Impossible is Nothing
29 July 2009
My stint with reading started after I came to Delhi in 2002. I was doing BBA from an International University but we were asked that it would be best that we also have an Indian graduation degree. I came from PCM background but hated science. So going for B Sc. was out of question and since I had no background in commerce so B Com also took a backseat. I had three options, either I do simple BA, BA in English Hons. and BA in Political Science. BA Political Science didn’t interest me much, BA pass had Hindi as a compulsory subject and English Hons. was tough nut to crack for someone who didn’t know how to write and had never read a single novel in her life. Ooops! I eliminated political Science on the first thought and eliminated BA Paas because I could study any subject but Hindi. Even if I would have been given 6 years to complete the degree I would have flunked in all the 6 years in Hindi. The only option left was that I do English Hons. All my friends except one chose BA Paas because it required less studies to clear the examination. By the way, English Hons required both reading and writing skills, we had to complete around 40 books -poems/ literature in three years. My friends warned me against taking the huge burden but I had only one reason that I could not study Hindi. The other girl who took English Hons was a writer and had been reading novels since her childhood. Anyways, I took the challenge.
A book called “Gone with the Wind” was taking rounds of hostel rooms and without even seeing it I decided to read it. It was a 1000 page thick book, I almost had lump in my throat when I saw the book. I gathered all my courage and started reading it. As I started reading it , I fell in love with the characters, the way words were flowing, the love story, and I loved the feel of book in my hand. I completed the book within 15 days but there was an urge to read more. The only problem was that I didn’t know what to read and our college library didn’t have any books other than those related to Management. It wasn’t like that I was thirsty for books but I had started liking books. Also, I had to read some 18 course books in my first year year to pass so I didn’t bother much to pick new books as well. There was no hurry and none of my close friends read then so I never felt that I was missing something big in my life. I didn’t read any of my coursebooks until 3 months prior to my first year exams and my Eng Hons mate loved reading so she had leisurely completed reading almost all novels, now she was making notes that she wouldn’t share with me. She used to tell me how much she loved Shelley’s imaginations and Shakespeare’s characters. Eewww!! I knew the names of these chaps but I had no clue about them. I called my mom and told her that I needed tutions to clear my exams or else no one could save me from failing in exam. She knew a professor and I went back home to take lessons from him. As I started taking lessons, I was in awe with my professor. I had never come across someone who loved his subjects so much. He used to teach me stuff about authors and professors that was beyond what was written in books. He used to give me beautiful notes . I fell in love with literature and started enjoying the writings. My prof. used to bless me a lot and used to tell my mom that I would make it big someday. Since I have always been very respectful to my teachers I just thought that was kind to me. English Hons. also required good writing skills, which I didn’t have that time but I somehow managed to fetch decent marks. For three years he taught me and he knew that I was working hard so he was happy with whatever marks that I was getting. My sir passed away two years after I completed my graduation but I think he had played one of the biggest role in my life in making me what I am today.
In my third year of graduation I started preparing for CAT. I had taken British Council Library’s Membership. I was reading books but since my lack of knowledge for books made me pick up all the books that didn’t like reading. Oh by the way, TG and I had already started talking by then. From past many days TG was telling me that he wanted to spend a day with me and I was not agreeing. I had no reason why I should spend a day with someone. We were not friends, and we were not lovers. He was someone who used to come to my coaching and we used to talk over the phone.That’s it. It was silly! Anyways he finally won and we decided to meet at IIT. He promised that he will show me IIT’s library. So the day before we were about to meet at IIT, I issued a book called Atonement by Ian McEwan and took it to my coaching institute. I didn’t know that he was a book worm and he said that he would return the book to me the next day. I didn’t believe him because it was a thick book .To my surprise, he read and returned the book on the promised day. The next day after drinking coffee at Nescafe in IIT, he took me to the library. Wow! The library was huge. TG was showing me books and telling me stuff about his college days. It was a whole new world for me and it was beautiful. The books, the atmosphere, the location- everything was just perfect. I longed to be a part of that world. Now that’s another story that while I was browsing through the books he was busy watching me. The following day he told me that I was beautiful and he had not realized this until the day before. 
My birthday came and TG was pressing me that I must tell him what gift I wanted. I said if there was anything he wanted to gift me, he must buy me his favourite books. He wanted to be the first one to wish me birthday so I met him a day before my birthday . He gifted me two books- Agony and Ecstasy and Lust for Life by Irving Stone and a rose along with them. There started my real romance with books. I loved both the books. TG and I kept buying books and discussing them.
