Alice the dreamy girl never realized
What the outside world had for her all this while
She was in her own world of comfort and imagination
Where she was the creator as well as the narrator
Where she could control everything that goes
And could approach everyone that shows
Seldom did she realize the need to step out of this wonderland
Where her parents were her support and world was all good and grand
One day eventually as life had for her
She was supposed to leave behind all that was hers
To embark on a new journey that she knew nothing of
And start from the scratch what her new wonderland would be of
That filled her with fear and anxiety
Because all that she had was a blank slate to start writing
Little did she knew that this blank state was her canvas
Where she could paint with colours that she never knew existed
Colours that she resisted
Colours that she never thought would represent her
And though the process has failures prolonged
But still the dark night will vanish with the dawn…
Failure is not fatal, Failure is inevitable. If you don’t fail, it perhaps means you are not taking enough risks.As rightly as it is said by Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, let’s see how it is all the more relevant for my story.
The above narrated snippet could represent anyone like me who leaves their friends, family and town behind in the process of getting the best education thus a better life for themselves. So in my journey I moved out in search of the colours to fill my canvas, ready to paint and repaint till I had what I aim.
In 2016, I had a life changing experience, that shaped and evolved me into the person I am today. I got to know about an NGO – Parmarth Samiti that works towards awareness of sanitation and hygiene, importance of education, old clothes, toys and books distribution at orphanage and slum areas. Since my childhood I have celebrated all my birthdays at orphanage as was the ritual in our family so I have always had special emotional connect and vivid memories with orphanage. Thus, I joined this NGO as a volunteer and that was a turning point in my life. The closer I got to these kids the more I realised how unfortunate life had been with them and I started to respect, appreciate and value my life altogether the more. As a kid when I used to go and meet orphans I always used to think why are these kids not as brightly dressed as I am but never had I ever understood the true gravity of this situation until now. One day during my visit to an Orphanage for a cloth distribution drive, a girl named – Rakhi came to me and asked me Didi why do we always have to wear the used clothes? Why do we never get new clothes? These were the questions I had no answer to and at that very moment my entire childhood revolved around my eyes. This was something I have always wanted to know since then and today I realised that I was the answer to the very question I asked 15 years back. It shook me to the very core and that day I decided that the next time I come up here I will have a bag full of new clothes.
The thought was genuine
Heart was pure
Efforts were persistent but none the more
The world does not function on my whims and fancies anymore
To fund this kind of an initiative we needed a lot of capital also it was very difficult to convince all the NGO members as to why this was even necessary. But I was adamant on the fact that I have to do it irrespective of what others think, I was determined to put in all it takes and put a smile and satisfaction on Rakhi’s face. After a lot of debates and arguments I was able to convince the board that we will buy new clothes from Pantaloons for our next drive. Pantaloons is the brand I got all my new birthday clothes from since childhood, and the brand I look up to even now. It has a distinct place in my heart. Also, being the most economical, quality, fashionable and diverse brand to shop at, convincing everyone for this brand was not difficult. After all this hard-work finally came the D-day for the distribution drive. I called Rakhi to hand over a beautifully wrapped frock to her. She opened that with high quotient of surprise, clueless to what awaits for her. As she realised it was a brand new frock, she jumped with happiness. I have never seen someone so genuinely happy before.
That smile was effortless
That expression was priceless
That spark in her eyes
That power in her voice,
All that was a cocoon ready to open her wings
To become a butterfly and fly to the brim
Pantaloons gave her these wings and confidence to conquer the world, make her believe however unreasonable life has been its not the end, she can have whatever she wants, she can achieve the greatest heights, all she has to do is believe in herself. It also made me realise the potential I carry to bring a change and emphasised on the fact that it aims at "INDIA TOMORROW".
Pantaloons gave me the wings to fly and achieve my way,
The way to shine and outsay,
The path to lead and not to follow,
The desire to stand for change and look for tomorrow.
