On a lazy summer Sunday morning, the ones I am used to slumber till noon, I was awoken by my phone ringing beside me. Presuming it to be the regular alarm, I tried to swipe up lethargically. But it was a call from Swaraj, a close friend from the neighbourhood. With my drooping eyelids, I checked the top corner of the phone for the time, which said 6 AM. I answered the phone to realize my friend was waiting outside my hostel and had brought his 13 year old younger cousin, who needed some sort of assistance. I woke and walked out to them in my shoddy guise, unaware that the kid was accompanied by his parents as well. I greeted them with a Namaste and shook hands with Swaraj.
I still hadn’t woken up completely, yet was eager to know the impetus behind this early morning sojourn. Swaraj initiated that they are here seeking counsel from me for the young boy. The parents then expressed their worries about their kid and sharply described their concerns of him being a studious bookworm who excels in all his exams, and made it sound as if it was an unruly thing to do. I was totally flabbergasted for a minute as my hebetude was taken over by sheer perplexity. I was startled not only by the parents’ rumination but also by the fact that the kid was here looking up to me for patronage. I realized the local media coverage and trenchant word-of-mouth about our team’s achievements was an exaltation for the youngsters in the region. Before I could react, Swaraj apprised that the boy was suffering from a rare juvenile Type-II Diabetes and consumes three insulin injections every day. I was completely taken aback. I bent down to the kid, looked him in the eyes and extended my hand. He responded with a flaccid hand. I gave him a gentle squeeze and said “Always be firm with your handshake but not overpowering.” He looked back in my eyes with composure and gripped steadily. I then asked him “What do you want to be in life?” He briskly replied “Astronaut”. I asked him “What do you like to do when you don’t study?” He replied “Cycling and playing football”. I followed up “Why do you like cycling?” and he replied “I like to roam and see things around”. I was happy we had shared interests, and also that he commits himself to physical activities. I shared some memories of my globetrotting experiences, but failed to match the zest in his eyes. I turned to the parents and said “By the time a child turns 15 years old, he has heard ‘No’ 3 times more than he has heard ‘Yes’. Please befriend him and uplift him; travel with him to new places.”
I turned back to the boy and said “Make me a promise that you won’t run behind marks and exams just for the sake of it. Marks are never a metric for calibre and character. There are plentiful things to indulge in. Try, fail nonetheless and explore again.” Although he remained reticent and coy, I could see the flair in his eyes and simper. We ended the meet after a short tour of our IDEA Lab. Soon after they had left, an epiphany hit me. I had not only made a new young friend, but also gathered a stellar reinvigorating inspiration from him, probably more profound than what he attained from me. In this rhapsodic moment, I felt most gratified and revered for the difference that I was able to make in one life, which by God’s grace provide me fillip to pursue revolutionary endeavours in the hope to create such grassroot impact in thousands more.
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