After years we started TG.Com. He was the only one who could write. I couldn’t. I was to look after the Business School section. But we wanted someone for Verbal as well. It would have been too much for TG to look after all the three sections. I took the initiative to look after Verbal section and the first ever draft that I wrote for the website was TotalGadha Wiki. Although the website had started but things between two of us worsened. We broke up. I shifted to a different job. I was appalled to see the mediocrity in my new office. I knew that the only thing that could save me were books. I was reading to save my soul from getting rotten. TG was already doing whatever he cold to run the website. One day one of my juniors logged into TotalGadha from my office and left a comment on TG’s article. The comment was not in very good taste but it reminded him of me. He checked and the server showed the name of my company. He found my number from somewhere and messaged me that I remain away from TG.Com. I had no clue what was happening but what the heck? I was talking to TG again. I was happy and we talked and talked. The conversation actually started with books. We got back together again. I decided to quit my job while the whole world told me that I was taking a wrong step. TG.Com was at a very raw stage then and we had no clue what the future held for us. I just knew TG was the only one with whom I could relate and that website was what I wanted to work upon. I wanted to make it big. It was dream that TG and I saw once, and it was time to start nurturing that dream.
I started working, and wrote my first ever article on Subject Verb agreement. My joy held no bounds. I could write even though it was painfully tough but I did it. A lot of things happened afterwords. TG.Com started growing. everything was perfect-boyfriend, work, family.
Then my parents took me home to get me married to someone else. Things became tough for me but there was no way I was going to quit. I wanted to get married to TG and I wanted my parents to be with me when I get married. I kept working on TG.Com and one day I told TG that I wanted to write and he must tell me a way. He said,” You can’t learn how to write until you start writing. ” I started my personal blog and was writing whatever small or big. TG kept sending me books and movies to keep my sanity intact. 
One day I dreamt of starting a GMAT blog . I told TG about it. He asked me whether I would be able to write. I said that it would be tough but I wanted to do it. After a little thought we decided to go for it. I learnt the intricacies of blogging, read voraciously about GMAT and Business Schools and decided to share every single thing that I knew related to international admissions. I wrote mails to schools to get the exact information and I added all the information in my posts. Over the months GMAT blog grew beautifully and it is till growing.
When I look back now, it has been a very long journey but a satisfying one. Today not a single day passes when I don’t read or write. My journey has been a mixture of right people, my willingness to learn, and a tough spirit. It feels good now. I truly believe that there is nothing that you cannot achieve in life. It’s just that you must be willing to work hard at things and must have a firm belief in yourself. Impossible is nothing. All the obstacles are in your mind. Things might look tough initially but don’t ever give up. Just keep moving and trust me, you would bloom beutifully in your life. Hold your dreams close to your heart and let nothing deter you from achieving those dreams.As bon Jovi says, “Each one of you has something no one else has, or has ever had: your fingerprints, your brain, your heart. Be an individual. Be unique. Stand out. Make noise. Make someone notice. That’s the power of individuals.“
My stint with reading started after I came to Delhi in 2002. I was doing BBA from an International University but we were asked that it would be best that we also have an Indian graduation degree. I came from PCM background but hated science. So going for B Sc. was out of question and since I had no background in commerce so B Com also took a backseat. I had three options, either I do simple BA, BA in English Hons. and BA in Political Science. BA Political Science didn’t interest me much, BA pass had Hindi as a compulsory subject and English Hons. was tough nut to crack for someone who didn’t know how to write and had never read a single novel in her life. Ooops! I eliminated political Science on the first thought and eliminated BA Paas because I could study any subject but Hindi. Even if I would have been given 6 years to complete the degree I would have flunked in all the 6 years in Hindi. The only option left was that I do English Hons. All my friends except one chose BA Paas because it required less studies to clear the examination. By the way, English Hons required both reading and writing skills, we had to complete around 40 books -poems/ literature in three years. My friends warned me against taking the huge burden but I had only one reason that I could not study Hindi. The other girl who took English Hons was a writer and had been reading novels since her childhood. Anyways, I took the challenge.
