SUCCESS = BELIEF

As a kid and later even as young man, I always use to wonder as to how millions of people walk a distance of over 250 kms braving monsoon weather. These people comes from all walks of live, young and old, rich and poor, men and women, healthy and ill ones, they all walk together. What could be the secrete that motivates millions of individuals to join in this mega walkathon from Alandi or Dehu to Pandharpur in Maharashtra for centuries together. Popularly called as as "Vari", which passes through city of Pune, and I have been witnessing all these years, is swelling in number of folks joining it every year.

To understand the secrete of this, yesterday I joined second leg of this annual walkathon from Pune to Saswad, a distance of 32 kms, which these devotee's cover in just a day. Together with my 12 colleagues, I started walking alongside these "varkari's" at Bhairoba nala at 7 a.m. While, we all enjoyed our experience throughly, I got my long awaited answer to a question, that I was amused for all these years. And the answer was so very simple - BELIEF!!!

It was belief in the divine power and godly values that boost these millions of people to walk through this rough terrain, midst of monsoon for centuries together every year. It is BELIEF or SHRADHHA, as it is called in Marathi is the reason for successful "Vari" every year. If you deeply introspect, this belief is not only responsible for such events, but also for every small and big success in our individual life, success as a team, as a family, as a society, as a nation, and to the extent of success of a humanity. Like those millions of "Varkaris" we need to have deep rooted, un-shakable belief in what we believe in our selves. These "varkaris" believe that praying to lord Vitthala by undertaking such a tedious walkathon. If we have similar belief in our abilities, and our dreams, I am sure that we would be successful in every endeavor that we are into, or we wish to plunge into. I met a severely asthmatic young man in mid 30's who has undertaken this yatra for the first time - as he believed that it would cure his disease - and I thought for a moment "Why not?". Stretching beyond his physical abilities is certainly going to bring in much required physical and mental strength in him, and certainly this vari is going to help him positively as his confidence would be at a new height that he can do impossible in spite of difficulties.

Thus, believe in who you are?, purpose of life, your dreams, your abilities, your strengths, and your commitment to success. There is no way that you could be a failure - just have unshakable, and undisturbed belief. In fact, success if directly proportional to the degree of your belief. Thus,

SUCCESS = BELIEF!