The King’s Attempts
What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?
“What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” said the great Vincent Van Gogh. What did he attempt with that courage? 2000 breathtaking paintings? Evolution to the world of arts? A terrible suicide? Many were attempted courageously by the great Vincent Van Gogh, setting an example that life would never be the same without a sprinkle of courage.
Now, to answer the question, what would my life be like if we had no courage to attempt anything? Well, life would be as blank and boring as the white canvas that was kept in Van Gogh’s storage room. We were born artists, so why leave our canvas empty?
A prominent example of someone that has painted a beautiful portrait out of courageous attempts would be Mr S. Nagaraja. This might be a familiar name. If not, get a quick glance at the book cover and you will know who it is. If you still do not know who it is, then continue reading thoroughly…
Mr Nagaraja was born and raised in the valleys of Bangsar, by his widowed immigrant mother and his 3 brothers. His life in the valley was filled with mischief and fun until he turned sixteen. We might call it sweet sixteen. Well, for him I don’t think it was very sweet. He started losing one of the most important senses that a person needs. VISUAL. Darkness became his everyday view, but that did not cloud his determined mind. Mr Nagaraja always said, “Since I can’t see the world, let’s make the world see me.” And that was the motto that got him out of bed every day.
He started his special school at the Malaysian Association of Blind institution and specialized in reflexology. Mastering up his skill and knowledge, he ventured into the real world. Now even as a person who can see with two eyes gets deceived in this horrendous world, but a man with no eyes, what did he do? Many he did to survive, but one he never did was to give up.
He went looking for jobs. He found many, but most of the employers tricked him by not paying his wages. Fortunately, he landed in the hands of a kind Japanese man. He started his practice and soon many got to know the magic of his hands. The magic where he could cure any illness with just a touch.
As his fame started growing, so did his inner entrepreneur. He knew that his life shouldn’t just stop here. So that is when Mr Nagaraja started building an empire which is his reflexology centre in Klang named ChiNaga. And with that, the dynasty remains alive till today, standing proud and strong with millions of people getting cured of strokes to pressure.
The centre was not just kept as a health centre, but also as a teaching centre, where many students from his former institution Malaysian Association of Blind came and underwent their reflexologist practicum. Mr Nagaraja believed that sharing his skills with the world would be a great way to boost blind students’ independence in facing the struggles in the real world.
Some people did mock his tremendous attempts saying that it is just a waste of time or he was just lucky. Some even said that he was living a king’s life due to his name having the word raja. But none of this stopped Mr Nagaraja to succeed in life, it was the opposite actually. He said that those remarks made on him actually motivated him to live his best life and provide people with his best.
With all his courageous attempts in life, the biggest attempt he has made was getting married. Now building an empire is easy, but building a marriage? Marriage isn’t something built up by stones and sand, it is built with trust. Mr Nagaraja needed a woman who would love him for who he was and not out of sympathy. Fortunately, he met the woman of his dreams who loved him for his best and his flaws. A few years later, he proposed, and they got married.
Now, we have seen him as an entrepreneur, as a husband, but what about as a dad? Well, he too ventured into the world of family. He was a great dad. Every dad is a hero, but I would proudly say that Mr Nagaraja was a hero to all his children. His five children were all one of a kind. People used to say he was blessed with the Pancha Pandavas. And he was especially when each one comes home with a unique problem every day. Like all fathers, he gave every single child the opportunity to enjoy and experience the world. But what he also did was teach his children how to work hard and there is no easy way to attain success. He also emphasised the importance of education and set a rule in his family that all children should study until they reach up to a PhD level and more. Yes, this may sound harsh. But he is determined that a good education foundation would be a passport in securing an independent life in this world.
Now, what did Mr Nagaraja teach us? To never give up? To strive for success? Well, I don’t know what he has taught all of you. But to me, he taught us that life is never going to be the way you want it to be without attempting anything. He taught us to get out of our beds and start attempting something in life. Most importantly, he taught us that success only comes with hard work and to always remember success or failure is a process of the attempt, not the end product. So enjoy and cherish the journey of painting your life portrait and don’t worry about the outcome and as Van Gogh said, “what is done in love, is done well.”
