‘If you can’t find a way, create a new one’
Scientist RA Mashelkar lists five success mantras for students
LUCKNOW: “Unlike instant coffee, there is no instant success,” eminent scientist RA Mashelkar told graduating students while listing out ‘five mantras’ that resonated with the ‘Kalam spirit’.
“First, your aspirations are your possibilities. Always keep them high. Keep your eyes on the stars and not down at your feet,” he advised students at the 16th convocation of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University on Friday.
“Second, perseverance always pays. Winners never quit and quitters never win. As Dr Kalam had said, let the problems not defeat you. Instead, you should defeat the problem,” he said.
His third mantra for students was – always be a part of the solution, never a part of the problem. “If you can’t find a way, create a new way. Don’t just knock on the doors of opportunity, create your own doors,” he added.
“There is no substitute to hard work. You must be talented. But remember, hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard enough,” Mashelkar said listing out the fourth mantra for students. The fifth one was – “There is no limit to human endurance, to human achievement, to human imagination, except the limit you put on yourself.” Mashelkar asked students to look at the word FAIL differently. “Fail is First Attempt in Learning. As long as you keep on learning from your errors and not repeat them, you will ultimately win,” he said.
Impressed with his long list of achievements, the AKTU conferr
ed honorary D Sc degree on Prof Mashelkar.