How many times have you thought about doing something and discarded the plan saying ‘it’s too late now’? It wouldn’t be a surprise if you have recalled quite many incidents after reading the first line. It is a mere human tendency where we simply put off something which we don’t want to do using some conventional excuses.
But breaking the norms and doing what you really want to do is a road less taken. And here is one perfect example of someone who did exactly that. A rural MLA of Udaipur, Phool Singh Meena quit his studies after Class 7th. He gave up studies after his father, who was in the army, died. After his father died, he had to quit studies to take care of his family.
After he became a counselor, he had to interact with different senior officials and leaders, so his daughters insisted him to study further. He too used to think the same but he was a bit skeptical of his age. Another issue was the time needed to study. At times, during his speeches to students on different occasions, he used to preach the importance of education but he realized that his words sounded quite hollow as he himself didn’t follow his words of wisdom.
It is truly said that if you overpower your inner devil, there’s no other obstacle in the world that can stop you from achieving something you want to. After these incidents, his conscience started kicking in and he finally decided to resume his studies. At the age of 55, he started studying for his further education after 40 years.
Today, he has cleared 10th and 12th standard and now he has started the preparation of his BA first year’s examinations. To manage his time for work and studies, he has smartly combined both. When he is traveling from one place to another, he is tutored by Sanjay Lunawat who is the Principal of Government Senior Secondary School, Manvakheda. Sanjay also sends him WhatsApp audios regarding his lessons for his smooth and uninterrupted studies. And when he is at home, his daughters help him with it. Sanjay appreciates Meena for his dedication and hard work.
Meena doesn’t intend to stop after graduation but wishes to do post-graduation and Ph.D. too. His daughters are very proud of him.
That’s the thing about will. Once you are devoted towards something no one can ever stop you from doing that, let alone these societal norms, they are too shallow to stop anyone. Phool Singh Meena is an inspiration to all of us. Whether be it Meena or someone else, whether be it education or something else, the right time to begin every great thing would be right now. Meena is the living example to the quote ‘you are never too old to learn’. He teaches us that if he can do it, maybe we all can, maybe we all will.
Do you know of someone with any such inspiring story? Do you want them to get the appreciation they deserve? Then share these stories with us and we will feature them. Write to me at juhee@udaipurblog.com. If you have any feedback regarding the article, share them with us in the comment section below.