Covid crashes his Harvard summer school dream

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, June 1

The great Harvard dream nurtured by Gurdaspur school student Manjinder Singh Dala (17) came crashing down the day when Lockdown 1.0 was announced in the country.

Last year, the Class XII student of Kids International Public School, attended two 15-day courses in ‘Business Entrepreneurship’ and 'International Development' at the Oxford University Summer School. He now wanted to attend a fortnight-long course in ‘Economics and Management’ at Harvard Summer School when the Covid-19 played a spoilsport.

Before his Oxford sojourn, Manjinder was sent to NASA by his father Manjit Singh Dala, a realtor, on a “knowledge learning trip”.

Missing the Harvard bus did disappoint him, but he has now learnt to move on in his life.

After his schooling, he plans to do graduation in economics after which he will either join his father's business or will execute his own venture.

“Harvard was going to be a learning curve for me. My teachers have taught me that education opens up the mind, expands it and allows you to improve your life in so many ways. At Oxford, I was told to keep on experimenting. Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried something new. Life is all about hit and trial. You always learn from errors you commit in life. Studying in Oxford also taught me a very important thing. That is your attitude, not your aptitude and determine your altitude,” he said.

On being asked why he wants to study when he can easily slip into the shoes of his successful father, he said, “I want to be independent. My father worked hard to achieve success. I do now want to construct a building based on the foundation laid by him. I have my own ideas and ideals. I aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Remember that fear always lurks behind perfectionism.”

Sharing his views on life after school, he said, "The difference between school and life is that in school you are taught a lesson and then test is given. In life, you are given a test that teaches you a lesson.”

He has a penchant to study economics. “Economics is the study of how individuals, groups, and nations manage and use resources. Students like me who chooses to study economics not only gain skills needed to understand complex markets, but also learn strong analytical and problem-solving skills as well as business acumen necessary to succeed in the professional world,” quips Manjinder.