Consistent excellence in all my pursuits, professional or personal, matters the most to me. As a child I drew inspiration from my father who never settled for anything less than “The Best of the Best”. He is a gold medalist in his academic endeavors and has always excelled in life.
Early-on as a student, the attitude of excelling in academic and extra-curricular activities was cultivated and brought in a sense of achievement. I have been a meritorious student right from school to my masters degree. My final year score during undergraduation is a benchmark – as yet uncrossed at college. The trend in academic excellence continued with a “Gold Medalist” student award during my graduate education (Masters).
The thrill and challenge of winning in competitive sports has always excited me. Victories in university-level Badminton, Table-tennis and Football tournaments brought in accolades and also opportunities for developing people and team skills. A team-building situation during the third undergraduate year (junior) highlights this fact. The informal norm at the college was that a final year student (senior) would captain the College Badminton team. My selection (a junior!), as Captain, did not particularly appeal to a senior in the team. However, our victories in tournaments arising from a renewed sense of discipline, focus and enthusiasm ultimately won him over – not just as a teammate but as a lifelong friend.