Life serves you various kinds of sweet and sour experiences, yet your inner awakening can’t be compared to any other aspect when it comes to bouncing back from a lost path. Rajat Doley from Dhemaji district in Assam shares his learning about how to turn mistakes into springboard of growth. He also shares how CSRL and OIL India Super 30 came to his rescue when he lost every hope in life.

My name is Rajat Doley. I hail from a small town Silapathar, Dhemaji district in Assam. We are a nuclear yet happy family with my Mother Nurjahan Doley and Father Indeswar Doley and my younger sister Kimi R Doley. My family plays a vital role in my life and my success. I owe everything to my family in life.

Making ends meet was not as easy for my family as it were for others, still my family never compromised on my studies. They got me admitted in the best school of my home town. But that was not all. Sometimes my parents could not arrange my school fee on time while at other occasions, I didn’t have money to buy books for me. I was disheartened and discouraged at times due to all the prevailing issues. But my parents never gave up on me and did every possible thing to arrange my school fee. I would like to mention here my uncle also. Apart from my parents, he was the one who has brought me up as a parent and always stood with me during my hopeless times. He is a huge source of encouragement always. I remember keenly waiting for him whenever he was supposed to pay a visit to us at home, as I would make huge demands to him for things like books, sports items, clothes, etc, and he would fulfil all my demands.

Till I reached class 8th, life was a smooth sailing journey to me. I would stay on cloud nine being the topper of class every year. A cynosure of my class, teachers would pour their immense love and blessings on me. Unaware of the fact that life is not always a win win situation, as I stepped into my 9th standard, I started losing my path and focus. I made many mistakes; fell into a bad company which brought a downfall to my image. Misfortune and mistakes hit to the extent that I was even expelled from school. I lost almost everything: my grades, position in class, trust of my parents and teachers, dignity etc. People would pass disrespected comments at my parents, would make mockery of me and my family. These daily affairs would trouble me and I was extremely disturbed. A sense of regret would creep inside

me every now and then. A year went by like this, but I questioned myself constantly what I need to do to come out of this phase. Gradually, thinking deeply on the aspect, I took a determination to regain my lost dignity and bring back the same respect to my parents as it was earlier. I thank these mockers as they helped me awaken and walk my path of mission. I learned from my mistakes and moved on to reshape my life. In 10th standard, I made exceptional efforts to study hard and graduated from 10th with 86.8 percent.

This was a different stage to what would unfold infront of me later. I passed my 12th with 73.8 percent. It was my mom who informed me about IIT after hearing about it on a radio programme. Since then, I have developed a passion and love for it. I was determined to crack it, but could not make it in the first attempt. My hopes were shattered and my parents were not in a position to bear my expenses again for the next year. Then one of my friends shared with me how challenging it is to crack IIT without coaching. This was the time when I heard the concept of OIL Super 30 from a friend.

My hopes got new wings and I dreamt to rebuild my dream of cracking IIT. But entering OIL Super 30 was not a fairy tale. It required a lot of study, good preparation for the interview. It was one of the happiest moments of my life when I entered the premises of OIL Super 30 after clearing the interview. I made new friends who were very skilled. Rigrous training and the conducive environment of the campus of OIL Super 30 made me more determined towards my goal.

The scenario here was completely different to what I was used to at home. The most important of all was that I learned to stay awake till 3-4 am. And this I think is the most important requirement to crack IIT. The staff here was exceptionally knowledgeable and highly skilled in their subjects. Moreover, their all over support needs a special mention.

And now, when I look back at times and think about the past from within the premises of IIT Roorkee, I say to myself, “It wouldn’t have been possible without CSRL and OIL India.” Something beyond my reach once  has been made true through the coaching and guidance I received at OIL Super 30, a dedicated team, my parents’ and uncle’s support and my hard work. I owe a great debt of gratitude to all of them for shaping my life and making me what I am today.

A very close observation about life is that people judge you by success and failure. If you succeed, they will praise you, if you fail, they will shower your life with criticism. But I feel that success and failure are part and parcel of life. Mistakes and failures should act as springboards of learning and a reason to bounce back quickly. I would recommend the Bollywood flick “Bhag Milkha Bhag” to my young age contemporaries to learn what is the main reason of failure. The great legend sprinter once said, “Hardwork, willpower and dedication. For a person with these qualities, sky is the limit.”

In the end, I would say: be committed to your aim until it is met. I also recall one axiom which is one of my favourites – “It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped” – Tony Robins.