Book Review | The Wind Beneath his Wings: The Making of an IITian

Book: The Wind Beneath his Wings: The Making of an IITian
Author: Swati Lahoti
Publisher: Prabhat Prakashan
Pages: 128 
Price: Rs 195

To share one more experience. During his board exams, he was all tired and was just not in a mood to revise the chapter on Biomolecules. Now this was an important topic according to his Chemistry teacher. I read him aloud the full chapter while he was relaxing with his eyes closed. He was thrilled when he found the next day that questions with 7 marks were asked in the exam on this topic which proved to be a cakewalk for him and he scored full marks there. To this day, Alind reminisces about this incident with a smile on his face.

Success in this exam, or any other exam for that matter, is the cumulative result of some ground covered on a daily basis. I used to tell Alind that each day should take him a little closer to his goal. You need the right temperament to sustain this kind of an effort for two years, though I think we really worked hard only for a year-and-a-half. Giving analogies to my sons from the field of sports is close to my heart. I always tell them to develop a temperament like Dhoni who refuses to give in under any amount of pressure. There are cricketers much more talented than Dhoni but not as successful as him for the simple reason that they lack his temperament. I tell my sons that when they are mesmerised by the lightning Bolt (Usain Bolt), they do not know the number of hours he has slogged to clock those magical timings.

My main focus all this while was to remind Alind of his innate potential, not letting him forget where he belongs. There is a very thin line between supporting your child and pressurising him. 3 Idiots sparked a similar debate some time back. The movie calls upon the parents to let their children decide for themselves, the path, they want to take. I believe in giving them all the support, the invigorating atmosphere, wherein they can flourish just like Mahavir Phogat does in Dangal. The kids are not equipped to make certain decisions for them. It is here that the role of parents becomes so crucial. I used to give Alind an example from his favourite movie 'Taare Zameen Par'. I used to tell him if he were Ishaan Awasthi, we would not be expecting him to prepare for IIT. But since he had the potential, it was our duty to give him the proper support. My job was to let him not lose faith in himself, in his ability to make it to IIT and keep on telling him, "Ka chup sadhi rahe balwaana... kavan so kaaj kathin jag nahi, jo nahi hot taat tum pahi." As Jamwant did not let Hanuman forget about his innate potential, I also did not let my son forget about his capabilities. It is all about believing in your child more than anyone else, more than they believe in themselves, and helping them realise their potential, in whichever field it may be.