Blastoff

By S S Kumar

Are you just stepping forth from school and entering the profes- sional world of college and beyond? Are you a teacher keen on encouraging your students to be the very best they can be?

Then this book is for YOU.

Through my three and a half decades of experience as an administrator of education institutions, I can help you become the best version of YOU.

Blastoff will offer you a ready insight into issues and concerns that you may face at some point. The writing is lucid and simple because I want you to understand and absorb the contents very easily. I have added anecdotes and real-life stories to help you relate to and comprehend abstract concepts better.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S S Kumar
• Release date: Mar 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201902506

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Blastoff

First edition

Price Rs 185.00/-

© 2021 S.S. Kumar (Author)

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the address below.

Author:

S. S. Kumar

[e-mail]

www.sskumar.com

Cover art, layout, and typesetting:

Vinita Kumar

[e-mail]

vinitakumar.com

Acknowledgements

Messrs. Jayanthi Sridhar, S. Sriram,

Chandrani Dutta, T.K. Radhakrishnan, Vish Iyer,

Venkatachalam Krishnan, Arvind Kumar, Paromita Pal

and the scores of students and teachers,

who helped me in my journey of learning.

Contents

Standing out in the crowd

You are your teacher

The power of your mind

Realize your potential

Be Self-disciplined

Physical activities

Be a thinker

The power of positivity

Understand your weakness

I-centric

Be a good listener

Speak out

Choose your friends wisely

Build relationships

Gender equality

Be in romance

Socializing

Be useful

Explore Needs

Define your goals and deadlines

Plan well ahead

Speedily disrupt

Teamwork

Be the first

Be a leader

Be creative

Improve over existing ideas

Options and choice

A shortcut may be longer

Enjoy what you do

Never give up

Thrive in failures

Seek counselling

Learn to say Sorry

Pursue hobbies

Stay with nature

The Joy of saving

The power of Supreme

Outstanding

From good to great

Compendium of Rules

Preface

A lot of books on succeeding in a challenging and competitive environment have already hit the markets over the last few decades. They cover many interesting topics, varying from sermons on transactional analysis, tips on improving communication skills, teaching management skills, self-development games and whatnot.  Many such books, videos and seminars have helped build and transform many youths. A lot depends, however, on the reader or the listener's seriousness in understanding and adopting the advice given by the vastly experienced gurus.

However, I found that basic level self-development books were fewer but populated only on the Internet. I feel that specific topics are difficult to access readily by browsing on the net unless the searches are narrowed down. The options could be too many for the seekers, confusing them over the right choice.

A book, on the contrary, lies on your table, inviting you to repeatedly read, mark the required pages and highlight portions of your interest. A book scores high in comparison to any other medium, save live lectures in the classrooms. Therefore, I decided to write this book to offer an insight into shaping your minds and walking you through the path of self-exploration.

I have begun my first chapter with 'Standing out in a crowd' and ended in the fortieth with 'From good to great.'  I wish that every discerning reader gets enriched and transformed. My vision is to structure your mind and show a route to grow in your lives under demanding conditions at every step. I have tried to explain in a lucid language with many true-life examples. I have merely replaced the original names, to respect the privacy of many of the subjects. Many incidents are based on real experiences in my life.

Though this book is aimed for those finishing the high school and the college entrants, it could be an ideal read for the parents and teachers as well, to understand their children and students better.

I wish all readers sustainable growth and great success.

S S Kumar

Kolkata, December 2020

Chapter 1

Standing out in the crowd

THE CROWD IN THE WORLD is getting scarier and growing by the day. Every minute 255 children are born in our world and are going to fight for the ever-depleting resources and static opportunities shortly.

You too will have to fight for space for anything and everything, be it for an admission in a college, to buy a train or a movie ticket, or to get a job.  It may not be easy to find an appropriate life partner and, soon after, to get school admissions for your kids, their college admissions, higher studies, jobs, marriages etc. The cycle is unrelenting and pressurizing, taking a toll on you, and many of you succumb to varied stages of depression without even realizing the need for medical intervention and assistance.  Many of you may tend to run away from the fight in mid-session and finally live sub-optimal lives, unknown, unsung and below par, among largely uncaring and busy crowds.

I would, therefore, begin with the advice, that to become outstanding, you begin by standing out among the crowd. There is a great difference between the two expressions, very often misunderstood by many.

Unlike the developed nations, parents in most developing countries have little professional training or expertise in the behavioural science of children. One in a few thousand consult professional counsellors with the problems of their children, but they do so only when such problems go out of hand and are beyond their tolerance. Though a few schools and colleges employ counsellors, many of them even with foreign degrees, the needs on the floor could be vastly different.  The bits of advice given by the counsellors are seldom pursued, resulting in children growing with the deficiencies and without corrections. Normally mothers visit the institution only during the parent’s meet and fathers disinterestedly satisfy themselves that their children are attending the classes.

The teachers-students ratio is normally 1:40 in many schools and colleges. The teachers are compelled to take many classes every day and, busy completing the syllabus, they confine themselves to focusing on exams. Most of the teachers, who face hundreds of students each day, generally do not have any personal touch with each student and merely concentrate on the more intelligent ones, leaving the rest to their own resources, for better or worse. 

Thus, your special skills, unless they are exceptional enough to stand out and draw the attention of others, remain unexplored and unappreciated. Often your skills, unrelated to the curricula are even despised by many teachers. Such disregard affects many capable students in their formative years, who often retreat into a shell, thrust with incompatible subjects, much to their disaffection.

Your appearance has a great influence on your peers. I am not discussing here about your physical attributes, you may be tall, short, overweight, or too thin. Much of these may be genetic and you may be able to do little, save, manage your structure to the best of your ability. But there is another aspect, as to how you present yourself. I shall be explaining that here.

Learn to appear befitting the occasion. Dreadlocks or other weird hairdos, piercings, tattoos etc., may give a few appreciative glances. However, these may not always be ideal attire, nor would it embellish all occasions. To dress casually could be comfortable, but you must assess the acceptability for such appearance on a case-to-case basis.  A compatible society approach should be built in mind and followed by all serious youth by adopting responsible dressing codes and healthy habits.

I do not advise that you should not be with collarless tee shirts, which though are proscribed at many formal places, are commonly seen on the campuses. Student life is fun, and the independence is unmatchable, particularly at the college and university levels. You can make or break your own life by choosing or disowning good aspects of life, which would burden you throughout your life.

There are also cases where people resort to variances merely to get noticed, revealing their lack of self-confidence. Remember, your first appearance gives a lasting impression. Be smart, confident and friendly.

While I was in college, we formed a formidable group, the very first week and within ten days, and organized a picnic. Some were sceptical though, and a few others had a refrain, that we do not even know each other well! I had to convince them that we did not know each other well was the precise reason for the proposed day boat trip on the river. Many participated, and I had to close bookings soon as we reached the maximum numbers. The day’s outing on the river spontaneously established bonhomie and camaraderie among our classmates that exists even today. My effort catapulted me as the class representative and saw me winning college elections like a breeze.

Though you would be standing out while driving into the college with your dad’s car or riding in a powerful motorbike, these are merely ancillaries and may not sustain your special status for long. It is ideal to commute, travel and live like others while living in a students’ community. Your inner qualities are the ones, which will sustain you and propel you to stand out from the crowd.

I recall a friend of mine, who was a great magician. He remained unnoticed in the college until he performed his magic show in the first college