APRIL 16 Success in Perseverance

APRIL 16 Success in Perseverance It has been very aptly observed that success lies in perseverance. The entire gamut of human history testifies to the truth of this saying. Life’s journey, frequently directed along uneven paths, is one in which one faces many unfavourable situations. Yet the wayfarer has to continue his journey whatever the odds. This is called perseverance. One who possesses this quality reaches the destination of success in this world. The greater the perseverance the greater the success. This is a law of nature. Just open your eyes and you will find clear indications of this reality. I am reminded of the man, standing by the side of a rock, who looked down and found that, due to the continuous lashing of the waves, the rock had worn away, remarked to me, “Look, the rock is a hard object, while water is so soft. But even if as soft a thing as water acts with perseverance, it can crush as hard an object as a rock into pieces. All the huge quantities of sand found on the sea shores have been produced by this lashing of water against the rocks.” The career of Dr. Subramaniam Chandrashekhar (1910-1995) provides a recent human parallel. From his childhood he showed keen interest in mathematics and astronomy. Later on he took up as the subject for his research the birth and death of the stars. In this connection, he presented his initial conclusion in the form of a research paper at a meeting of Astrophysical Society held on January 11, 1935. Scientists of repute, including Sir Arthur Eddington, were present at the meeting. Sir Arthur Eddington ridiculed Chandrashekhar and tore his papers to pieces. Later on Chandrashekhar wanted this paper to be published in the Astrophysical Journal published from London. But his paper was rejected. Disheartened by this discouraging experience, he left Britain for India. Here he applied to different universities for a job but failed to find one. He was rejected both at home and abroad. Yet this was not enough to dishearten Chandrashekhar. He now left India for Chicago, where he found the circumstances more favourable. He devoted himself once again to his research. Gradually his theory became so popular