Sunday, July 29, 2012

Rise

Shattered ribs. A loose tooth. Wobbling nose. You lie there, looking through the bright lights, ears searching for silence through the deafening roar of the crowd. Your vision is hazy and your mind wanders listlessly, succumbing to anything and everything around. The world comes to a standstill. Blood, bile and sweat. A small voice inside you tells you that its over. You were never meant to be. You thought you could, but deep down inside, you knew it was too much. You knew you couldn’t. you want to accept the cynical reality and let the count finish. You want it to be over. You want to get done with it. Down. Bleeding. Broken. You are through.

You allow the weight of your tilt head itself sideways, with one of ears pressing the ground, reducing the sound to hollowness. And then you see them. People. All staring back at you. It is over, you convey with your half closed eyes. I cant do this anymore, I knew it from the start, I tried, I tried real hard, but I couldn’t. I am sorry.

You close your eyes for a moment. You try to picture one face among the crowd who shared your sentiment. Possibly your mother, father, brother, sister, your friend or companion. You cant. You open your eyes. And try to read into everyone else’s. None of them reflect sympathy. You see disappointment. Hope. Concern. Determination. Faith. Patience. Belief. You look away.

And then, you look inside. Yourself. You try to find that voice that was so soothingly trying to make you give up. That was telling you that you were no good. That it was over. The voice doesn’t have that courage to tell you that again. It fades away into nothingness, where it belongs. A different voice speaks up. A harsh one. A real one. Its Rocky. “The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.”

You open your eyes. You hear the count ending, you hear the crowd chanting, you hear the opponent snickering, but most importantly, you hear yourself. Its not yet over. You rest your weight on your stronger knee and reach for the rope. The tooth falls off and you hear your ribs clattering. The crowd chants louder, as you muster up all of your courage and strength to get back on your feet. The pain is incomparable, but as you rise, ten thousand people rise with you, clapping, shouting, hollering. You can barely walk, but you hold your stance and smile at the astonishment written all over your opponent’s face. There is no pain. No disappointment. No concern, hope or faith now. All you can see is victory. All everyone can see is victory. It doesn’t matter if take a another blow and drop down again, it doesn’t matter if you lose.You have risen. You have already won.



12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amazing! :)

"You try to picture one face among the crowd who shared your sentiment...you can't"

indeed...there's no market for your emotions. It's only you.

-Rahul Goswami

Gurtej said...

Where have you been sir!! Welcome back. Its been so long since I read one of you blog posts. But they still feel the same. Love the 'bottom-to-top' style of writing, where you start with the details and eventually reveal the big picture. Think this post is very apt, especially with the Olympics at hand. I felt that's where you got your invitation from. Keep writing

Gurtej

Gurtej said...

*inspiration

Anonymous said...

Well I'm commenting on your blog for the first time but I've read all your posts. I don't know from where you got the inspiration to write this particular one but truly inspirational! good stuff :)

Rishkul Kulkarni said...

First of all, thank you for writing something, given the drought. Further, this isn't just something, it is as good a narration I've read in ages. Hopefully you've powered a few light-bulbs around.

shrilata said...

Good one Yugandhar. Really liked it.Your post very much makes me realize that my blog is untouched for maybe half a year now.. you make me want to scribble.. rhyme.. and jot down something... :)

Anonymous said...

:) finally... good one..

-Sinan

Dimple said...

good stuff. first thought it was some accident or something but this is some solid stuff, Yugandhar. happy that you're blogging again - hope this makes everyone come back to the blogosphere.
again, love your posts - keep 'em coming!

Anonymous said...

I wish i hadn't been watching Million Dollar Baby before reading this. would've kept me puzzled about the plot.
beautifully written, so descriptive yet concise..precisely your style.. the morgan freeman voice in my head narrating it to me turned it into a dramatic movie-like experience for me. thank you!

yugandhar said...

@goga..thanks man..!!

@guru..bottom to top style..nice name for it!! will use this phrase somewhere ..:):)

@mini..hey thanks man! really feels nice to know that my readers list has grown..!!

@rishkul..mr seasoned blogger..! tere blog pe cobwebs aa gaye hain..! waiting for ur killer article..!!

@shrila..its a change, from sadness and tears to determination related...thanks !

@sinan..dude why dont u write man...? no travel adventured lately? thanks man!!

@dimpy..waiting for ur posts, hopefully everyone will become live in this virtual space, kindling college memories :) thanks

@ashwathi..thanks man!

Sanket said...

Yugandhar...Fantastic one. It can be related anywhere. You take bruises but that sweet victory waiting at the end is worth every single hit you get.

Great to see you back!

omkar said...

Good one.. Beautiful narration..!!
Keep them coming buddy..!! :)