My father’s daughter #goodluck

I saw a post from Asha on Facebook about sending in a #Goodluck Story sometime around February and thought how interesting it would be to read the different stories that would come through. This got me thinking about what my #Goodluck story might be but then I promptly forgot all such thoughts when a nasty bout of viral put me out of action for the better part of 2 weeks.

On Saturday, the words goodluck story randomly popped into my head along with the exact story that I knew was my answer to it. I tucked the story away in my head, regretting that I’d missed Asha’s deadline to share it, or so I thought. As luck would have it, the deadline had been extended and this story was meant to be told after all.

We can’t choose our parents. You really need to luck that one out and being my father’s daughter is and will always be my goodluck story.

My Dad was a man of average height and built, but with a deep baritone that was quiet and powerful and filled with strength. He was a man that people turned to when in trouble and drew on his strength in times of need.  

In a country where sons are most sought after, he raised me to be proud of being a woman. Most people would say she is like your son and he would say no she is my daughter and my adharshila (I think it means foundation). In a country where colour and looks are of prime importance and every little girl is greeted with ‘how pretty you are!’, he taught me not to be vain.

He taught me the importance of self respect, perseverance, persistence and objectivity and a lot of things I learnt just by watching him. We never really had those long father daughter chats but he just passed on things in his own way, trained us to deal with life and live life.

I remember when I was in the Xth I had a double whammy and came down with Jaundice and Typhoid one after the other. He was a Paediatrician so I was being taken care of at home and all the way from September to December I was away from classes, school, books. Those familiar with the Bombay Academic system would know that the prelims are in January and Boards in March.

I resumed school in January and my classmates had solved the papers of the last three years and were on their nth revision. I panicked and decided to take a drop and give the exams in October or maybe the year after. Once I reached home, I waited for my dad to come back from the Clinic and I told him, ‘Look I am one year ahead and I want to take a break. I don’t want to give my exams this year’. In a quiet tone he asked me why and I said, ‘I am not prepared and will fail’. And the next question baffled me even more. He said So?

I broke down and bawled and said ‘what will people say, they will call me stupid’… and so on in that vein. All this while he sat in his favorite chair and let me get through with my outburst. Then very quietly he said, ‘If you don’t run you won’t know if you can run or even reach the finishing line, only those who run, fall and it’s ok do that. I would rather have you try and fail than not try at all. And if you do fail, like you said you are one year ahead and you can give the exam later.’

He said it wasn’t percentages or grades that are important, it’s the application of what we learn and 10 years down the line I would be laughing about this. I was stunned and asked him won’t he be ashamed if I failed and he said we as parents can never be ashamed of you, but we would be sad if you didn’t try. So I went ahead and gave my board exams, cleared with distinction 🙂

Fast Forward 2012:

I had been contemplating about breaking out from the Corporate World and doing something on my own. I was doing very well work wise and it made the decision even tougher. Leaving the known path and venturing into chartered territory was something that my heart desired but the practical me was still battling. Conversations with family were great and everyone was super supportive. But the battle continued, stability vs instability, known vs the unknown and my philosopher and guide was not around anymore to help. And then one day I was having a conversation with a friend who was telling me how nervous she was about her son’s board exam and I recounted the story to her, telling her I didn’t do too badly for myself. And that’s when it hit me one more time that I was shying away from running. I was fearing the fall without running and forgetting that I could fall and still pick myself up. And that’s how I ventured into the Startup world. My goodluck charm had set me on the path once again 🙂

Tanul Mishra Co-Founder: Eatelish

@tanulmishra

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You can also WIN Ashwin Sanghi’s book ’13 Steps to Bloody Good Luck’
by posting your #goodluck story on trhs!

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