‘Be a doer for success, don’t run after money’
MOHALI: He came to Chandigarh alone, when he was just 14. But this did not deter Rubinderjit Singh Brar from walking up to the principal of DAV College, Chandigarh, to seek admission in the non-medical class for the year. It helped that he was armed with stellar scores and a positive attitude. “My father was in the army and posted in south India. I wanted to study in Chandigarh and came here seeking admission,” reminisced Brar, the current director of public instructions (schools), Chandigarh, as he addressed students, teachers and parents at the award ceremony of the first edition of Hindustan Times Scholarship Programme on Friday.
Brar chose to share personal experiences with the gathering. And he spoke from the heart. “I come from a rural background but I wanted to educate myself well and never shied away from hard work. Someone joked that people like me can’t be toppers and I proved them wrong during my years at the Punjab Engineering College (PEC) where I topped every semester,” said Brar, urging students to accept challenges.
“There’s nothing like bad luck or destiny. Be a doer and you will be successful in all that you do,” added Brar, who also narrated anecdotes from his life to a thunderous applause.
Taking over from Brar on the stage was Vivek Atray, former IAS officer and motivational speaker. The students were all ears as Atray decided to share a formula he has invented.
“I am going to share a simple formula with you. It is ‘3i-i-m’ (three I minus I minus M),” said Atray as the students were all ears.
“You must include three ‘Is’ in your life – Integrity, Inspiration and Innovation. You must remove an ‘I’ that represents your ego. Don’t be self-centred. Also subtract the ‘M’ which stands for money. Don’t be mad after money as it has no correlation with happiness,” spoke Atray as the youngsters listened attentively. Atray urged parents to reduce the pressure on their children.
“Prioritise your goals and let happiness be the number one priority,” said Atray as the children cheered him on. Verma proposed the vote of thanks.