Ambitions change, but the learning stays. By definition, ambition is a strong desire to do or achieve something. When I was fourteen, it was not just my ambition, but my dream to represent my school in the Annual Hockey tournament, which was the only exclusive hockey event where all of the 6 all-girl hockey teams in the whole of Bangalore participated. The extra hours of training finally seemed to pay off when selection day arrived and I made it into the team. But my ecstasy was short lived. The following weekend, when I was playing hockey in my neighborhood- which is a tar road and highly unsuitable for the sport- is when the incident occurred. As a defender, it was my job to block the ball from progressing past me towards the goalpost, or in this case a makeshift goalpost comprising of two bricks. As Sanmitra, the center forward of the opposition bolted towards me, dribbling the ball, I tried to obstruct him with all my might. Our hockey sticks collided, and the impact caused the ball to rise off the ground and it struck me above my right eye, missing the eyeball by inches. A mixture of blood and tears streaming down my face, I was rushed into an emergency room. Once the doctor disproved my fear of impending death, my mind jumped to the next most realistic cause for trepidation. The possibility that I might not be able to participate in the hockey tournament. With the swelling and bandaging over the entire upper right quadrant of my face, I was barely able to read a book, let alone catch sight of a zooming hockey ball. With hardly a month left for our first match, my doctor gave me the green signal to participate. However, I would not be able to attend any of the practice sessions for the next fortnight. To further complicate matters, my parents all but banned me from ever playing the game. But I was not going to give up that easily.
My first task was to bring around my parents, the very people who taught me that only by falling can you truly learn to ride a bicycle. Their protectiveness towards me clouded their logic, but in the end, they wanted to support me, even if it was hard for them. After that, I attended each and every practice session. Even when I couldn't play, I hung onto each and every word of the coach's advice and watched every single practice session. This actually helped me understand my own team better from a different perspective. Within a week, I was back on the field. I eventually went on to play in that awaited game. Although it was a close competition and our team didn't emerge on the winning side, the sense of achievement that came with being able to play that game was extraordinary. Years have passed and I have had multiple short term and long term goals since, that have come with their own set of hardships. However, this incident stands out as it was the first time that I had to strive for something I really wanted, without the support of my parents, at least initially. This learning experience gave me the courage to stand tall on my own two feet, with my (bandaged) head held high.