Winning story: Winning mindset should be cultivated from the very beginning

Winning story: Winning mindset should be cultivated from the very beginning 

While watching the movie 83, one aspect was prominent. hashtag#kapildev had envisioned winning the 1983 hashtag#cricketworldcup even before start of the tournament. He effectively communicated this vision to his team and played a pivotal role in making it a reality. 

Similarly, in 2006, my friend Girish Bhamre (with cap), a Mechanical student, suggested that we participate in a two day impromptu event to construct something using materials provided by the organizers. This was a national level competition, and I (standing with hands in pocket) believed we should aim for the first prize. With this intention, we teamed up with other two members from Electronics dept. (Prasad Gholve & Vikrant Gajre) 

The challenge was to build a vehicle that could transport itself by laying a bridge across a one-foot valley. At this point, I proposed to Girish that we adopt strategies used by Orcs in hashtag#LOTR. Orcs approach with a tall structure that drops its vertical door 90 degrees to form a bridge for attacking the city of Minas Tirith.

Fortunately, Girish, being a deep thinker, didn’t just accept the idea but further refined it. Throughout the two days, all four of us worked with the sole aim of winning. Consequently, we all contributed ideas to improve and speed up the model, and most importantly, to finish it ahead of time for practice and refinement.

In our initial attempt, in my excessive excitement, I kept the vehicle slightly off course at its initial point, deviating from the valley’s trajectory. However, Girish, with his calming presence, reassured me, saying, “Just concentrate on operating the car, I’ll handle the alignment.” In our second attempt, we successfully completed the task in a mere 12 seconds, a feat that took others at least three times as long. We not only created a winning model, but we also effectively managed a last-minute glitch, leading us to win and secure the first prize.