Real Inspirational Story Of A Courageous Village Boy Who Battled To Reach The Top Of The World – Series 1
He is my best buddy, my philosopher, a cricketer, a professor, a responsible husband, father to a lovely angel, an amazing son and his excellence at heart is truly unmatched.
This village boy’s inspirational story is incredibly impeccable because I have seen it myself..
I call upon you, to explore this story, where this fighter called Abhilash Soman, will show you how you can set goals in your life and how to achieve them, even if you face tremendous road blocks.
Moreover you can learn the art of leading a happy and well balanced life from this inspirational story.
The trailer is over and its time for us to watch the real show..Tighten your seat belts and get ready for this classical thriller..
I am now going to echo his sentiments and you are going to hear straight from the man himself:
“I believe life is filled with lot of challenges; whoever tackles it fearlessly can sail towards success.” – Abhilash Soman
And, mine is not exceptional. I have faced lot of challenges right from my childhood, which gave me the motivation, learning and strength; both mentally and physically to climb the ladder of success.
I was born in a typical middle class South Indian family and my parents; I would say they were one of the best parents in the universe, who gave me absolute freedom and fulfilled all my requirements within their limitations.
I was very ambitious, but my mother always asked me not to be too ambitious because according to her we were middle class people and we can’t afford to dream that much.
Now her perspective has changed and you will see that soon in this real inspiring story.
I kept on dreaming.
And what I realized after years is that, I have got whatever I have dreamed about.
Some took a little long to be fulfilled and some came to my shore within no time.
Let me tell you frankly, dreams are always meant to be fulfilled and it may take some time, but you should have the patience, will power and effort to make it happen.
So, the bottom line is effort combined with creative visualization will give you the desired results.
Now you can literally see what my dreams were and how I accomplished those through struggle, passion and hard work.
Episode 1:
When I was a six year old boy I started playing cricket with my friends near to my home.
Within a short span of time I was tagged as a good player and I was truly passionate about the game of cricket. Those days we used to play with our own crafted bat, but I used to dream about playing with a branded cricket bat, which was used by our little master.
One day my father took me to a shop and asked me to select a bat of my choice and I was over the moon on that occasion. I got a branded bat and we started playing with it, but not the international brand . That’s a long way to go, I told myself..
Then, I started dreaming about playing in a bigger ground as our current place was too small. After a little googling…(wondering where was Google those days, he he) we found a ground which was a little away from my home. However it was near to the beach, which made us happy.
A challenge was eagerly awaiting us in that place..!
It was flooded with teenagers and we were still in upper primary:).
Guess what???
All my friends were afraid of playing with them and they decided to play at our old ground.
For me, this was a do or die moment..!
I took it as a challenge and decided to play with the people who were taller, bigger and much elder than me.
Slowly but surely I started to handle the wily bowlers with ease and I became a good fielder too…If you think it was a cakewalk, then you are mistaken. It required immense self-confidence, combined with determination and perseverance..
Later, I was asked to be a part of the bigger age group team for the friendly matches. This was an icing on the cake. Because of my consistent performance they gave me the slot of the opening batsman. Being short turned out to be an advantage for me because they thought that I could fit-in the role of a wicket-keeper.
Syed Kirmani was short, Kiran More was short, Nayan Mongia was short, Sachin Tendulkar was short and so was Abhilash Soman ..!
Here comes the most inspiring part of the story…!
“Eureaka”, was the best cricket team in our city and we lost several matches against them. But, what attracted me was their team combination and the way they played their game with tremendous energy and enthusiasm.
As always, I started to dream, this time it was to play for “Eureka”.Being a 12 year old boy, it was just a wild dream rather a fantasy, because the average age of their players was well above 18.
I knew, it was very difficult to get into that team, but it would be possible once I prove my batting abilities, consistently.
I parked that dream for the time being in my garage, but I was always keeping a check on my vehicle once in a while, to remind myself. Time passed by and I stepped foot on my 10th standard.
Tuition’s were a part and parcel of a middle class Indian boy. It was the days of bicycles and I had one too.. On the way to my tuition center I saw a team practicing in the a close by ground.
Every day I used to spend some time there, watching them practice and the team was called VCC. One day a senior member of the team asked me to play with them and I was very happy as I started playing for them. That was a registered club and they use to participate in lot of good tournaments during the mid 90′s.
I wanted to be a part of this team, but my tenth standard board exam and my relatives stood as a stumbling block. So, I waited patiently till my exams got over and started playing again with VCC.
Everyday, we used to practice from 4pm to 6.30 pm.
Some of the senior players were impressed with me. But wherever you go there will be some one to pull you from behind as well, because they feel that you will take the limelight and their place will be in a state of bother.
I was least bothered about my critics and kept on playing my game by scoring runs in almost all the the practice matches.
Even though I proved myself they didn’t give me the opportunity to be a part of the team for a major tournament. I was told that I lacked experience..
Fortunate for me, unfortunate for the team – we lost the match and I found that those people who were playing very well during the practice sessions failed to deliver in the match.
You know what??
“Fear factor” was the reason.
Like you I was also not willing to give up and concentrated on my game.
I was not well versed with the shots on the leg side and was vigorously thinking on ways to improve my weakness.
The one thing that gave me the confidence to play any bowler was my strength in the defense. I was able to defended any ball irrespective of the bowler, but was not able to clear the boundary…he he he..Funny isn’t it..
