When you dare to be different

During one of our naval stints, my son had to study in a primary school wherein the standard of English was simply awful. There was absolutely no accent on good accent and bad pronouncing of words seemed more pronounced! I dreaded thinking of how those deadly dictions, once dinned in his head, would turn difficult to dislodge later. So, I set out to sculpt his speaking skills, besides strengthening his language base.

Some months later, when he began speaking in a singularly distinct accent, his peers started scoffing at him, since he sounded different from others. As years fleeted by, he began bagging umpteen prizes in interschool debates, declamations, off-the-cuff speeches, et al. His essays, with impressive play of words/alliterations, started eliciting attention from teachers. His peers, who previously took potshots at him, started emulating his speaking/writing style, with all concerted efforts!

Incidentally, even in our daily life, whenever we dare to be different by delving into some less-trodden terrain of act or activity, there are always detractors, denting our determinations, dampening our spirits, till we feel disillusioned and deep-six our plans of pursuing that activity.

A friend, a fitness fiend, who has her fashion boutique on the fifth floor of a building, finds it a fun feat to take the stairs forfeiting the elevator. For this, she used to invite sniggers, strictures and snide remarks from regular lift-users. Now, upon finding her fabulously fit, it seems many have started following her by clambering up the stairs, even to the topmost floor!

Well, ironically, when people’s thinking patterns don’t dovetail with ours, or when we try not conforming to their life dictums/dictates, it is but natural for them to spew nefarious remarks about things we do differently. But if we go about doing what we deem right with dollops of conviction, we tend to be delightfully happy and successful in whatever we do. Who knows, after sometime, we may have many acolytes, too, ardently following us — the trailblazers!