As I grew , I was always
asked what not to do, but perhaps they all forgot to tell actually what to do,
so I just figured it myself. I dared to go for a dream, sounds cool but that
was not always easy. “Aha who goes for easy things”, this was me, perhaps a 7th
standard student was not aware, and to run fast we always don’t have to go for mountain
climbing.
Yes I was culprit, I dare to dream and dreamed of it like a
mad, and I will not say this habit of dreaming made me something special, of
out of box but Yes It made me feel so light, so excited and full of energy and of
course self-driven.
It’s the bird who need wings to fly, I flew with my dreams.
All of us have our dreams, dream that let us wake at 3 in
the morning, dream that makes us to push ourselves, dream that make you to
compromise your present for your future, dream that gives you strength to take
some unknown path, dream that force you to stand back, dream, dream that change
not only your life but complete you. And after reaching that dream it makes you
stand out of crowd and gives you courage to go for another dream.
Inspiration, and yes it is this inspiration that somewhere and
somehow mould your dreams, I do have my inspirational people who inspired me
and somewhere turned by path to the journey of unknowns. I got my inspiration
from many people, my Grandpa , my father, my mother, Steve Jobs, Ramanujam, APJ
and its completely ok to have many inspirational faces as long as you remained
focused and Consistent.
As always I have something to share, something close to my heart
which some where toughed deep inside me. This happed with my friend, Les Brown.
He said,
I was identified as mentally retarded, Put back from the
fifth grade into the fourth grade, and stayed in that category until I got out
of high school. I don’t have any college training, but I met a high school
teacher who one day changed my life.
I was waiting on another student and when he came in,
He said to me, “Young man, go to the board and write what I
am going to tell you.” And I said “I can’t do that sir”.
He said, “Why not??”
I said,” I am not one of your students.”
He said, “It doesn’t matter, Follow my directions now”
I said, “I can’t do that, sir”
He said, “Why not??”
I said, “Because I am educable mentally retarded.”
And he came from behind his desk and looked at me.
He said ,” Don’t ever say that again, Someone’s opinion of
you does not have to become your reality ” As he talked, my heart began to beat
fast, tears began to run out of my eyes, and I was in the back just listening
to him, because the speech he was giving, that speech, was for me.
He said, “Young man, if you want to do anything worthwhile
in life, you got to be hungry.”
I told him, “I wanted to become a disc jockey,” and so I
started working to develop myself.
He said, “I want to practice every day being a disc jockey”.
I said, “But I don’t have any job now”
He said, “It doesn’t matter”
He said, “It’s better to be prepared for an opportunity and
not have one, then to have an opportunity and not be prepared.”
As I was working to develop myself, I applied for job as a
disc jockey. I went to a guy name Milton Smith. I said, “How you doing Mr.
Smith? I would like to get a job as a disc jockey”
He looked at me, he said, “Do you have any broadcast
background?”
I said, “No sir, I don’t.”
“Do you have any Journalism background?”
I said, “No sir, I don’t.”
He said, “We don’t have any jobs available.”
I said, “Yes sir”
I went back to the teacher and I told him. He said, “Don’t
take it personally, Most people are so negative that they will have to say No
several times before they say yes.”
He said, “Go back again.”
So I went back again, I said, “How you doing Mr. Smith, My
name is Les Brown”.
He said, “I know what your name is, what you want??”
I said, “I would like to know whether or not you have any
jobs for dis jockey sir.”
He said, “Didn’t I just tell you yesterday we didn’t have any
jobs.”
I said, “Yes sir but I don’t know whether or not somebody
got laid off or somebody was fired sir.”
He said, “NO one was laid off or fired, now get on out of
here.”
I came back the next day like I was seeing you for the first
time, I said, “Hello Mr. Smith. How are you?”
He looked at me at rage, he said, “Go get me some coffee.”
I said, “Yes Sir.” And I went to get him some coffee. After
a while, I would get their lunch and dinner, and I would go in the control room
and take the disc jockeys their food, I would not leave until they would ask me
to leave.
One Saturday afternoon, while I was at the radio station, a
guy named Rock was drinking while he was on the air. I was the only one there,
looking at him through the control room windows, walking back and forth, Young,
Ready, and Hungry. Pretty soon the phone rang and it was the General Manager. I
answered the phone. I said, “Hello??”
He said, “Les this is Mr. Kline.”
I said, “I Know.”
He said, “Rock can’t finish his program.”
I said, “I Know.”
He said, “Would you call one of the other DJs in?”
I said, “Yes Sir.”
I hung the phone Up, I said, now he must think I am crazy, I
called my Mom and my Girlfriend and said, “Aye turn up the radio and come out
on the forth porch, I am about to come on the air.”
I waited for about 20 minutes and I called him back and
said, “Mr. Kline, I can’t find nobody.”
He said, “Young boy, do you know how to work the controls?”
I said, “Yes Sir.”
He said, “Go in there and don’t say anything. You Hear?”
I said, “Yes Sir.”
I couldn’t wait to
get behind those controls. I put on an old Stieve wonder record called
fingertips, I sat down behind the turntable and said, “Look out, this is me LB
Triple P Les Brown, Your plater playing Papa. There were none before me, and
there will be none after me. Therefore that makes me the one and only, Young
and single and love to mingle, certified, bonafide and doubly qualified to
bring you satisfaction, a whole lot of action. Look out baby, I am your man”
Yes, I was Hungry!!! I
was Hungry!!! I was Hungry!!!
Everybody has its own perception so I put what actually
happened, rest it’s upon you how you guys take it. And yes be hungry and remember,
It’s the bird who need wings to fly, We fly with our dreams.
- K Vivek
