School days are special for most of us and the reason we still would like to go back there is because of the memories we had with our first ever friends in life. So let me take you through my journey, a journey where impossibilities faded away to become dreams that came true.
Born July 19, 1994, I was supposed to join school in the year 1998 but a doubt lay in my parents’ mind – could a specially-abled kid like ours go to a normal school in his life? It is this doubt that kept me away for a year from school, fortunately and unknowingly at the age of 4, my cognitive abilities were as good as a normal child, something that my doctor could not believe as he laid caution over mental abilities due to cerebral palsy. Redefining science I joined St. Joseph’s Boys’ High School the next year, thanks to my principal Fr. Michael John, who truly believed in the school motto “Faith and Toil”.
At first, the kids in class glanced at me suspiciously like I was “Jaddoo” from Koi Mil Gaya but now when I think of it, they were quick in realizing that I needed a helping hand and held in 12 years straight. It still astonishes me the level of maturity my peer group developed at such a tender age in school. Going into a normal ICSE school everything began to change in my life, everything started to be normal. From a boy who watched kids of my age play outdoors when I was jailed inside my house gate to really sharing the joy of playing hide and seek with them. The fear of losing out in life just vanished and I was all in for the rides ahead.
Now from the fear ages I was moving to an age of hope, which makes all things possible in life. This is the time when I began chasing dreams, dreams which were once termed as “impossible” by science. From playing football to strategizing games for amateur clubs, from playing chess to organizing tournaments, from being inspired to being inspirational to a hundred people who watched me take medals on my neck. All of this was driven from the confidence the 47 children gave me through the first phase of my life – school.
Time flew by, it was 2011 already, though we all like to be the seniors at school and boss around, considering it was my last year at school I was filled with mixed emotions, I’d never missed a single day of school that year. Every day was an opportunity to create ever lasting memories. The last school excursion, our last sports day, our lab day, “Phenomenon 2011” – our cultural fest and finally our last day of classes. It was all there to be cherished.
Now there was something special about our last day of classes – we had no lectures obviously also there was this tradition that we carried on from our seniors, the tradition was to buy a new white shirt and get our classmates’ names written by them, something like a souvenirs to hold on to all these memories and the people with whom we shared them. So my Dad and I went to a Peter England showroom because he always got his clothing from there. Little did he realize that I was a 15 year old with not so wide shoulders? However, I was too delighted by the prospect of having my friends’ names written on it that I did not even try it on back then.
Over the years, my shoulders grew and so did my responsibilities, from a boy to a man who has been in this world for 25 long years now and still pushing my limits, there are certain days when I think of everything that’s happened on my way to joining IIM Ranchi, to begin with the day I was tested “Not OK” by the doctor for my cognitive abilities to now being at an elite institution. One thing that I still hold on to is the belief those 47 boys had in me and their love signed on the size 42, white Peter England shirt which now fits me to the inch.
Guess my dad was right after all about that shirt size when he took me to the showroom, the shirt lasted 8 years and on and so do my memories which I will cherish for the rest of my life ahead.
