Kamyab nahi Kabil hone ke liye padho

Kamyab nahi Kabil hone ke liye padho

Two things that I really liked in the movie '3 idiots' are chatur’s cunning expressions while delivering that speech and the line “kamayab nahi kabil hone ke liye padho. There is something about that line. It revived an age old belief in me. Although it sounded new, it wasn’t.

We all want success, but have we taken out time to find out what success wants, probably not. It may be because we were too busy running in the race, carrying heavy school bags, putting others behind in ranks. While desperately trying to meet the assignment deadline and sipping the coffee late night we forgot the purpose of that assignment, and unfortunately the evaluators as well have forgotten or I should say, have failed to recognize the true purpose of them giving assignments. But throwing all the hot potatoes on them won’t be right, as sometimes we (the students) don’t bother to understand why we are studying what we are studying. We all must have studied the world famous equation E = mc² . How many of us have raised the hand to question our teachers that why is it so? And how is it so? Some of us might have and some of us (like me) didn’t. For those who did ask, I am sure the common reply would have been a theoretical one ‘as given in the textbook’. Well, we actually should have probed our teachers to tell us how this equation was derived. I am not talking about the mathematical explanation chalked on the blackboard. What I mean is the story behind E = mc² . Knowing that story would tell us that Einstein was not only a genius but moreover a courageous personality. He questioned the accepted theories and boldly published his own (which was eventually proven right).

He assumed that speed of light is constant and in fact time and distance were relative; this was in contradiction to earlier theories. Einstein was criticized by the scientific communities as he had challenged the fundamental principles. But he didn’t lose hope, he worked on his belief. He derived proper reasoning to support his findings. Instead of getting distracted by the pressure of the society, he focused on getting his equation right. And ultimately he got it, the miracle year 1905 staged him as a genius in front of the whole world.  

But if we look at it from a different angel, he was just like a common man but actually a very courageous person. He imagined, made assumptions, stood against criticism and finally arrived at his equation.

What we need to learn from this is:

We should not blindly accept the facts presented in front of us

We need to stick to our guns when everyone around us is attacking us

We don’t need a certification from our society about the truths we believe in. If what we think is true has a good reasoning, that’s enough.

Our ancient education system, the gurukuls as we call it were the best as all the students were miles away from the tension of ranks, marks, etc. The focus was on the overall development of the individual. Unfortunately the colonial era saw the beginning of the end of this system in India. British needed clerks and hence the system was designed so, and sadly the same is being carried on even after years of Independence.

That’s why it is said that “kamayab nahi kabil hone ke liye padho” (don’t try to find success, try and find excellence ). It’s only when you look for excellence that your mind would be liberated, you would come across untold truths, you would question the generally accepted principles and ultimately uncover the truth. Einstein did it, he was termed as a genius, and he was. 

But genius is not the one who has an IQ above 150 or who scores 90+ marks, genius is anyone who recognizes his/ her talent, develops it, and stays focused, Einstein was one and so is Sachin Tendulkar and so is any other common man. Even you and I are eligible for that tag, only if we recognize our true potentials.

Mugging up the theories would definitely help in scoring good marks but kindly try and understand the concept as well, as it will help you throughout your life, says my professor.

To conclude I would answer the question asked in the beginning, that what success wants. Success wants you to be kabil (capable enough), not on your marksheet but in terms of understanding the basics. And it’s time that today’s youth like you and me understand that “kabil honge to kamyabi…

Somesh S. Khandalkar