Walt Disney was
born on 5th December, 1901. Although his father Elias worked diligently, he was
unable to establish his business. Hence, Walt’s childhood was passing by in a manner
that was nothing but ordinary. Neither did he have toys to play with nor fine
clothes to wear. Then, at the age of seven, his life took a new turn. His aunt,
Margret gifted him a sketch pad and a few colour pencils. Now, for someone who
hasn’t even seen a toy, this gift was like a dream come true! And it was from
here on that he developed an interest in sketching.
As he grew up he
was enrolled into a school. But the condition at home was such that, Walt had
to take on odd jobs like distributing newspapers and selling eggs, before heading
to school. This hectic schedule through the day left him exhausted! However, he
didn’t have to deal with this hardship for long. Due to the economic condition
of the house, soon he had to drop out of school. Thereafter, he got completely
involved in working and lending his father a helping hand. But, selling eggs
and newspapers door-to-door had given him some bad experiences too. He often
bumped into many of his schoolmates on the streets or at the houses where he
would go to sell his wares. Certainly, this was very embarrassing, but Walt would
bear it all with a smile! At times, when he saw a child playing with a toy, for
a moment he would be gripped by sadness, but then he would simply accept the
realities of his life. However, the circumstances were actually very difficult!
Not having toys was one thing, but he did not even have any friends to play
with! So, to pass time and entertain himself, whenever he got the chance, he
would sketch the train that passed by his house. And it was from here that
sketching became his passion and trains, his dream!
But the hardships
of life snatched away even these two pursuits from him! He had to do numerous
chores with his father also and on growing a little older, he had to take up
multiple jobs as well. At the age of 17, he signed up with Red Cross and travelled
to France for a year with its team of doctors. There once again, he got the
chance to sketch. Whenever he found some spare time, he would get down to making
portraits of his colleagues. But as if this was enough to satiate Walt’s passion?!
So upon returning home, he decided to make his passion his profession and the
means to make a living. Thereafter he worked as a cartoonist in a newspaper and
even learnt animation. Further, he also opened numerous animation studios, but
for one reason or another, they all shut down. Even then, Walt’s spirits
weren’t dampened! He had complete faith in his passion and talent. And finally,
as he turned 23-years-old, Walt decided to try his hand in Hollywood. Of
course, nothing was easy out there! But Walt’s talent and genius ultimately
compelled Hollywood to embrace him. And the history that was created thereafter
is not unknown to any of us!
Well! All this is
fine, but the important part of the story begins from here! Now that Walt had
no dearth of wealth, being ‘The King of Animation’ he was seated at the
pedestal of success in the field he loved, drawing! And it was at this poignant
point in life that he remembered his childhood dream...yes, The Train! That’s
it! He bought a huge farm and laid out a 1400 feet long railway track and even
ran a train that was replete with all the modern facilities! He would often
have his dinner aboard this train. His train became famous across all of
Hollywood and it became a matter of pride to dine there. But Walt didn’t stop
even at this! He had fulfilled his dream, but what about the world at large? He
hadn’t experienced the joy of childhood and toys, but at least the other
children of the world should! And so, on a plot of 160 acres he built
Disneyland!
Now after
listening to this story, you decide for yourself why shouldn’t I call Walt the
king of passion-pursuers and dreamers? Despite the odds being largely against
him, he rose above the tough situations to take his dreams and pursuits to the
peak of success! Along with Walt’s determination, hard work and strong perseverance
towards his goals, his life story also draws our attention to his singular-orientation
for his dream! Truly, if an individual nurtures only one passion or dreams of just
one thing, thereafter puts all his energies and hard work in achieving that,
then who cannot become a Walt Disney? Otherwise, the state of people like us
who pursue numerous passions and have a 1000 dreams is there for all to see!
This too shall
come about...but today, on his birthday, I salute the king of dreamers and
pursuers!
- Deep Trivedi
No comments:
Post a Comment