Sharing a very inspirational success story, IIM Assistant Professor Ranjith R Pannathur, in a Facebook post, shared a photo of his small home, and said, “The distance from this hut (heaven) to becoming the assistant professor at IIM Ranchi was one of misery. It is the total of my dreams and the suffering of my father and mother.” His story has been shared widely, and it has garnered appreciation and support from the online communities.
A few have noted that his road to success inspires many who come from similar conditions. Ranjith points out in his post, “I know very well stories of many dreams that faded before they could bloom in thousands of huts like this. Now they should be replaced by stories of realising their dreams. You may be surrounded by walls and roof that might crumble any day, but make sure to dream big. One day you might be lifted to success in the wings of those dreams.” Here is a link to Ranjith’s Facebook post.
Here is the translation of the post:
I was born in this house, grew up here, and now I live here. I am elated to say that an IIM (Indian Institute of Management) Assistant Professor was born in this house. I wanted to tell the story of how I went from this house to IIM Ranchi, and if this story could inspire at least one person then I would consider that my success.
In Higher Secondary, I had good grades, but because of the pressure of my surroundings, I was thinking about quitting my studies. Luckily, I got a job as a night security guard at the Pannathur Telephone Exchange and had time to study during the day. My door to education, which I thought closed, opened again. My parents never told me to do this and that, and there was no one to guide me. I was stuck in the flow but the shores that I swam to have been beautiful.
St Pius College taught me to speak on stage and the Central University of Kerala told me that there is a world outside Kasargod. That is how I reached the grand world of IIT Madras. However, it was a strange world, at first it felt like being alone in the middle of a crowd. My mind had often told me that I could not last here. I was used to speaking only Malayalam and I was even afraid to speak. I thought this was not my way and decided to give up my PhD halfway. However, my guide (Dr Subash) convinced me that my decision was wrong and told me to fight. I wanted to win from then on.
The distance from this hut (heaven) to becoming the assistant professor at IIM Ranchi was one of misery. It is the total of my dreams and the suffering of my father and mother. I know very well stories of many dreams that faded before they could bloom in thousands of huts like this. Now they should be replaced by stories of realising their dreams. You may be surrounded by walls and roof that might crumble any day, but make sure to dream big. One day you might be lifted to success in the wings of those dreams.
