Visakhapatnam: pursue your passion with total commitment, Bolla Srikanth tells students

‘At the macro-level, procrastination is causing stumbling blocks in the progress of the nation’

Bolla Srikanth, the first blind student to graduate from MIT in the USA, held a sway over the students of Sri Prakash Vidyaniketan during his two-hour long interaction with them at a programme, organised on the school premises at Kapuluppada here on Friday.

Poverty, unemployment and illiteracy are the three main problems in India. But, any guesses for the root cause of these three problems? A boy finally said laziness and Mr. Srikanth invited him onto the stage and gave him chocolates. Due to laziness, we keep on postponing things and finally the task may be given up. Once laziness is tackled, solutions can be found to these problems. At the macro-level, procrastination is causing stumbling blocks in the progress of the nation.

“I was born without sight and people around me, including my relatives, were doubtful whether I could achieve anything in life, and they felt I would be burden on society. But, I proved them wrong with my perseverance and hard work. When some said I cannot do something, I took it positively and I used to put more efforts to achieve it,” he said.

Mr. Srikanth told the children about the need to pursue their passion with total commitment. “A low aim is a crime and those who aim for the sky can at least scale a mountain. We all have the same brain but the difference between great men like Dr. Abdul Kalam and Steve Jobs and the ordinary ones is that they use their brain to its full potential while the latter use only a fraction of it,” he said.

When a student asked him, whether he ever felt like giving up, Mr. Srikanth said, “Everyday. But, I was bent on overcoming the obstacles as I had chosen my goal and have to succeed in it. Running away from a problem does not take a person anywhere.”

Sagi Sri Hari Varma, an alumnus of Sri Prakash, presently a cinematographer from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Los Angeles, gave a presentation to the students.

The school celebrated its annual day ‘Aroma’ at Gurajada Kalakshetram on Thursday evening. The students displayed their creative abilities through an exhibition.