I think back. When did I start developing—not physically, but mentally and skill-wise? As I’ve mentioned before, I grew up without much encouragement or guidance. However, the first significant dent to my enthusiasm for learning stands out in my memory.

My first encouragement at school came from Ms. Sarojini, my teacher in the first standard. She was instrumental in identifying my eye issues and supporting me. Conversely, my first psychological hit came in the third standard when my math teacher, responsible for distributing books, insisted that he had given me a book I hadn’t received. I was humiliated, and the memory still stings.

Another incident took place during an English lesson in middle school. Our Principal, who was teaching, gave us the word "whenever" to use in a sentence. The top student in our class said, “Whenever I see my watch, I remember my grandfather.” Later, when my turn came, I repeated the same sentence, which resulted in a five-minute scolding for being unoriginal.

Looking back, I realize that in those days, we were trained to reproduce exactly what the teacher provided as answers in any subject. The teacher could have told me that while my sentence was correct, I should try creating a new one. Maybe I would have succeeded. This teacher is remembered for the wrong reasons—strict and rude.

However, much later, when I was in the tenth standard, I excelled in geometry and mathematics. My teacher recognized my potential and gave me personal attention, keeping my interest in math alive even today.

Later, there was a grand old man from a typewriting institute who also taught commercial subjects. He was a bank clerk but deeply knowledgeable. Since I excelled in these subjects, he encouraged me. Yet, despite this support, I couldn’t explore beyond those topics.

Several years later, I had the opportunity to realize my potential, which boosted my confidence greatly.

Contd. 306. Energy Method POWER - Part 2