Of Dreams and Destiny
As part of my annual vacations, I visited Ladakh - India's northernmost province bordering both Pakistan & China - towards the end of May. It was a surreal trip - I will most likely end up writing about my experiences with vivid detail on my other blog, Between Departures. But today, I wanted to share a heartwarming story that occurred during the trip.
As part of an agreement with our travel agency, we were provided with a Toyota Innova. Behind the wheels was Nazeer, a bright twenty-one-year-old chap, who was our chauffeur and guide for the duration of our stay in Ladakh. He hailed from Kargil, and donned a pleasant smile at all times, besides being easy to get along with.
In our interactions, we discussed everything ranging from life in metropolitan centers to the hardships of families settled in the remotest of the regions. He was deeply perceptive to questions and equally measured in his responses. That is when, in another few exchanges, I found out that he was selected as an Agneeveer (Indian Army's tour-of-duty styled recruitment drive) and was slated to join the Ladakh Scouts regiment in another fortnight! The glee was evident in his eyes as he could leave the driving profession behind to start a new life. And he had achieved all of this without any formal coaching, relying only on his own preparation and whatever little he could afford to spend on books.
Nazeer says that none in his circles could make it out of poverty's cycles of debt, forcing each of his acquaintances to prioritize a trade (such as driving/being engaged in the broader tourism industry) than higher education beyond the twelfth grade. Engineering, he says, is a distant dream for many. I could not help but juxtapose the several things we take for granted, versus his wishes that would mirror the elementary dreams of many like him.
Often, policymaking and programmes are criticised for what they lack. When the Agneeveer scheme was launched, many from varied political and social backgrounds rushed to bash it owing to its perceived gaps. Yet, it is schemes like these that alter the trajectory of so many young folks, and their families, with otherwise nowhere to go. Proud of what he had achieved and his perseverance, I decided to gift him a book on service in the Indian Army from the lens of a retired officer - hopefully an apt present to inspire him further in his journey.
What an amazing story it is - of a boy who dared to dream, refused to settle, and pushed through every adversity to get there. If Nazeer can do it - what stops us from inching closer towards our own aspirations, even if it is one day at a time? :)