People used to point out my weakness, that I was not able to hit a six or clear the boundary.
Then I found, I was not physically strong enough to play lofted shots.
What’s the next step??
Heading straight to a gymnasium which was close to my home. VCC continuously lost matches because of the collapse in our batting.
What made me more frustrated was the fact that I was denied a chance time and again.
Giving up was never in my blood, like you..
I continued to score runs in all the practice matches.
Finally, mera number aagaya (means I got the opportunity)…
One of the senior VCC team member named Mr.Jigad suggested my name for the opener’s slot for the the following day’s match, during our team meeting and they decided to include me in the eleven.
Again, it was an amazing feeling and I was not able to sleep that night, because I was visualizing about the match, next day morning.
In my first official game, I took 4 catches as a wicket keeper and scored 32 vital runs. Still we lost the match.
I played fearlessly which made Jigad and some of my team mates to appreciate me.
Episode 2
That was the start as a player:)…! It still remains and will forever, as a sweet memory in the corner of my heart..!
Remember “Eureka”. They say, “history repeats”.
This time I played against Eureka, my dream team..
I negotiated all their bowlers pretty well and many of their players congratulated me for my effort, being a short boy.
I was jumping with joy and I decided to take my parked dream from the garage to my garden and started watering it everyday, through creative visualization:)…
One day, the VCC team went to play for a tournament and the opposition team was one of the best teams from the city.
We bowled brilliantly and restricted them to 63. We had to score 64 from 20 overs to win that match.
Two of my distant cousin brothers were playing for Eureka and that day one of my cousins who was the current captain of Eureka team came to see our match.
We were chasing, I was knocking the ball sweetly and suddenly I got run out becaue of a slight mistake of my partner, I felt and people said.
I felt very bad and became emotional; ultimately we lost the match which could have easily been won by us.
People came to console me because they knew that my run out was crucial.
The Eureka captain and my team captain tried to calm me, but in vain..
Finally, the Eureka captain asked me to play for them in a game, the same afternoon.
I was awestruck…!
Those words were literally dream come true for me. I dreamed, but never how it is going to happen. However, it happened.
Dreams are like that – if you positively visualize it, one day it will happen and reality will be based on the intensity of your visualization and the effort you are willing to pay for it:).
The major part of my life is just gonna come.
I will be sharing with you my untold secrets – where I had to face poverty, cruelty from my relatives, love from my parents, continuous motivation by my friend, care from my wife, spice from my daughter, how jaundice took a toll on my life, how I came back to play cricket at the age of 28 and how I played for Kerala “A” division league with the likes of Kerala Ranji Trophy playes.
You will also hear more about my daily routines and how I play different roles in my life as a professor, husband, son, father, friend, cricketer and a responsible citizen.
More importantly I will share with you the tips on how to lead a happy, healthy and well balanced life in my second series.
I wish and hope that my story will be an inspiration for you and I will be back in a couple of weeks time to share the remaining part through inspiring citizen.
You can connect with me at abhilashsoman16@gmail.com.
Also kindly let me know what you felt about my story and my writing skills by commenting here because this is the first time that I am writing an article in my life..
So your feedback is very important for my inspirational journey…I will speak to you in two weeks from now..!:)
Comments
HI Abhilash
Your story has been an inspirational one for many ordinary persons like me who believe in hardwork, persistence and consistency pays in the long run. There are no shortcuts for success.
Dreams are there to be fulfilled and you rightly said the intensity of visualization is the key.
Thanks Rafi for introducing us to the great personality.
Sapna
Sapna recently posted…How much Bacon Can you eat before Heart attack eats you? (An Infographic)
Hello Sapna,
Thank you for being the first person to comment about Abhilash..
Your are such a lovely soul too, because you are managing a home and a very popular blog..All our support and wishes will be there for your growth.
We live in a symbiotic world and you are an amazing go giver..
Inspiring Citizen Rafi recently posted…Real Inspirational Story Of A Courageous Village Boy Who Battled To Reach The Top Of The World – Series 1
Thank you Sapna for your valuable comment .
Another inspirational interview Rafi and Abhilash!
Nice to meet such wonderful people, and we need to thank Rafi for bringing you right here Abhilash, on his blogging platform so that we all have something to learn and be inspired from you and all that you’ve undergone.
Yes, life doesn’t come easy for many of us, though I strongly believe that when we go through such hardships we learn to appreciate and value what we get in return. Those struggles, defeats, and fears are all stepping stones to success, though at that moment we don’t realize this fact.
I liked the way you described all that you went through right from the time you were a young boy and how your passion for cricket brought you what you wanted. I agree, the Law of Attraction is what works – if you think positive, positive will happen in your life, and vice-versa.
Similarly, you lines – Dreams are like that – if you positively visualize it, one day it will happen and reality will be based on the intensity of your visualization and the effort you are willing to pay for it. — are very true indeed. If you dream something and really wish for it from all your heart – and you remain dedicated at it – you WILL get it in the end. Yes, we need to be patient and remain committed. This is something I truly believe in too.
Thanks for sharing a part of you with us Abhilash, and we look forward to more inspiration in the 2nd episode too Rafi.
Harleena Singh recently posted…6 Steps to Have Loving and True Friends in Life
Thank you Harleena for the motivation and support.