Motivation Letter
The power of the written word has never failed to captivate me. I spent my childhood hurdled in corners reading Enid Blyton's famous adventure stories. The utopian world of Enid Blyton's gave way to the dystopian world of James Dasher's The Maze Runner as I approached middle school which gave way to a frantic obsession with fiction novels based on the second world war. I engrossed myself in books, movies and documentaries based on WW2. I recall listening to Churchill's June 4, 1940 speech on loop.
We shall fight on the beaches.
We shall fight on the landing grounds.
We shall fight in the fields and the streets.
We shall fight in the hills.
We shall never surrender.
These words, their context and the manner in which they are spoken never fail to enchant me. This is what introduced me to the dark yet captivating world of global geopolitics, and there was no going back from here.
Incoherence with my interest in world politics and international relations, I applied to the Bachelor's program in Global Affairs at OP Jindal University. I am in my last semester and it has been a fascinating journey so far deliberating about the ideas of ancient philosophers like Plato to modern IR theorists like John Mearsheimer. As a part of the program, I participated in various debates, conferences and workshops at the university which helped me broaden my understanding of the world in general, and International relations in particular.
Additionally, I continuously strived to improve upon my research and writing skills and consequently published many articles on a diverse range of issues including but not limited to International Relations. I have also taken time out to intern with various Research Centres, NGO's and Private Firms to have a more nuanced understanding of the different workplaces catering to my subject area. Furthermore, I have been selected by the Jindal School of International Affairs to represent the University in France as a part of the much sought after Jindal-Sciences Po semester exchange program and am currently in Paris for the same.
I have come a long way since being a teenager obsessed with the Nazis and General Erwin Rommel's Blitzkrieg, nevertheless, the preoccupation with conflict remains as intact as ever. In my studies in Global Affairs, I grasped every opportunity to interact with the subfield of peace and conflict studies owing to my strong inclination towards it. I took up courses in Advanced Military strategy, Civil wars and conflict management. I also had the privilege of interning with the Global Peace Foundation as a part of their "Facets of Faith" program, essentially an inter-religious peace-building initiative. This dovetails with PEACE's mission to combine research with praxis. I also engrossed myself in non-fiction books analysing different conflict zones in the world. Jason Stearns's book, Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa turned out to be particularly inspirational as it introduced me to the practice of journalism in conflict zones.
All these experiences further cemented my preoccupation with conflict and I came to realise that this particular subfield of International relations is my calling. In terms of my carrier and research goals, I aspire to critically analyse and write about the causes, dynamics and ramifications of ongoing conflicts and consequently propose ingenious and pragmatic solutions for the same. I intend to do this by taking up a carrier in academia, working for an international organisation involved in peace-making, working as a journalist in conflict zones or a combination of the following.
In this regard, The Master studies in Peace Mediation and Conflict Research at Tampere University provides me with an opportunity to critically engage with some of the most accomplished minds in the field of Peace and Conflict Studies in a highly stimulating environment in one of the most peaceful states of the world. TAPRI's (Tampere Peace Research Institute) legacy of being a leading institute in conflict research for over half a century makes it an ideal choice for me.
The knowledge imparted to me as an undergraduate in international relations would mean that I would be well versed with the working system, or the lack thereof, of world politics. This understanding, coupled with unyielding curiosity for and intrigue with conflict studies, and the professional experience acquired over the years working for various Research Centres, NGO's and Private Firms help to make me a fitting candidate for the prestigious program.
As I write this letter, I feel that perhaps there is no better way to end this than to reflect on the most crucial lesson I have leant from my mistakes and experiences in the twenty-one years of my humble existence.
Ever since my school days, I have struggled to do work that I do not enjoy doing, but that I ought to do. I found it extremely difficult to write the social sciences homework in my notebook as I did not particularly enjoy writing answers with the pen when they could be easily printed. This proved to be detrimental to my grades even though I could quite satisfactorily explain all the answers in my own words.
I faced a similar problem in Table Tennis. In table tennis, I had a knack for long and gruelling rallies. I really enjoyed intense rallies and therefore loved to practice my skills in that particular dimension. As a consequence, my skills in rallying improved significantly and the longer the rally lasted, the more likely it became for me to win the point. Now in the sport, before the point moves to a rally, one has got to overcome the service situation, i.e. return the serve of the opponent in a manner that does not provide them with an overwhelming advantage and serve well in case of one's own serve.
This particular aspect of the game, I did not fancy and therefore refrained from practising, often procrastinating. As a result, I fared poorly in the service situation which proved to be catastrophic in tournaments. I could outperform fantastic players in matches where I did well in the service situation but tended to lose to not-so-skilled opponents who got better of me before the point could go to the rallying stage. In other words, I could not play to my detrimental strength because of my much too obvious weakness.
After a series of disappointing defeats in the league, I realised a very important lesson. Success isn't always doing what you love, sometimes it is doing what you don't.
Many a time, life will put you in a situation where it would seem much too appealing to quit and a lack of interest in the same most viable excuse. Here it is important to pick ourselves up and keep on working hard to achieve what we want to. As the enigmatic boxer, Muhammad Ali once said, "I hated every minute of training, but I said, 'Don't quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'"
I would surely face similar situations at Tampere if selected, or wherever it is that life takes me. But this time around, I will be prepared.
Aayush Maniktalia
B.A. (Hons.) in Global Affairs
India
