THE INDOMITABLES
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They rose
above their grim financial circumstances, overcame all sorts of odds and defied
stereotypes to top exams, get into IIMs and even pursue a PhD at 15! Here are
their incredible stories: of unrelenting struggle and hard work.
SHIVA KUMAR NAGENDRA
A
TRUCK DRIVER’S SON IN IIM CALCUTTA
'For years I slept at midnight and woke up at
4am'
Shiva Kumar Nagendra spots a man waiting
outside the beautiful, white house. The sky is a brilliant shade of purple and
a lone star dots the velvety morning sky.
“Should I or should I not?” There's a battle
going on between his heart and his mind. “But you HAVE to do it!” His heart
wins. And off walks 12-year-old Shiva towards the man in the white night suit,
towards the moment that is going to change his life forever.
Shiva Kumar Nagendra’s parents had migrated
to Bengaluru 25 years ago from Mysore. But his father, a truck driver, met with
an accident that left him bed-ridden for almost three years. The family started
facing financial problems. His mother took to making garlands so Shiva and his
sister could sell them. But it wasn’t enough. “I started delivering newspapers.
It was a morning job, so I could continue my studies,” says Shiva.
However, with time, expenses went up further.
“I could’ve worked at a restaurant or as a mechanic. But I didn’t give in.”
One morning, he spotted a gentleman waiting
for his newspaper. “I handed him his paper and asked if I could wash his car in
the evening for some more money.” He agreed. So that evening, after washing his
car, Shiva mustered up the courage to ask, “Sir, I need 15,000 to pay my school
fees.” The man was taken aback. Shiva suggested the man visit his school, and
deposit the money directly if he found any truth in Shiva’s case.
The next day, Krishna Veda Vysa visited
Shiva’s school and discovered that he had always been a class topper.
Convinced, he told Shiva, ‘I’ll take care of all your education expenses. Just
focus on your studies and don’t quit!’
So Shiva carried on his daily grind along
with his studies. But he was ambitious even at that age. He started a newspaper
distribution agency, appeared for his class 10 exams and topped. He went on to
get a seat at the Bangalore Institute of Technology (BIT) and was soon offered
a job by Wipro.
“Vyas uncle, an entrepreneur, thought that
taking up the job would get me a fixed salary, but it wouldn’t change my life.”
He insisted Shiva pursue higher studies.
Shiva was in a fix. He didn’t know how to
break the news to his parents. “When I told them that I planned to decline the
offer, they pleaded with me to work at least for a few years.” Shiva tried to
explain to them, how an IIM/ IAS student has far better career prospects.
Eventually, his parents relented.
Shiva decided to take the Common Admission
Test (CAT). Mr Vyasa got Shiva admitted to a tutorial centre. At this point,
Shiva was balancing his engineering classes, his MBA preparation, and his
fastexpanding newspaper agency.
The day the CAT results were due, Shiva was a
nervous wreck. Though he had the Wipro job in hand, he wanted to walk through
the gates of an IIM. And then, IIM Calcutta happened!
Initially he felt out of place. “It was
competitive and difficult to match the students — many from the best colleges
of the country.”
His background, however, had never been a
matter of shame to Shiva. People at IIM respected where he came from and all
that he had done to get where he had reached. He attributes his achievements
not only to intelligence, but also hard work. “For years, I woke up at 4am and
slept at midnight. I wasn't born with a silver spoon. I’ve worked hard for what
I wanted.”
Shiva graduated from IIM this year and is
working with a Bengaluru-based startup. Life, he says, will always try to knock
you down. “It depends on how strong you are to get up and fight back.”
HTBR 13SEP15
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