With effort and practice, I believe anyone can excel at anything. At the risk of sounding boastful, I’d like to say that I am good at anything I put my heart into. Of course, there are certain things I can’t try now, but if I had learned and practiced them, I’d be good at those too! The famous Sanskrit verse says it all: उद्यमेन हि सिद्ध्यन्ति कार्याणि न मनोरथैः। नहि सुप्तस्य सिंहस्य प्रविशन्ति मुखे मृगाः।। This means, “You can achieve a task through hard work, not merely by wishing for it. No animal is going to voluntarily enter the mouth of the lion!”

Learning the divine language of Sanskrit is one such example where practice helped me grasp the language better. I have been studying Sanskrit from an early age, but it is after rigorous practice for 20 years that I can now comfortably say I understand the language. At times, it was frustrating, but I didn’t let that deter me. Now, I can even pen verses in Sanskrit in different meters.

There are other skills that, without practice, I am quite rusty at, but hopefully, I get to practice soon and get good at them too. The key is never to let it get to your head. The minute you think you are great, your learning stops. There is another Sanskrit verse which says, “विद्या ददाति विनयम्,” but I often see the reverse!