Category: Short Story (Fiction)
Narrator: Laksh
Photograph Courtesy: Aman Saini
When I was in school, I was exactly the opposite of what I am today. I was an introvert kid, who grew up in an easy going atmosphere. My parents never pressurized me for anything, be it my academics or extra curricular activities. I was good in studies and always remained in the good books of all teachers. But I never dared to do any work voluntarily. I just didn’t had that easy going nature to do things on my own. I was always guided by others and a little push was always required to reach specific goals. I knew I am not good in it, that’s why I never tried any such work. But one incident changed me and my life drastically.
One day, all teachers were asked to give suggestions for the deserving candidates for the post of the head boy of the school. Without even letting me know, my class teacher gave my name to the school authorities. The next day, when my name got announced in the school assembly to come on the stage, I was dead shocked and those words came to me as thunderclap. One of my classmate said, “Mam, Laksh is here” and I was supposed to go on the stage and stand with other competing candidates. My legs were all frozen and I could rarely walk. Then, somehow I gathered myself up and went on stage and joined others. That whole day, I rarely talked to anybody and I just wanted to go somewhere and hide. When I returned home, I told everything to my mother and she assured me that everything ‘ll be good and I shouldn’t be afraid for who I am. No one can scold me for expressing what I feel or what I want, she made sure that I became normal and tried her best that my this fear to express myself don’t sustain for long. She said this is a golden chance to end this introvert behavior of mine and once I’ll overcome my this fear, there ‘ll be no looking back and this change ‘ll be very helpful for me not just in studies but for my overall personality too. That whole night I was sleepless. The next day, all candidates were called on stage to speak on why they deserve this post. Every candidate talked about their qualities and what they have achieved so far. My name got announced and when I stood on the podium, for a moment my throat was all choked and my heart was all ready to come out. I could barely breathe. But then, I decided that I need to do this at any cost and after gathering all my strength I introduced myself. I didn’t talk about my achievements, but my fear, from which I wanted to win. I said that I am here to win over my fear and learn through experiences. When I finished I gulped some air and yes it felt so relieving to talk about what I feared most. Later everyone voted for their favorite candidate and when my name got announced as the winner, I wasn’t able to trust my ears. It felt so good and at the same time, something in me changed entirely. This journey of being the head boy of the school, made me who I am today. A confident person who knows how to act and react at suitable circumstances.
After being the head boy, I started to take part in debate competitions and visited American center, British Council and many other embassies for such activities. These activities further enhanced my skills and this whole experience was a learning process in itself. Every bit of this incident is still afresh in me as it always keeps on inspiring me in every situation as life is unpredictable. In every person’s life, there is always a person or an incident or it can be anything, which always acts as a ray of light, aspiring us not to lose hope even in dark times. In my case, it was my mother who showed me light. For all those who face such problems, I want to advice them that they should never lose hope and always push the boundary and success ‘ll surely greet them at the other side.
That's a great story !
ReplyDeleteI would love read more