Rocky Rajesh

What if you have been always left behind. You fail to score the winner. Time after time you're lost. Mentally how would you feel ahead of a race. Poor souls who have never tasted victory.

My name is Rocky and it was the race day. The day that I had been waiting for since a long time. I had been a good performer in many of the races but this was a special one. It was the 25^th race that I had been participating. Although I was well rewarded for my tactics in running adopting the best skills, I was always waiting for the eternal one �" A Win !! I had been putting up a lot of practice before any race, but I had never won one. I always came second. I was always outplayed. For long I had been waiting to taste success but game after game, I had been left behind by one. My fierce runs, overtaking skills, willpower had all been taken down by one. Our rivalry has been on for months �" race after race. It was often believed that just before the game, the one who has clear vision and free mind would win and take them all but I couldn’t stop controlling my mind and these thoughts were coming in from all directions about my under performance against the all-time winner.

 

I was ferocious but tactically I was beaten on all occasions by him. I had participated in all races ranging from 2000-4000 meters but one after another �" I was taken down by him. My speed was not effective to beat his tactics. The pain of loss had sunk well in me that whenever I see him my mind started to give up the game. It was such a feeling that I was almost scared of facing him in every game. Loss after loss saddened me and almost put me behind him even before the game started. Some times, he used to play mind games with me �" mocking me before the game started. Though I chose to ignore him, my mind couldn’t. Failure persuaded me to acquire the fear content infused in my subconscious. I was broke �" like a dead meat. I knew he was the favorite to win this game as well. However I wished to end this long tragedy of failure. My thirst for win was long impending but the sad results had put me to a state that I started to feel having lost that thirst. I was still, silent.

 

I was into a lot of thoughts just before the game. My mind was revolving around that one whom I always dealt with, with fear and agony. He made cry a lot of times. There were lots of occasions when I was cursed for coming second despite my initial lead with high speed. My acceleration was truly remarkable but after reaching midway something happens to me that reduces my speed and never could I complete the run first. When I was first introduced I was praised for my speed and agility. My velocity was on par with previous title winners but eventually some factor made me lose every single game until now. I wasn’t tall, neither I was bulky �" I had all the ingredients of a winner. But it felt like the crown was snatched away from me by him. I was not the case of the inability to win a game but probably I felt I was the best out of all others �" Probably the feeling of being blessed with a good body �" Probably the over joy of my velocity �" Perhaps being a complete player in the troop. The zeal for victory existed initially but after taking a good lead and midway perhaps these thoughts sunk in and confused me before I reached my destiny.

 

Perhaps I was taking my competitors lightly and didn’t appreciate their skills and abilities. Perhaps I didn’t have the character required for winning. Although I was the best in my troop and always won the games within my group but failed to perform in the tournaments. I had one of the best trainer who loved and trained me day and night but I couldn’t give him the taste of success. I had very few moments before my 25^th game and these thoughts started flowing in. I was under the mode of self analysis and self evaluation. I wanted to correct my mistakes before this game. I wanted to create history �" something that was long impending.

My name is Rajesh and it was the race day. The day that I had been waiting for since a long time. I had been a good performer in many of the races but this was a special one. It was the 25^th race that I had been participating. Although I was well rewarded for my tactics in adopting the best skills, I was always waiting for the eternal one �" A Win !! I had been putting up a lot of practice before any race, but I had never won one. I always came second. I was always outplayed. For long I had been waiting to taste success but game after game, I had been left behind by one. My skills, willpower had all been taken down by one. Our rivalry has been on for months �" race after race. It was often believed that just before the game, the one who has clear vision and free mind would win and take them all but I couldn’t stop controlling my mind and these thoughts were coming in from all directions about my under performance against the all-time winner.

 

I was short and thin but tactically I was beaten on all occasions by him. I had participated in all races ranging from 2000-4000 meters but one after another �" I was taken down by him. The pain of loss had sunk well in me that whenever I see him my mind started to give up the game. It was such a feeling that I was almost scared of facing him in every game. Loss after loss saddened me and almost put me behind him even before the game started. Some times, he used to play mind games with me �" mocking me before the game started. Though I chose to ignore him, my mind couldn’t. Failure persuaded me to acquire the fear content infused in my subconscious. I was broke �" like a dead meat. I knew he was the favorite to win this game as well. However I wished to end this long tragedy of failure. My thirst for win was long impending but the sad results had put me to a state that I started to feel having lost that thirst. I was still, silent.

