Lesson to follow: This Sunday (yesterday) saw me and Aishwariya at the Cooum all set to check out the OUTRIGGER for the first time. In spite of mild fears tugging at our heart strings, we decided to go for it.

The first time round, Aishwariya coxed while I rowed. A pretty uneventful outing. For us, let me add. 'Cos further down the stream something was happening - a small girl’s (a schoolkid to boot) oars got stuck in the water near the bank and pushed her overboard. A rescue boat rushed out for her and brought her back safely to the bank.

You think this is the end of the story? A few minutes later, a sleek skull passed by our bulky outrigger making the smallest of ripples in the water. And whom did we see on it? Our friend who had this memorable experience of a royal dip in the Cooum!!

There she went as fast and steady as any other. There was no trace of fear on her face, only a stubborn “I don’t care” look coupled with a fierce determination that nothing could stop her from doing what she wanted to…………in other words – rowing. I must say her consistency in purpose amazed me……… her belief in the concept of ‘practice makes perfect’ probably led her to handle such an incident with aplomb.

This story tells us something. It tells us that once we have a goal in mind, we have to give it our best……… we have to race ahead full steam – no matter what comes our way. Even in case of unfortunate and untimely accidents, we have to keep going. After all, life is a lot about winning. If we are not moving ahead, we are not living. You must have heard the one “The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall”.

While a lot can be said about the spirit of participation, our ultimate aim should be to stand out as winners. We have the coming regatta giving us just the right opportunity. And if it takes all that we have, that is what we will give…………right, guys?