Motivated Not Thwarted by Challenges

A note by Akash Biradar, Programme Officer (South India), The International Award for Young People.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” This famous saying stands true when I think of my own journey. I am Akash Biradar and I am currently pursuing Electronics and Instrumentation Engineering at RV College of Engineering, Bangalore. I completed my tutoring at Sarala Birla Academy, Bangalore.

When I was growing up, my father used to play hockey and I used to sit by the field and watch him play. One day he taught me how to hold the stick and dribble the ball. A life-changing moment for me -- from that point onward, I loved playing hockey. Alongside, I took up squash and athletics out of interest. Since I was exposed to a residential environment, I had the opportunity to explore myself in various fields of sport because of which I represented my school at several state and national tournaments in hockey and athletics. I had taken up art and photography as part of my extracurricular activities and am still passionate about photography.

In view of all the activities that I wanted to pursue, time management became a major challenge. However, with primary focus on studies, I coped with this issue by following an exact time table which helped me fulfill my objectives and accomplish my goals, something that the Award has taught me..

I was introduced to International Award for Young People at my school and enrolled for the Silver level of the Award. Subsequently, charged with ardour, I completed my Gold Award in 2015. I am thankful for how much I have learnt in school, especially through coping with the challenges that came my way.