Finding the Diamond
19 year old Surajit ran through the doors of his parents’ house and bursted out in excitement, “I GOT AN OFFER INTO THE RANJI TROPHY.” Due to his amazing record at the Presidency College Cricket Team, Surajit had just received a letter from a man named, Rudra Srivastava, who offered him a meeting to discuss a position on the Ranji Trophy--India’s most elite cricket league. Before 1934, cricket was a game that was exclusively played by the “elite”, but after the Ranji Trophy was created, cricket was open to all Indians, and the Ranji Trophy was born (“A History of Ranji Trophy”). Hopeful Indians across the globe dream of a day where they are given the chance to play on this highly revered league that symbolised the end of the oppression, but it wasn’t just a dream for Surajit; it was reality.
Surajit’s words hit his family like a rock in their face, as nobody in the household was expecting news like this (Chaliha, M). He scoured through his bag for the letter, and then handed it to his father, Kuladhar, in delight. As his fathers eyes travelled down the length of the letter, Surajit stood by his side patiently waiting for his father’s eyes to glisten with admiration. Except that moment never came. Unlike his son, Surajit’s father didn’t share the same thrilling sensation, and instead decided to resume his usual activities. Confused by the reaction of his father, Surajit approached him again and waved the letter in his face. (Chaliha, A)
“I got into the Ranji Trophy! Are you not impressed?” exclaimed Surajit.
Kuladhar took a deep breath and asked him to take a seat, and explained,
“Beta (Son), I am impressed that you were offered a spot on the Ranji, but I don’t think you should take it. In our household, we do not value such things, and both your mother and I don’t believe in pursuing sports as a career. So please think about what you’re getting into.” (Chaliha, S)
Surajit believed that this letter was a direct ticket to fame, success, and wealth, and was absolutely baffled by the fact that his own father did not share the same belief. Both of Surajit’s parents were academics and education was valued greatly over anything other thing in their household (Chaliha, M). While Surajit had a burning passion to pursue cricket, his father reiterated their household values with a heavy emphasis on education. His fathers words were like a hammer of letters which struck him with a fist of realisation.
He looked down at his letter one more time, and he realised that cricket isn’t what he was destined to do in life. He had to uphold his household values that he grew up with as a child, and he did. Ultimately, he rejected the offer and went on to pursue his education. (Chaliha, M)
In hindsight, it can be seen that if Surajit hadn’t rejected that offer, it would’ve changed the entire trajectory of his life. He and his future generations might’ve simply just stayed in India for their whole lives and he probably wouldn’t have reached the level of success that he actually did. If it wasn’t for his parental upbringings and his family’s attitudes towards success, Surajit might have simply remained a diamond in the rough. But because of these two factors, Surajit was able to make the right decision and reject the offer and was able to become the great man he turned out to become, both personally and professionally.