HDFC Life | Apne parivaar ko apne dum pe jeena sikhao!

I am the youngest in my family. Not that my family is very big; my happy family consists of just my parents and my elder sister. But that meant I was pampered to the hilt by all the three of them. However in my heart, a special corner was reserved for my elder sister. I loved both of my parents intensely but somehow my heart and soul was for my sister. I used to (and still do) mumble 'didi didi' so much that everyone in my school and our locality used to call me my sister's tail. The 'tail title' instead of embarrassing me used to make me feel proud.

My sister is a very ambitious person right from childhood. She used to toil hard to secure first position in the class and used to work harder in order to maintain it. Whatever she did, she used to aim for the best. I on the other hand was a very laid back person right from the beginning. It never mattered who topped my class till I passed in all the subjects!

I was never sure of my ambitions when I was in school. While my sister knew that she wanted to be a doctor. Those who aim to become one and take up Biology in twelfth standard would be able to understand the agony. Preparing for the pre medical examinations is a daunting task. Cramming up thick books while attending school and preparing for Board exams simultaneously is kind of impossible. However my ambitious 'didi' was dead sure of what she wanted out of her life. We lived in a tiny suburb of Varanasi where amenities were scarce. However our school was one of the best in Varanasi. She always used to motivate me by saying that you have not seen the world; you need to get out of this tiny place. It was years later that I actually got what she used to say.

My sister was an NCC guide too. She was never a nerd; she had lots of feathers to her cap. While preparing for pre medical tests, Board exams take a backseat. Medical aspirants keep their coaching studies going on and rely on the months of January and February for Boards Preparation. The year in which my sister was to appear for medical exams and Boards had some interesting twists for her. In the month of July, she was selected for the Republic day camp in Delhi. After a lot of selection rounds, she was made the representative of the entire East Uttar Pradesh zone. As much as this was the highest honour for any NCC guide, it required inhuman training and most importantly 3 precious months...November, December and January. 

My sister was torn whether to attend the camp or solely prepare for her exams. After a lot of dilemma and concrete support from us, she left for the camp. I along with my parents had visited her several times during her camp period. She came back proudly in the month of February but that meant she only had 28 days to prepare for her boards and no time for her medical entrance.

Shockingly, she could not crack her medical entrance in her first attempt. She took a year off and came out with flying colours the next year. When she joined Allahbad Medical College, she began motivating me harder to become a doctor. She is three years older to me and that meant I was to appear for my entrance after two years.

This time I took her advice rather seriously. There was a fire in me that kept on pushing me to study harder. Somehow I wanted to compensate my sister's one year loss by cracking my exams in the very first attempt. And I did!! I secured 33rd position in the U P medical entrance examination and got admission in King George Medical College, Lucknow, one of the best medical colleges of India.

Our entire neighborhood was proud of me but the proudest was my sister. I slowly began to understand what she meant. Lucknow was a very big place for me. But after completing MBBS, I came to Delhi and realised that my huge Lucknow was so small!

Today I am an orthopedic surgeon practicing in a premier hospital in Delhi. I lead a reasonably affluent life. Had not been my sister's motivation, I would not been where I am today. I owe my entire success to her.

Just like HDFC Life which says 'Apne parivaar ko apne dum pe jeena sikhao! '