A book called “Gone with the Wind” was taking rounds of hostel rooms and without even seeing it I decided to read it. It was a 1000 page thick book, I almost had lump in my throat when I saw the book. I gathered all my courage and started reading it. As I started reading it , I fell in love with the characters, the way words were flowing, the love story, and I loved the feel of book in my hand. I completed the book within 15 days but there was an urge to read more. The only problem was that I didn’t know what to read and our college library didn’t have any books other than those related to Management. It wasn’t like that I was thirsty for books but I had started liking books. Also, I had to read some 18 course books in my first year year to pass so I didn’t bother much to pick new books as well. There was no hurry and none of my close friends read then so I never felt that I was missing something big in my life. I didn’t read any of my coursebooks until 3 months prior to my first year exams and my Eng Hons mate loved reading so she had leisurely completed reading almost all novels, now she was making notes that she wouldn’t share with me. She used to tell me how much she loved Shelley’s imaginations and Shakespeare’s characters. Eewww!! I knew the names of these chaps but I had no clue about them. I called my mom and told her that I needed tutions to clear my exams or else no one could save me from failing in exam. She knew a professor and I went back home to take lessons from him. As I started taking lessons, I was in awe with my professor. I had never come across someone who loved his subjects so much. He used to teach me stuff about authors and professors that was beyond what was written in books. He used to give me beautiful notes . I fell in love with literature and started enjoying the writings. My prof. used to bless me a lot and used to tell my mom that I would make it big someday. Since I have always been very respectful to my teachers I just thought that was kind to me. English Hons. also required good writing skills, which I didn’t have that time but I somehow managed to fetch decent marks. For three years he taught me and he knew that I was working hard so he was happy with whatever marks that I was getting. My sir passed away two years after I completed my graduation but I think he had played one of the biggest role in my life in making me what I am today.
In my third year of graduation I started preparing for CAT. I had taken British Council Library’s Membership. I was reading books but since my lack of knowledge for books made me pick up all the books that didn’t like reading. Oh by the way, TG and I had already started talking by then. From past many days TG was telling me that he wanted to spend a day with me and I was not agreeing. I had no reason why I should spend a day with someone. We were not friends, and we were not lovers. He was someone who used to come to my coaching and we used to talk over the phone.That’s it. It was silly! Anyways he finally won and we decided to meet at IIT. He promised that he will show me IIT’s library. So the day before we were about to meet at IIT, I issued a book called Atonement by Ian McEwan and took it to my coaching institute. I didn’t know that he was a book worm and he said that he would return the book to me the next day. I didn’t believe him because it was a thick book .To my surprise, he read and returned the book on the promised day. The next day after drinking coffee at Nescafe in IIT, he took me to the library. Wow! The library was huge. TG was showing me books and telling me stuff about his college days. It was a whole new world for me and it was beautiful. The books, the atmosphere, the location- everything was just perfect. I longed to be a part of that world. Now that’s another story that while I was browsing through the books he was busy watching me. The following day he told me that I was beautiful and he had not realized this until the day before.
My birthday came and TG was pressing me that I must tell him what gift I wanted. I said if there was anything he wanted to gift me, he must buy me his favourite books. He wanted to be the first one to wish me birthday so I met him a day before my birthday . He gifted me two books- Agony and Ecstasy and Lust for Life by Irving Stone and a rose along with them. There started my real romance with books. I loved both the books. TG and I kept buying books and discussing them.
After years we started TG.Com. He was the only one who could write. I couldn’t. I was to look after the Business School section. But we wanted someone for Verbal as well. It would have been too much for TG to look after all the three sections. I took the initiative to look after Verbal section and the first ever draft that I wrote for the website was TotalGadha Wiki. Although the website had started but things between two of us worsened. We broke up. I shifted to a different job. I was appalled to see the mediocrity in my new office. I knew that the only thing that could save me were books. I was reading to save my soul from getting rotten. TG was already doing whatever he cold to run the website. One day one of my juniors logged into TotalGadha from my office and left a comment on TG’s article. The comment was not in very good taste but it reminded him of me. He checked and the server showed the name of my company. He found my number from somewhere and messaged me that I remain away from TG.Com. I had no clue what was happening but what the heck? I was talking to TG again. I was happy and we talked and talked. The conversation actually started with books. We got back together again. I decided to quit my job while the whole world told me that I was taking a wrong step. TG.Com was at a very raw stage then and we had no clue what the future held for us. I just knew TG was the only one with whom I could relate and that website was what I wanted to work upon. I wanted to make it big. It was dream that TG and I saw once, and it was time to start nurturing that dream.
I started working, and wrote my first ever article on Subject Verb agreement. My joy held no bounds. I could write even though it was painfully tough but I did it. A lot of things happened afterwords. TG.Com started growing. everything was perfect-boyfriend, work, family.
