What Manipal taught me (And what it did not)

I spent five glorious years of my life at Manipal.

And as it does for the rest of us, this period coincided with the rather tumultuous phase of ‘not-a-teenager-anymore-not-an-adult-either’. That phase where you are scrambling out of your teens grudgingly  and figuring what the world’s notion of an adult is supposed to be.  You get the drift.

The lessons we choose to take from experiences, people and places solely depend on us.

That said, Manipal taught me things. It also did not teach me things. Both worked well, however.

What Manipal Taught:

1. Confidence sells.

And like hot cakes. Say and do what you may, but having a sense of knowing what you are doing sets you apart, and makes those around you take you seriously. Even if they do not want to.

By those who can fake it, this is the most (mis)used tool by far! Tragic irony.

2. Not everyone will like you.

And that’s okay. Because not everyone is supposed to matter either. Wanting to be oh-so-popular often ends up making us somebody we never wanted to be.

As Bill Cosby very rightly put it

I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.

Engraved.

3. Modesty is underrated.

This one, sadly and incredibly so. Remember the lessons taught back at those Moral Science Classes in school? ‘Honesty is the best policy’. Well, I wish modesty could take a place there instead.

For in the current norm – If you have it, flaunt it. Like flash-flash-flash till those around are mortally blinded to bat-like vision.

And if you don’t have it? No worries. We are blind and nobody is complaining! 😛

4. Your parents matter.

Like du-h, of course! Yeah,right?

But yet we get so caught up in  the C’est-la-vie zest and enthusiasm so native to Manipal, that we forget. Frantic missed calls, innumerable messages and then our classical  rolling-the-eyes response: I am fine!

Prima facie is that they care. So they deserve patience and answers in return. Inculcating it early will help. Always.

5. Everybody lies.

And Dr.House was not being the usual cynical jerk when he put this forward. For reasons of their own (and sometimes without any, actually) lies are prevalent and are here to stay.

So it will be good to take off those rose-tinted glasses and accept it, as it is.  It is about the survival of the fittest. After all.

6. Competition is a lame game.

It is called the ‘Rat race’ for a reason. You run for it, but you are a rat at the end of the day.

When wise men said ‘compete with yourself’, they were not just talking philosophy.

All you need to do, really, is to do your best. You save yourself unnecessary pressure, tension, torture, insecurities (and so on) which are only detrimental to your chances of success.

Do yourself a favor. Be your best and leave it,at that.

What Manipal Did not Teach me: 

But was needed. 

1. You are on your own.

‘Nooo..what?! I will always have my ‘bff’/’bae’ by my side!’

If you did squeal so in your head right now, you maybe right. But what are the odds? Truth be told, you are the only person you have at the end of the day. And hence it is good to be comfortable in your own skin, to know you can fearlessly rely on yourself when things are amiss.

Don’t get me wrong. We all need people. Not before we need ourselves, though.

Co-dependency helped none. Ever.

2.It’s the quality.

This one is a no-brainer. It is all about the quality, a big no to the quantity.

Most accurate and true with respect to Friendships. You may have a gang, or a troupe… but what matters is how many stand up for you when you are in a soup.

Best bet is to keep the circle simple and small. But real.

3.Emotional ‘Atyachar’

Something  only we can save ourselves from.

We all have sentiments which dominate us, from time to time. It’s human and it is normal. But trying to explain and make the world comprehend your emotions only adds to the mess.

Stand by, and keep them in check.

4.Maturity is less about how you ‘act’ than how you ‘react’.

Simply put, a being’s maturity is put to test only under conditions of stress and adversity.

And why not? It is extremely easy to ‘act’ like you have it all in control, or you will have it all in control when the need arises. What happens to you when you are put in a pressure pot though, decides.

So long,folks.

Come what may, Manipal shall be etched and remembered as an unforgettable chapter of its own accord. 🙂 🙂