Me, Covid 19 and Hope!

Hello all,                                         

I Avinash Meshram, welcome you to my blog, Shades of Life. I hope you like to read my blog. Smiley...

I am working in education field since 13 years now.

I started as a home tutor in 2006. Found my way up from teaching 6th standard to teaching 12th standard till 2012. And also found my way from being a home tutor to being a faculty in Coaching Institutes as a JEE Faculty Mathematics.

I worked really hard and kept on updating my knowledge by studying regularly. My students were happy with my teaching and I have also given some very good results on the way.

Three years ago, I decided to open my own Institute and impart quality education to students. The goal was high, dream was seen with the open eyes and there was a hell lot of competition!

I stopped working and invested all my time and money into my institute, BrainStorm - The Institute For Excellence, with the hope of making it one of the best institutes in the country, one day. I took loans, a lot of loans to support funding to my institute in these three years.

These three years were difficult. I didn't have enough students to earn much profit. But I kept on investing in it. In 2019, I gave amazing result in the exams I impart coaching of. So, I knew that this year, I would have that result to show and hence I would get a good amount of students for my institute easily. My hard work was finally going to pay off. I had no regrets of investing everything I had into my institute and also of taking all those loans.

But then...

Covid 19 struck....

We all know that the World is in Chaos because it. I don't need to add any statistics to let you know about it. We all are facing problems because of it. 

I am going through something similar.

Government closed the schools and coaching institutes first. My institute is closed since 13th March 2020. I don't know when would it open.

I have invested everything in that institute. I have nothing  left with me now. Also, there are a lot of EMIs to be paid. Since 3 months, I have not earned a penny. The emergency fund is drying out. It won't last for more than a month now!

I have no new admissions in my institute because my office is still closed and since I am a small institute, no one is bothering to call us by there own.

The year, that I thought would turn out to be the starting point of my growth, turned out to be the year which might make my business to shut down and make me bankrupt with so many people standing on my doorstep for money!

I was a bright child since a young age. I was poor, but I was bright. I have done my schooling for free through a scholarship. Have completed graduation from a government college with a negligible fees. And went to one of the best colleges in the country to pursue post graduation.

It was not difficult for me to clear any exam. It was not difficult for me to land any job that I want to do. I once appeared for an entrance exam of a bank as a challenge. Appeared for it without any preparation. I didn't study for that exam even for a minute! And yet, I cleared it!

The jobs that people root for and spend years to get, were easily available for me because of the talent I posses. 

But what did I do?

I chose to do business...

I didn't have enough capital to do that. But still I decided to do that. Because that is what I wanted. I arranged the necessary capital and started my business with a dream of making world a better place..

And out of all the businesses available, I chose to do a business that takes longest to give returns, Coaching Institute!

If you open a store, you start earning as soon as your products start to sell, and similar is with other businesses. But in Coaching Institute, in my case, the course of JEE/NEET is of two years. So for the first two years, I just had to keep on investing, as definitely, in today's competitive world, I was not going to get many students as soon as I open my Institute. And I had to wait for two years so that my first batch gives me result which I would have to prove my worth and then I had a chance of expecting good admissions on  the basis of that result in the fourth year. (Because the admission in the third year closes before the result of the previous batch is out. So, I had to wait patiently for three years!)

I was sure of my teaching skills, my intentions of imparting quality education and the result I was expecting to produce. And I was sure that once I have the result I will not need to look back. So, I gave all that I have to my institute, with a hope of a better tomorrow...

And I got the result... I was happy. I was sure to have a great 2020 because of the result that I got in 2019.

But now, there is nothing...

All is gone...

Because of Covid 19!

My year's saving is gone. My year's trust that I had earned, because of which people invested in my business is at stake. For the first time banks are going to come to my doorstep asking for bounced EMIs (if they bounce). 

Everything is at stake now...

I am home since 2 and a half months. Doing nothing else but thinking... Did I make a mistake?

I could have had a great career into some job, may be as an IAS officer. And I blew it away for one little dream... Was trying to live my dream, a mistake?

But today... I am thinking... Why should it be a mistake? 

I didn't know the future. I didn't know that Covid 19 is going to hit in 2020. And even if I had known about it, would I have changed my dream? 

I don't think so...

I would have taken investments by telling my investors that I would not be able to give returns soon. I would have avoided to take Bank loans to loose the burden of EMIs. I would have found some way of getting through this time. But I would still not have dropped my dream!

So, if the dream is more important than the circumstances, then why should I drop on my knees now? I have been through difficult times in the past too. I have had been through difficult times while running my Institute for the last three years. And I had always found a solution to every problem that I faced. It is true that Covid 19 is worst of the difficulties, that I could face. It is worst of the problems, that I wasn't prepared to face. And it is true that it took me by surprise. And it is true that, the timing of Covid 19 is the worst for me.

But that does not mean that I should loose hope. That does not mean that I should cry about it. That does not mean that I should think that I have been defeated. Doesn't matter what the problem is and how high the wall of struggle is... All I need to know is that, I can climb it...

It is not the time to look down in regret or stress. It is the time to look up with hope and confidence. And tell the fate, "Even though you have marked lines on my palm, I have the capability and will to change them!"

Thank you for reading the article. If you like my writing, you can search for my novel…

I Don’t Need Reasons. I Need You!

Me covid 19 & hope = https://www.hillray.in/life-after-pandemic/