Then my parents took me home to get me married to someone else. Things became tough for me but there was no way I was going to quit. I wanted to get married to TG and I wanted my parents to be with me when I get married. I kept working on TG.Com and one day I told TG that I wanted to write and he must tell me a way. He said,” You can’t learn how to write until you start writing. ” I started my personal blog and was writing whatever small or big. TG kept sending me books and movies to keep my sanity intact. One day I dreamt of starting a GMAT blog . I told TG about it. He asked me whether I would be able to write. I said that it would be tough but I wanted to do it. After a little thought we decided to go for it. I learnt the intricacies of blogging, read voraciously about GMAT and Business Schools and decided to share every single thing that I knew related to international admissions. I wrote mails to schools to get the exact information and I added all the information in my posts. Over the months GMAT blog grew beautifully and it is till growing.
When I look back now, it has been a very long journey but a satisfying one. Today not a single day passes when I don’t read or write. My journey has been a mixture of right people, my willingness to learn, and a tough spirit. It feels good now. I truly believe that there is nothing that you cannot achieve in life. It’s just that you must be willing to work hard at things and must have a firm belief in yourself. Impossible is nothing. All the obstacles are in your mind. Things might look tough initially but don’t ever give up. Just keep moving and trust me, you would bloom beutifully in your life. Hold your dreams close to your heart and let nothing deter you from achieving those dreams.As bon Jovi says, “Each one of you has something no one else has, or has ever had: your fingerprints, your brain, your heart. Be an individual. Be unique. Stand out. Make noise. Make someone notice. That’s the power of individuals.“
Heyy
Few days back when my friends visited me at my place, one of them opened my laptop. My friends asked looking at my desktop pic - Is this pic of your Brother and Sister in Law?
I informed them that this two person are my teacher and I am learning a lot from them through TotalGadha.com.
Obviously number of questions started pouring on me regarding the website and its inception.
I don’t know why, but I told them that these two person are paased out from IIT Delhi and they are married now. I also read the forum written by TG about wedding.
I always thought that you are also from IIT Delhi -
Why have you put our pick as your desktop background?
I didn’t write a single Engineering entrance exam. And above all that I had a generalized view about engineers that they can neither speak well nor conduct themselves. The irony of my life is that I got married to an engineer and that too an IITan. My friends laugh at me now. 
Reasons !! I have written few below
1. I read almost all the comments written by you and TG in forums. When I see the pic I feel like I am talking to you guys.
2. My Role Model ! I always thought being from hindi medium backgroud is a big disadvantage in CAT. Then I read TG’s forum for verbal preparation and saw Pursuit of Happniess. And I realized - Nothing comes easy.
3. When I open my laptop in morning and see your pic, I say to my self - If they can, So can I.
4. Being a mediocre, I don’t know what is going to be the end result. But I thank you both everyday for being with me in this journey
And finally - When I start chating or surfing web instead on study - I hear both of u scolding and reminding me that I should study instead of wasting time
Vivek,
I don’t know what to say other than thank you.
Hi ma’am,
Very nice post.I will read this again and again in coming months.
Regards
Amit
Thank you, Amit.
very inspiring mam…..
bt i tried reading….bt i always quit in between…..
it seems boaring…..coz 4 every difficult word i hv 2 open up my dictionary n start searching out 4 dat word……..
Shikha, you must soon visit us.
On a serious note, I think you must stop bothering about words and keep reading. Don’t read just because you HAVE to. You will end up getting bored otherwise. I remember I never enjoyed reading until and unless I held pencil in my hand to mark the difficult words. I actually chucked that habit and just read. You keep reading words, you remember some of them at the end, you look for the meaning and you remember the words and the meanings. The more you read, the better your vocab gets. A lot of people do mark words and enjoy the book at the same time. I am not one of them.
However I do not deny that a lot of people just don’t enjoy reading. I was telling my best friend the other day that most of my money goes into buying books. I buy some books for my professional purpose and maximum books for my entertainment purpose. She said,” How could one find entertainment in books?”. I just shrugged .
That’s Awe-inspiring!…Eh! Of course, I know this wonderful story if not fully but sure, I know …yes, still those words are alive in my memory which you were posted for gullz:) … to get him back on track as he was terribly down..yeah, i know.. I have said myriad times, and ‘ll say again…I’M LUCKY, to find these wonderful souls…they INSPIREs me and their presence drives me CRAZY about LIFE… Now,it won’t sound boasting…if i say, I’m damn sure with their blessings ‘ll do something really BIG in life which ‘ll make them feel PROUD…Amen!
P.S: How SWEET experience it is, the BOOKS which gave you not mere professional skills but the true MEANS in your LIFE
truly, you are fortunate lady and so TG:)
Yes I remember that post.It was hard to write it but I just wrote. Our wishes and blessing are always with our students. And yes TG and I connected a lot because of books. We connect even today for the same reason.
“And above all that I had a generalized view about engineers that they can neither speak well nor conduct themselves. The irony of my life is that I got married to an engineer.”
