The best brains

The best brains of the nation may be found on the last benches of the classroom.

The best for the last :). Not because I was always a last-bencher :) :). 

The "last-bencher", to me, is a metaphor for people who do not conform to conventions. They are the incurable dreamers. They are the ones who think differently. They are the ones who dare to imagine and are not bound by their textbooks. They are the silent rebels who go against the flow of the current. They are ones who may not have understood numbers but they understood people. They could be the kids with conditions like dyslexia or attention deficit disorder.

So, just because your grades are not good, just because you are not good in rote learning, just because you are not the one who raises your hand for textbook questions asked by your teacher and just because you are not a first-bencher DOES NOT MEAN you are not intelligent. It does not mean that your application of mind is inferior to anyone else. It does not mean you will be any less successful than anyone else.

A lot of the "last benchers" from my school time, who may or may not have been academically great, turned out to be one of the most creative, the most entrepreneurial, the most balanced and the street-smartest.

I have worked with last-benchers and school drop-outs and their intelligence has often put me to shame. And I have a double masters!

It should be absolutely motivating for parents, children and youths that this quote is coming from a man who was academically very bright and was a teacher, scientist and a statesman at the highest possible level.

On his 5th death anniversary, I can only hope, wish and pray that we can follow some of the these wisdom in our stride towards our goals.