Karthikeyan.

Kaamya is the daughter of Western Navy Cdr. S. Karthikeyan and his wife Lavanya, an educator. Her father has a passion for mountaineering which he inculcated in Kaamya from an early age. This standard 12 girl has a lot of firsts to her credit. On 20 May 2024, she conquered Mount Everest (height: 8,849 metres) with her father, making her the youngest Indian and the world’s second youngest person to climb the formidable mountain. The Indian Navy congratulated her on her “immense courage and fortitude”.

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These attributes of self-belief, courage, determination and passion were vividly on display in India’s remarkable space missions — Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1. These missions are the success stories that manifest the indomitable spirit and unwavering dedication of our space scientists.

Chandrayaan 3, the third mission of India‘s lunar exploration programme, reveals the nation‘s commitment to exploring the unknown. The scientists and the engineers behind this mission displayed immense courage and confidence by embarking on the challenging journey of Chandrayaan to the moon. Despite setbacks and failures in the previous missions, they demonstrated resilience and strength beyond measure, and were determined to learn from past experiences and conquer new frontiers. The successful launch and the performance of Chandrayaan 3 stand as a confirmation of and tribute to their iron determination and capabilities proving once again that our space scientists are indeed smarter than they thought.

Aditya L1, India‘s first mission to study the sun, further manifests the nation’s scientific prowess. The mission‘s ambitious objectives demanded unwavering determination and passion from the scientists. Their tireless efforts and unyielding commitment to unravelling the mysteries of the sun go to prove that they are all stronger than they seemed.

When we commemorate Mahatma Gandhi‘s birthday on October 2, we are reminded of another golden period in India’s history that personifies the values of truth and non-vilolence along with fearlessness and persistence. On October 31st, we also honour Sardar Vallabhai Patel, who, by sheer tenacity and diplomatic skills, united all kingdoms of the country and forged them into a great single nation. Both of them are enduring examples of conviction and determination to reach their objectives.

In this issue of The Teenager Today, we also read other stories of Aditi Gopichand, the world champion in archery, the 17-year-old Devananda who selflessly donated her liver, and Jamie Miller, a pop singer, are just a few examples of young people who are speaking out bravely for a change in our thinking and goals.

The organisers of All About Music were very gracious to invite TTT to join as a partner in their annual event, where we encountered a lot of young musicians with a similar level of passion and persistence. The saying, “You are smarter than you think” comes to mind when we think about these people. In the same way, if we have self-belief, courage, commitment, and enthusiasm, we can all embark on our own incredible adventures and make a major difference in the world.

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Author: Nirmala Mary Rego
Publisher: Better Yourself Books Pvt. Ltd.
Publication year: 2022
Pages: 265; Price: 350

‘The best way to know your future is to create it.’

These words of Abraham Lincoln are quoted in career coach and motivational speaker Nirmala Rego’s latest motivational and uplifting book, A Selfie & A Star. The book is an excellent soul curry for a millennial to teach them that if they are in the fake vs. fraud world, they will have to be ‘odd’ to be number 1 in life with good values intact. The author would like millennials to read and reflect on her book, which teaches them in an easy-going language that stars are meant to reflect light, but it is up to one’s inner determination to make them ‘sparkle’.

The book is penned interactively with life coach, Good Nana, and teaches the young to stop living in ‘Selfie Mode’, and aids them in switching to ‘Big Picture Mode’. One can start by knowing that a selfie is limited, but the sky is limitless. So it’s time to get out of the world of illusions full of self and instant gratification and begin to have a sense of mission. Time and energy are perishable assets of life, and after reading this book, one realizes that the only way forward is through hard work, determination, and to think like a proton — always be positive!

The book is full of inspirational quotes at the right moment to push forward the excellent soul curry and pep talks provided by Rego. Every minute of reading this book can change a young life. This book is perfect for training young minds to think like progressive winners with life stories of successful people like Steve Jobs, Charlie Chaplin, Michael Jordan, Elvis Presley, etc. The author, among other things, teaches millennials that they are the artists of their lives and to never hand over the paintbrush to anyone else. Change your life today, and switch to the ‘Big Picture Mode’ through Good Nana’s sound advice to strengthen your heart and soul muscles. Grab your copy of this amazing book to become responsible global citizens. After that, don’t just share the richness of this book with others, but also make others see the richness in themselves, as Benjamin Disraeli once said, and is mentioned among plenty of other quotes by Good Nana.

Available at Better Yourself Books (betteryourselfbooks.com) and all St Paul Book Centres in India

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Adhara is a little girl from Mexico who is attending college in the U.S. at the early age of 10. Her IQ stands at 162, higher than Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking whose IQ were both 160. Adhara learned reading and Algebra at the age of three; presently she’s pursuing two degrees in Mexico — Systems Engineering at CNCI and Industrial Engineering with a focus on Maths at UNITEC. Adhara aims to become an astronaut and build a habitable colony on Mars.

Although life hasn’t always been a smooth sailing, with determination and family support, Adhara was able to overcome the various obstacles in her path. At age three, she was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome which makes social interaction difficult. Growing up in a regular school was not easy as she was constantly made fun of and harassed by her classmates. At times during classes, she even fell asleep accompanied by signs of disinterest in the current school curriculum. Regardless of these behavioural aspects, Adhara loved studies, and to pass her time, she memorized the entire periodic table!

