Aamir Shaik - From Bullied to Brave
“School was traumatizing as I was constantly bullied. From teachers to students everyone would call me ugly. ‘You are fit to do nothing in life’ they’d say. I tried to oppose it, but no one stood by me. I was all by myself girdled by bullies with low self-esteem.
However, college was a new beginning. Indeed there were bullies there too, but I didn’t give in this time. I told myself ‘If you encourage this now, you are proving all of them right.’
The next 4 years were nothing less than a dream; I modeled for some renowned brands and to top it all I also became Brand Ambassador for Mopans Clothing featuring in Dubai, Bangalore and Srilanka. I got signed up for a Kannada TV show! But then, I met with an accident. I was on bed rest for months. Not only did I lose work but it seemed like my ambitions & dreams died in that accident. I’d lay on bed all day with no motivation.’
And that’s when I came across this life-altering speech by Jacky Chan – “I broke my bones so many times that I don’t remember. I’ve had surgeries so many times that I don’t remember. But, every time I was in pain, I made sure that I bounced back. I’d try to recall why I started in the first place.”
Hearing this bought back all the flashbacks, all the negativity that I had fought. If I didn’t give up amidst all that, how could I now? I decided to start afresh and I approached my mentor friend “Noorulla Shariff (CEO and co-founder of Muscle teach Fitness) who trained me vigorously. Along with Syed Noor, I had the support of my friends, my family and my dearest fiance. Though, I couldn’t walk on the stage but I was always keen to work behind the camera too. So, I purchased one & started capturing wildlife.
Along the way, a legend came into the picture Sudheer Shivram who enhanced my skills from being a mere rookie to an expert at photography and my pictures got featured by Adobe & National Geography! It’s been around 2.5 years to that accident & now when I look back, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I don’t know if I’ll get back in front of the camera but I for sure know that no matter what the situation is and no matter what the world labels me as I will find my way out and I will be fine. The urge of a 15-year-old boy’s to not be a loser in life is way stronger than any challenges that life throws upon.