Be it high or low, it doesn't matter. I need to stay calm and

Vijay Shankar, a cricketer tested by the storms of triumph and failure, spoke with quiet wisdom when he declared: “Be it high or low, it doesn’t matter. I need to stay calm and neutral all the time.” In these simple words lies a teaching as old as the mountains: that the spirit must remain steady whether fortune rises or falls. For life is a wheel, ever turning—today exalting, tomorrow humbling. The one who ties his soul to its revolutions will be thrown about without rest. But the one who keeps himself calm, unmoved by either extreme, walks the path of mastery.

The meaning of this saying rests upon balance. The highs of life—victories, praise, rewards—can intoxicate, blinding the heart with pride. The lows—failures, criticism, despair—can crush, stealing courage and hope. Yet both are illusions of passing time. The wise do not cling to the high nor drown in the low. Instead, they remain neutral, like the still waters of a deep well, reflecting truth clearly without distortion. This is not indifference, but discipline—the art of mastering the self so that external tides cannot drown the inner flame.

History offers us luminous examples. Consider Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-emperor of Rome, who in both triumph and tragedy wrote in his Meditations: “Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance, and be ready to let it go.” Surrounded by wars, betrayals, and fleeting honors, he sought to remain unshaken, grounded not in fortune but in reason. His empire might rise and fall, but his inner kingdom remained steady. So too did Mahatma Gandhi, who endured both exaltation as a saint and vilification as a rebel, yet walked steadfast in calmness, never letting praise or blame sway him from his truth.

Shankar’s own field of cricket embodies this wisdom. On the pitch, one ball may bring roaring cheers, the next crushing silence. A player intoxicated by applause may falter in arrogance; one broken by failure may lose all strength. But the true sportsman remains poised, unshaken by the high of victory or the low of defeat. He lives in the eternal present, playing each ball with the same focus, neither fearing loss nor worshipping triumph. Such steadiness is the secret not only of cricket, but of all endeavors.

The lesson for us is timeless: do not let your spirit be ruled by the passing winds. When fortune smiles, walk humbly. When fortune frowns, walk bravely. Let neither praise lift you too high nor failure drag you too low. To remain calm and neutral is to remain free, for you are no longer the slave of circumstance, but the master of yourself. This discipline is the shield of the wise against despair and the anchor against arrogance.

In practice, this means cultivating inner stillness. Begin with small trials: when praised, remind yourself it is but one moment, not the measure of your soul; when criticized, ask what truth can be taken, then release the rest. Meditate daily, if only for a few minutes, to train your mind to rest in calmness. In moments of anger or elation, pause before acting, letting the storm pass before you choose your path. For action taken in neutrality carries far greater power than action taken in frenzy.

Thus, children of tomorrow, take this wisdom as a lamp: whether high or low, stay calm and neutral. For life is not conquered by chasing its peaks nor by fleeing its valleys, but by standing steady while both pass around you. Be like the mountain that does not tremble when clouds gather or sunshine breaks. In calmness you will find clarity, in neutrality you will find freedom, and in that freedom you shall carve a life that no storm can shatter.