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She was born without arms but can eat and dress by herself, put on contact lenses, play the piano, swim, surf, drive a car and fly an airplane — all with her feet! She convinced herself that “handicaps are mindsets. I can live my life through my feet” and pushed herself beyond her limits. Today, she is a symbol of success and perseverance. She is Jessica Cox.

Jessica was born on 2 February 1983 in Arizona, USA. Her parents were shocked to see her born without arms. However, they wanted her to feel like a normal child and introduced her to regular activities along with their other children. She used prosthetic arms until she was 11 and then got rid of them. “It was the best decision of my life because I finally embraced my difference and decided not to conform to expectations,” recalls Jessica. With her parents’ encouragement and support, she taught herself to do everything with her feet.

Determined to be just like all the other kids, Jessica signed up for after-school programmes. She danced in front of a crowd when she was small. Although fearful and nervous at first, after the performance she crushed her fears.

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A few years ago V. Bhaskaran, coach of the Indian hockey team, lamented the fact that his team was losing because of bad luck and bad umpiring! “I am proud of my brave boys!” he said, “and they deserved to win but were robbed of victory by bad luck….”

He gave a number of reasons why luck had passed them by.

I looked at the coach’s statement and remembered an old friend of mine. This friend had decided to sit for the radio officer’s course many, many years ago. The exam was conducted by the Government of India, and after one exam I walked with him to his house where he lived with his mother: “What happened son?” asked the old mother as she greeted her son on his return.

“A stupid fellow behind me sneezed!” said my friend. “So I made a mistake!”

“Bad luck!” whispered his mother to me, shaking her head at the ceiling.

How easily we blame luck and circumstances for our failures!

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In the hustle and bustle of the main market of Nainital dwells an ordinary housewife and mother, Tusi Anit Sah. But once acquainted with her life story one does not take long to realise that she is far from ordinary. Never promoted by the media for her deserving potential, Tusi is an extraordinary mountaineering talent with an envious mountaineering record. She is not only known for her achievements but also for the struggles that she has overcome to make her dreams a reality.

An expedition to the world’s highest point is a cakewalk compared to the difficulty in conquering several other mountain peaks. Climbing Mt Kanchenjunga is thrice as difficult as climbing Mt Everest and the former is only the third highest peak in the world. It is not the height but the arduous route, availability of sherpas and other administrative requirements that all contribute to the difficulty of the climb.

While Everest offers several spots for a rope fix, they are only scantily distributed over Kanchenjunga. Also, due to the crowd of mountaineers on Everest, it is often possible to get help from other teams going up or down the mountain which is a difficult proposition along Kanchenjunga. Consequently, while nearly 5,000 mountaineers have conquered Mt Everest, less than 300 have scaled Mt Kanchenjunga successfully till date.

Tusi gained recognition as an able mountaineer when out of a batch of five female mountaineers from the Kolkata Albatross Adventure Society, she was the only one who could scale the Thalay Sagar peak (6,904 m) on 22 July 2012, becoming the first-ever woman in the world to scale this treacherous peak. That she did without any oxygen support.

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Dear Pihu,

You are feeling completely discouraged and hurt that your parents and relatives demotivate you in your efforts to prepare for both Class X and for NEET.

While I’m not sure what exactly they do, how about rising to the challenge thrown out by your parents and relatives? Instead of trying not to pay attention to what they say, thank them politely for their comments and firmly say that you want to study, and ask them to leave you alone while you do. After some repetitive requests they will begin to get the message. If possible, find a safe, peaceful place to go to with your books. If you prefer, find a study buddy. You can study individually but in the same space. You can take turns at going to each other’s places. Another person’s presence might make them stop distracting you.

Each time they demotivate you, increase your determination to succeed. A creative way to vent your frustration would be to draw a tree with branches and leaves on a chart and put it up on the wall. Else, draw it in a notebook. Each time you feel discouraged, colour in a leaf and write ‘I can do this’. If the leaves finish, draw a new tree. For each leaf you colour, put in 25-minutes of focused study. Good luck!

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As a boy, Navin Gulia was a below-average student and since he was also physically weak he never participated in any sports. But the constant mockery of his classmates and the adventurism of his brother drove him forward. Finally, he became one of the most accomplished sportsmen in his school. Once he finished his schooling, he was selected by the military in Pune.

At the end of four years of training at the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun, the 19-year-old trainee reached the “Passing out Parade” on 29 April 1995. He was required to complete an obstacle course. After crossing an eight feet ditch, he was at the top of a high ramp. There, by mistake, a companion pushed him. As he tumbled down from the pedestal, Gulia landed on his upper back, damaging his spine.

Lying paralyzed in a hospital bed for two years, doctors told him that even if he survived, he would never be able to move about. Even then, he refused to hold any grudge against the companion who pushed him saying he never imagined that he will be paralyzed for life! During his bedridden days, he read many inspiring survivor stories. Deciding not to spend the rest of his life on a wheelchair complaining, he completed his Masters in Computer Science from Pune in first division and in the UGC NET Examination and became a computer teacher.

When he fell from the ramp, he was just one step away from becoming an Army Officer. So Gulia fought with the government to grant him the Officer status and the pension, and succeeded in getting it.

Not to confine himself to a classroom, he wanted to drive a car, and learned driving online and got his license. He then modified a Maruti 800 into a fancier model, and started driving on a modified SUV up to Khardung La, the alleged highest motorable pass. When he successfully completed it, he learned that Marsimik La was the highest motorable pass in the world.

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