There are so many of us(Engineers) that in 10 years time every non engineering grad would evenually run out of choice and be forced to marry an engineer.
You can run from us..but u cant hide
Engineers may be bad at speaking and conducting themselves but No one can beat them at time (mis)management.
Infact there is a popular joke -
If you give a 1000 page book and ask the time required to complete the book - A doctor would say 3 months, A lawyer would say 2 months, A teacher would say 1 month but an engineer would ask “When is the exam?”
Ohh Yaa btw..Awesome article \m/
LOL!! Srini. I give up.
Now I can neither run from engineers nor can I hide from them. I live and breathe with them. By the way I don’t hold anything against engineers now. In fact, I had a close friend from DCE, one of my cousins is from IITK, and so many of you guys are from the same breed.:D So in past few years I have been surrounded by engineers. I am cool now!
And yes I kind of agree with the joke.
I am still laughing.
ur story remind me of smthn….
it gives me desire to feel positive…..
keep rckin…
I can connect myself with this post in my unique way…while reading is the way to GO for VA section, it has always been a way to live life. whenever i buy a book, i feel as if i have donr smthing good to me
I dont know how far i will go through CAT, but i am sure, reading will never go in vain.
Kushal, That solves my purpose of writing this post.
Virat, Indeed. Your reading will never go in vain. People who read have a better perspective of life than people who don’t.
i had made myslf a promise 4yrs ago dat cme wat may bt i wnt quit………i hd almst frgttn dat..thnx fr remindin…in bw all da times i made follies and ended up bein a cmplete mess i frgot dat life, smehw, always finds a way…smeday i hope , jst lyk u, i wud hv smethn to put in here fr odrs to rmbr nd realize wat actually matters in life is nt
avoidin failures bt hw v handle dm ….tc…keep writin..
Wota cute story… u noe wot while reading it i could so imagine each scene.. especially the part where u mentioned abt u gng home n tg sending u buks n movies… ohhh i’m so reminded of KC centre!!! God bless the couple ‘Touch Wood’ *touches her head* :P… but yeah definetely impossible is nothing… if an engineer can fetch a call from LSE… impossible is actually nothing
…
In that year, I had sent Dagny all my best books and movies. After her parents agreed and we were about to get married, I was regularly asking her to bring back my books and movies. One day she got exasperated and asked me, “Suno main aa jaoon ya sirf tumhari movies bhej doon?” and I said, “Nahin tum movies ke saath aana, that ways my movies would be safe during the trip.”
Manika, Yes he used to send me big couriers and I had to convince my mom that the courier was coming from my friends. I am sure she somewhere knew that I was lying but I had no other option then. I later confessed that TG used to send me those couriers.
Darn! I still wish you had gone to LSE.
Hahahaha… once i remember rajat asking me to write the address on one of the couriers, so that it looks like a girl’s handwriting… SERIOUSLY!!! but cns then i wanted to ask this one question - how do ur parents differentiate b/w a guy’s and a girl’s handwriting?
This was all Rajat’s imagination. You know him. Don’t you?
Hi,
I saw Twilight movie yesterday! I wanted to read the book first but my roomie,who had read the book last week,dint leave me alone.The entire day I heard “Shruti, find a vampire lover for me”…”Edward….Choo Chwweet” and the like! I just hadta see the movie then! It was adorable….. Reading the second book now
Btw,have u read ‘Eleven Minutes’ by Paul Coehlo?
LOL!!! The movie has no deapth, they have not covered even half of the book. The movie is cute but I liked the book more. I am about to complete the 4th one. TG hated every bit of book and didn’t bother to watch the movie.
Actually it’s Edwar’d gestures and his unconditional love for Bella that is touching a lot of hears. So may be… The other day I ended up telling TG that he is my true vampire. He hated it, of course and said that he would write a protesting blog post about it. 
Eleven minutes is one of my favourite books by Paulo Coelho. One of the books that I hve read more than once.
Ya, I liked Eleven Minutes though it was a bit creepy..
The movie is nt even half the book!! Shittt…I’l read the book then!
Paulo Coelho’s books are not for everyone. YOu either like them or you don’t.
thanks mam for this wonderful blog.it has definately raisrd my hopes in verbal section and shown me the way not only for cat but also most importantly for LIFE.
Most welcome, Gaurav and good luck.
Dagny
All i want you to say is Thanks
I was a medicore but had only interest in reading.. I used to read anything and everything when the rest of people around me do activites.. Mine love story also started when i was sixteen, a non medical student sitting in library with literature and blossom till now…
thanks for making my love more stronge…