INSPIRATION

Inspiration literally means something or someone which gives you enthusiasm to achieve your goals and lift you when you are down. When people are asked about their inspirations, their answers vary. Some are inspired by their parents; some by sportspersons, many others are there who are inspired by actors, social activists, journalists, writers and scientists to mention a few. You will be surprised to know that A. Raja, the main accused in 2G scam, is also an inspiration to many in his local community. People of his community are quite proud of his achievements and aspire to reach his heights; Thousands of them had gathered to greet him, when he arrived at the Chennai airport after quitting from cabinet. I am not being sarcastic at those people, but just want to illustrate that inspiration can anyone or anything. It’s not important who is your inspiration, but the most important thing is what you learn from your inspiration and how you implement it in your day today life. 

As for me there are six people who have inspired me in life till date.

My first inspiration needs no introduction. Everyone born on this planet knows him.Some call him Mahatna and others Bapu. He was the greatest peacemaker, but unfortunately never received noble peace prize. Although his disciples like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King received noble prize.  He defeated the mighty British Empire with some concept called non-cooperation, a feat not achieved even by Napoleon, The Great and Adolph Hitler. He has epitomized discipline and self belief.

My second inspiration is Fritz Walter. At the age of 24, he was in a POW camp in Romania. When the Soviets arrived they in general took all the German prisoners back to another camp Gulag in Soviet Union where life expectancy was about five years. Fortunately, one of the Hungarian prison guards had seen Fritz playing for Germany told them that Fritz was not German but Austrian, and his life was spared. Nine years later, things had changed he was the Captain of West Germany. Hungary led by Ferenc Puskas were the favorites. People didn’t have much expectation from West Germany. In the Group stage Germany lost to Hungary 7-3 . But somehow they managed to reach the semi finals, people said this was it. But Rahn scored twice to ensure Germany reach finals. In the finals Germany was trailing by two goals, Walter inspired his side and Germany scored thrice to win its First Fifa world cup. Whenever I feel weak, I remember those 11 players especially Fritz.

Third on my list is Thomas Cruise Mapother IV. This boy from Syracuse (New York), was labelled a dyslexic when he was just seven. His friends would harass him and his school teachers would humiliate him. This is how he describes his early days, “I’d try to concentrate on what I was reading, then I’d get to the end of the page and have very little memory of anything I’d read. I would go blank, feel anxious, nervous, bored, frustrated, dumb. I would get angry. My legs would actually hurt when I was studying. My head ached.” He went to three different high-schools and each time, he would try to hide his disability. Soon it would be discovered, and he would be sent off to remedial reading. He raised his hands very often in class, only to ensure that his teachers noticed him and gave him extra points so that he could just about make the passing grades. Even when he had to complete his homework, he would first dictate it to his elder sister, make her write it down, and then copy it word to word. Everything in his life, besides playing baseball, soccer and football, seemed hopeless. He finally managed to clear high school but failed his undergrads as he was a “functional illiterate". He decided to move to LA to become an actor. Even then, he found it hard to pass auditions, because he simply could not read the script. He started requesting others during the auditions to read the script and the directors to talk about the characters and the film. He wanted to give it all up many times, but whenever he did, all he remembered were his mother’s words – “You’ve got so much potential. Don’t give up.” In 1983, he landed his first starring role in the film Risky Business. He got noticed. Three years later, Top Gun was released, which grossed $343 million and made him a millionaire (he earned $2 million from the film)! Tom Cruise is how we know him – the winner of three Golden Globe Awards (and nominations for three Academy Awards). Tom Cruise, then a dyslexic with poor memory, and today, a certified-flying pilot, a millionaire- producer and one of Hollywood’s most powerful stars! And all that because he never gave up!

Fourth on my list is Garrincha from Brazil. His father was an alcoholic. He had several birth defects: his spine was deformed; his right leg was bent inwards and his left was leg six centimeters shorter and curved outwards, none of which impeded his ability to play football at the top level. Normal people wont be able to walk with such disabilities but Garrincha played football and according to many experts no one dribbles better than him. He used his disability to his advantage, he scored incredible goals and when he took free kicks goal keepers were uncertain which way the ball would swing. Garrincha played 50 international matches for Brazil between 1955 and 1966, and was a starter for the national team in the 1958, 1962 and 1966 World Cups. Brazil only lost one match with him on the pitch, against Hungary at the 1966 World Cup. He formed a formidable partnership with Pele, as they popularly say “Garrincha created and Pele scored”. The success Garrincha enjoyed on the football pitch was in great contrast with his personal life. He drank heavily throughout his adult life and died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1983. His life has a lesson to be learnt for all my friends who have inclination towards alcohol,”how talented you might be but alcohol really kills”.

My fifth inspiration is from in Chicago’s Hermosa community area. His father was a farmer and a worker at a railroad company. As a young man, he was fired from the Kansas City Star newspaper. Reason: his boss claimed that he lacked creativity. To fulfill his desire to become a full-time cartoonist, he started an animation company called Laugh-OGram Films in 1921. Though the start appeared bright (as he was able to raise $15,000 for the company), the New York distributor, with whom he had tied-up, went bankrupt. Result: end of Laugh- O-Gram. With a mountain of debt in his name, emotionally drained and financially broke, he barely earned a few dimes to pay his rent. Not able to afford proper food, he started eating dog food. But despite all that, there was one objective that the man nurtured all along, and that was to never give up.By missing out on a few meals, he saved his last few dollars to buy a train ticket to Hollywood. And here, in 1926, he created an effervescent cartoon character named Oswald the Rabbit. When he tried to strike a deal with Universal Studios, without his knowledge, Universal went ahead and patented the Oswald character. Of course, the studio paid him nothing. He created more characters; but there were other rejections too. His Three Little Pigs concept was rejected for lack of more characters; filming of Pinocchio was stopped during production; his others creations like Bambi, Pollyanna and Fantasia were utterly disliked by viewers during those times. Fighting against all odds and bankruptcy, the man went on to make the animation film Mary Poppins in 1944, which became a blockbuster hit.Today, we all know  him because of Steamboat Willie, a cartoon character he made – a character that came to be later known as Mickey Mouse. ! He once said “I do not like to repeat successes, I like to go on to other things".He created more than 80 cartoon characters. Walt Disney was his name, who fought failure and sketched his road to success. Although he died in 1966, he left behind a legacy of never giving up. The company he co-founded, The Walt Disney Company, is worth $71.4 billion in the stock market

My sixth inspiration is Mohamed Bouazizi, a

Tunisian street

vendor who set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, in protest of the confiscation of his wares and the harassment and humiliation that was allegedly inflicted on him by Tunisian officials. This act became the catalyst for the 2010–2011 Tunisian revolution, sparking deadly demonstrations and riots throughout Tunisia in protest of social and political issues in the country. Anger and violence intensified following Bouazizi's death, leading then-President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to step down, after 23 years in power. The protests inspired similar actions throughout the Arab world; the Egyptian revolution began after the events in Tunisia and also led to the ouster of Egypt's longtime president Hosni Mubarak; furthermore, protests have also taken place in Algeria, Yemen, Jordan, and elsewhere in the wider Middle East and North Africa. Had he been living today Adidas would have selected him for their “Impossible is Nothing” ad.