We all, usually, have a role model — a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated. And, usually, that person is some popular figure in past or present history; someone prosperous or termed as successful. My role model is someone different and my definition of success is also different.
I’ve got many role models. Not that they’re not from the usual list but most of them are friends or acquaintances around me; from daily life. One of them is Vinay Jain who was my schoolmate in 1995.
He was a naughty young boy in school and a naughty young man as of now. He’s always been a child inside; full of energy and fun. But he wasn’t my role model in school days. He became one now as I got to know him better.
He lives a balanced life that’s an almost perfect combination of wealth, family, health, emotions, moments, experiences, time, adventures, hard-work, food, fun, friends, dreams, desires, spirituality, compassion, kindness, and all of that.
Very few have these all nowadays and he’s one of the blessed ones.
He’s been there done that type of character that always excites me with his experience and thoughts. He has a good job in an esteemed multinational, a loving wife, a bright child, a comfortable home, a speedy car, a lovely vision, a loving-kind heart, an optimal brain, and mad friends; like me.
I like to follow the virtues of these people around me because they’re the ones whom I connect a lot. Their life resonated with mine and I find solace while peeping into their struggles, challenges, victories, as I understand of all it. I’ve seen them growing, crying and laughing, etc. Hence, I always feel connected to these people who I call daily heroes.
There’re so many of them, who inspire me, as I write this blog post. My wife, my parents, my neighbors, the auto-rickshaw driver, my friends, the vegetable seller, the cleaner, the ones who forgave me for my bad behavior, my teachers, my students, my readers, my ex-lovers, the security guard of our housing society, the local police and not to forget the people who get up early morning and travel long distances daily in the crowded local trains of Mumbai.
I don’t connect with people with a chapter of their name in history books or have their biography in Wikipedia but rather I connect to regular people like Vinay — and many more like him — who are my role model.
