Two results in J&K, in recent days, caught the eye. One on the sporting filed, another on the competitive turf called UPSC exam for All India Services. In the first case J&K brought laurels by bringing the trophy home for the first time. In the second case a handful of candidates made it to the elite services. Apart from bringing loads of joy to the persons, their families and friends, the results in both cases infused a general wave of happiness. As if all people related to the individual successes in these cases, one way or the other. The point is that people enter into an unseen bond when they feel a collective sense of joy and accomplishment. The lesson in this is that if we have good examples to show, it lifts up us as a people and contributes to the progress of a society as a whole.

The second, and the most needed point, is that merit ultimately prevails. No matter what the condition, and what the hardships, if an individual persists, success comes their way.

Now take the Ranji trophy win. Who could have imagined some years back that a team that hardly registered a win in any of the matches it played throughout the tournament would bring the cup home. But some nice and bright examples, and the whole thing changed. Our new sporting examples like Aqib Nabi, before him Parvez Rasool and Umran Malik, have given birth to an atmosphere of self belief and a willingness to work harder than usual. This is not an ordinary contribution to the game they, and others before them, have made.

Similarly, those who cracked the top notch exam contribute to the overall atmosphere of success. On the face of it these are all individual stories, individual successes. At the most its impact drowns a family in immense joy and pride. But deep down it sets a momentum and creates an atmosphere that  generates more success stories. Those who made it this year will inform the successes next year in a silent way. That is what merit does, and that is how examples in a society work.

All our institutions, whether sports or education, need to work on creating these examples. Rest follows.

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