Dhenkanal: Failure is the first step towards success and 65-year-old man Trilochan Naik from Odisha’s Dhenkanal had to take 42 steps to clear Matric exams.
Naik who recently cleared Bachelor of Laws is a true embodiment of grit and determination. He has proved that one should not say that one will never do something, because there is always a small possibility that one might do it.
Naik has also registered his name in the Bar Council. While one might think his passion for education is a sheer obstinacy, what makes his story so captivating is his journey to get the law degree which took him nearly 50 years.
Naik appeared Matric exams for the first time in 1972 and failed. But he tried once again to take first major step in academics and failed once more. This inspired in him the desire to challenge himself and appear Matric exams one after another including the supplementary tests. Time after time he failed but he continued on his efforts with sheer perseverance amidst the setbacks.
Finally he succeeded in his efforts and passed the Matric exams in 1992. But by that time, his passion to pursue higher studies had enamoured him so much that he did not give up in his dream and enrolled his name in a plus 2 course. But here also, passing the examination proved to be a herculean task for Naik. It took him a total of 19 years to clear plus 2. After taking admission in plus III course at the Utkal University, he finally secured an LLB degree in 2017. Now dressed in white coat, Naik is honing his jurisprudence skills.
One most interesting part of Naik's story is that once he had to appear the plus 2 board exams with his elder son and some other relatives.
But more than the burden of clearing the exams, public mockery was probably the hardest challenge Naik had to overcome in his life, he says.
I remained unperturbed despite criticisms from all around, said Naik who is a farmer by profession. He has lost his wife in the meantime and is survived by families of his two sons.