 

I was into a lot of thoughts just before the game. My mind was revolving around that one whom I always dealt with, with fear and agony. He made cry a lot of times. There were lots of occasions when I was cursed for coming second despite my initial lead with high speed. I never could come to a conclusion on why I had lost game after game. I tried all possible cases required to win a tournament �" tried all qualities and placed it in my game  - but the goal was always far away from  me. When I was first introduced I was praised for my skills and technique. My velocity was on par with previous title winners but eventually some factor made me lose every single game until now. I wasn’t tall, neither I was bulky �" I had all the ingredients of a winner. But it felt like the crown was snatched away from me by him. I was not the case of the inability to win a game but probably I felt I was the best out of all others �" Probably the feeling of being blessed with a good body �" Probably the over joy of my velocity �" Perhaps being a complete player in the troop. The zeal for victory existed initially but after taking a good lead and midway perhaps these thoughts sunk in and confused me before I reached my destiny.

 

Perhaps I didn’t have the character required for winning. Although I was the best in my troop and always won the games within my group but failed to perform well in the tournaments. My mind was trying to gain the moments that I had with my competitor and trying to assess what went wrong and how different strategies could have been adopted. I was in a calculative mode. It is not just the skills and speed matter but there are in fact quite a number of other factors which decides the result. I had very few moments before my 25^th game and these thoughts started flowing in. I was under the mode of self analysis and self evaluation. I wanted to correct my mistakes before this game. I wanted to create history �" something that was long impending.

Moments before the game we met each other. We were the losers until now and wanted to change destiny. We just glanced at each other. We had the similar motive ahead of the game. We had analysed our mistakes of the past and wanted to create a new day. We had decided to put everything of the pat behind and focus on only the present �" the one which we can control. We dismissed all of the past memories and history. We erased all our failure thoughts from our minds. We were right there facing each other at the present. No conversations went on, because we knew what is required of us. The more eye contact we had we understood each others’ ambitions and hunger to win.

 

Neither of us spoke a word. The clock was ticking. We needed each others’ help to give across a tough competition and to be in the race ahead. We were closely associated over the months and we understood each other well. But some factor was missing in us. Probably the ignition to win subsided after a few losses. And then we were carried forward by losses. Perhaps that fire was missing and we were badly in need of that. He touched on my back and I was feeling the fire inside him. In fact, he too was labelled a failure because of me. He gently comforted my face and was as close as he as saying something. I felt sorry for letting him down over the months and felt that nothing of that sort would repeat this time.

 

We hoped to turn things around this time and satisfy our fans who still had faith on us. In his eyes I was able to see the clear intent to beat all of our rivals and get crowned. The real competitor �" who had beaten us all these months in all the races, we knew would be with immense power and control. Over the last few races we had assessed our rival better. We know of his strengths and weaknesses after going over all of these painful moments. The more we started embracing each other, the more we felt to beat our real enemy �" the Chetak who was the eternal winner of the past. Our real rival was the Chetak. Unspoken we remembered and framed how we need to beat the rival. Not just the strength and power but tactics too is required to beat the real foe. 

 

We had the best physique and body but it is not enough to win. We need to know when to slow down and when to speed, to mislead the enemy from what is coming behind. It is waiting for the opportune moment and thrashing him when the time comes. It is to learn when to slow down in the curves, save the energy later to finish off well. It was time…

 

Chetak was with other racers and he was the one who always won. Me and Rajesh were always the underdogs. But we wanted a change. The Pistol was shot. I started slowly when compared to my previous games. Chetak was fierce and glad that he was on top. The track was not the one that everybody were used to. It was pretty unique in its way. It had lost of curves. Chetak was roaring ahead. I was coming second. I quickly analysed and predicted the surface. I gently took down on the curves and didn’t speed. Chetak was completely mad racing with constant speed at all curves. I saved my energy. Then I took a mammoth speed, the velocity that I am known far in the straight track. That time both me and Chetak and were running together at steady speed. Then came a curve and I slowed down and turned. Chetak misjudged the curve and slipped little bit. I took advantage of the situation and raced ahead of him. He was at my back chasing me. But he couldn’t stop my acceleration. Thus for the first time in history, I completed the race winning.  Rajesh was very happy. I was on top of the world. My name is Rocky and my Jockey is Rajesh �" And we won our 25^th game….

Author's Note

ignore grammar problems