Successful People Whose Marks Don't Matter
Students today face a lot of pressure to score higher and to rank better-from teachers, from parents and even peers and tutors. But too much importance is placed on marks in India, making it easy to forget that you can get bad marks in your studies but do well in life. Here are examples of prolific people whose marks didn't matter.
 Mahatma Gandhi
The man who went on to become the Father of the Nation did poorly in school. Though his early report cards commend his English and general conduct, his Arithmetic is described as fair and his Geography was called "weak" and his handwriting "bad".
Gandhi barely passed his entrance examinations for the University of Bombay in 1887. As the lectures at the university were given in English and his mother tongue was Gujarati, he found the content difficult to follow. |
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 Rabindranath Tagore
Tagore was Asia's first Nobel laureate. This cultural icon of India made outstanding contributions to Bengali literature and penned the national anthem. In his formative years, however, he ran away from school several times and finally had to be tutored at home. He developed an aversion for formal schooling which he has mentioned in his writings. |
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 RK Narayan
Narayan has been described as "India's greatest writer in English in the 20th century." In his school years, he was an average student. In university, he was unable to clear his B.A. examinations in his first attempt. He failed in English, his favourite subject. He reappeared for the examinations the following year and passed. |
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 Sachin Tendulkar
India's record breaking cricket champion Sachin Tendulkar is said to have destroyed practically every batting opposition in the world. In school however he did not perform well and never completed his college education. |
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 Kapoor brothers
The Kapoor brothers-Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv-are highly respected and talented members of the Indian cinematic industry, long involved in acting, directing and producing films. They have freely admitted to doing poorly in school and all 3 of them say they failed in class 11. |
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 Saif Ali Khan
Saif Ali Khan is eagerly sought after by Indian film directors for his acting prowess, by advertisers for his superstar power and by fans for his appeal as a heartthrob. He was unable to do so well in his academics, though, and did poorly in high school. |
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 Albert Einstein
This Nobel Prize winning physicist is widely regarded as the greatest intellectual genius in human history. His theory of relativity altered the scientific conception of the entire universe and his ideas influenced even painting and poetry. As a student, Einstein was a poor speller and did poorly in foreign languages. |
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 Richard Feynman
A Nobel Prize winning physicist described as " arguably the most brilliant theoretical physicist since Einstein" (TIME magazine) did poorly in some subjects as a student. |
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 Thomas Edison
Best known as the mind behind the electric bulb, Edison's many other awe inspiring inventions include the motion picture camera, the taximeter and an electric street car. This marvelous inventor never went to school. |
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 Bill Gates
This billionaire founded Microsoft and is now heading one of the most large scale and systematic philanthropic endeavours ever. Gates is a college dropout. |
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 Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell is a highly successful music producer who has played a pivotal role in the success of music bands that have found international popularity. He has attained celebrity status as a judge on American Idol. At 16, Cowell dropped out of high school and got a job as a mail boy. |
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 Guy Ritchie
Films directed by Ritchie have earned acclaim from the toughest of critics. This talented director left school at 15. |
