Johny was skating down the road on his skateboard, swerving away from the curb, bustling through the traffic... The sun in the sky, the gentle wafting breeze, & his love for life kept Johny company. He was the brightest student in his class, was an excellent speaker, but lacked a bit in confidence..

He was bullied, for being a skinny boy, & was quite alone all along... Johny used music to get rid of his boredom, & pain. His scholastic performance was nothing short of perfect, but his confidence plummeted, as his abusive father & the bullying at school escalated. Johny's insecurity developed into an inferiority complex. He avoided public functions, as far as possible...

In high school, Johny was the most intelligent student, but his sagging shoulders & his frustrated face showed the pain in his soul... He decided to read more books, & reduce the time he spent listening to music. To make himself a better person, Johny walked into the school library. The librarian jeered at Johny, but nonetheless helped Johny to the inspiration section of the library. Johny had no idea about where to start reading from, so he randomly selected a book. 'The Magic of Thinking Big', was the book in his hands. He read it in a week's time, & carried out the tips mentioned in the book. The next week, while walking into the classroom, Johny's head was held high & there was a confident smile on his face. His friends tried to bully him, but when one of them slapped him on the cheek, Johny retaliated with a punch to his attacker's nose. "That day July 12th 1998, was the last time anyone in the school bullied me..Now I know, I'm not made of glass...", wrote Johny in his journal. This young man had just realized the power of books, & more importantly the power of the human mind. His abusive father shifted out of their home & both Johny & his mother were now safe..

Johny regularly visited the school library, & became a voracious reader.... He read & reread many inspirational books, & needless to say went through a sea change. Now the most intelligent student in the class also had an awesome personality..Johny moved out from his house for joining college. He was studying for his degree in Engineering. Everyone in the college noted this young confident genius, & was impressed by him. The first year of college was demanding, but for Johny no challenge was an issue. The first year ended with Johny proving his mettle once again....

Sophomore year was expected to be a breeze, so this young man started to write songs & jam with a band... They called themselves 'Ataraxia' & were 'the self avowed grunge rock lords'. Johny's song writing skills, were pedestrian to begin with, but he honed them little by little. "The first concert was not upto the mark, but it showed us that we can perform together...My song writing skills need to improve, & Joe needs to think of more powerful guitar work..", Johny wrote in his journal. Johny & Joe were best friends, & their friendship blossomed over the years....

Towards the end of sophomore year Ataraxia performed an 8 song concert lasting a whopping 56 minutes.. The crowd went crazy, & shouted 'once more..once more' after each song. Johny's favorite song 'Rockstar super no one'(which like all the other songs, he wrote himself) was the perfect rock song, to end the show. After the show, a really cute girl, came to Johny & congratulated him for his unbelievable performance. Her name was Joanne, & when the two of them met, it was love at first sight..."We're all like jigsaw puzzles with 3 pieces missing, & only our soulmate has those 3 pieces of the puzzle..", he wrote about a week after falling in love with Joanne...

"Joanne is the reason why my life makes sense...",Johny wrote in his journal on the day he celebrated that year's Valentine's day... He took Joanne for dinner. It was an Italian restaurant, with an unbelievable selection of desserts. After dinner, Joanne & Johnhy got busy doing 'all the things that lovers do'...

Time often plays this trick on humans, it swiftly passes by & before we know it-days become weeks, weeks become months, & months become years... After graduating with honours, Johny married Joanne. They both got jobs in the IT field. Their married life was perfect, to say the least. Johny's band Ataraxia, got the chance to cut a full length LP. The first LP was named 'This life' & as was a platinum album in the US...Ataraxia performed live whenever time permitted, but Joe & Johny saw to it that the band jammed atleast once in a fortnight...

"Joanne is pregnant, & in 9 months I'll be a dad..", wrote Johny in his journal.. Johny's first son was named Charles, & parenthood, kept Johny & Joanne busy. "My son will never face any of the pain that I did, he'll have a perfect life, I'll do anything to ensure that...", he wrote down in his journal. After 5 years in the IT field, Johny & Joanne started their own company, & thus got more time, to live their life....

"Thank God, our company is doing good, & also Ataraxia's album sales are good, Joanne & I can travel & lead a richer life...", Johny eventually wrote longer notes in his journal...

Johny & Joanne have been married for 10 years. They have 2 sons, who are loving & loyal to them. Their net assets are now worth $ 30 million. Ataraxia has 3 platinum albums to their credit, & perform in packed arenas, whenever possible. Johny's life so far can be summed up in the lyrics of his favourite song-'Rockstar super no one'..."This life ain't anything but an empty page, do your best or you'll end up like a beast that's caged...."


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