Voices from the Margins

On a hot summer lazy afternoon, lying idly on my bed I was thinking what made a winning story. However, a little north in another part of my state it was dark as if it was going to rain. A humongous cloud formed over the thatched roof. After a deluge of torrential rain, most of the small homes in the terrain would collapse. It was the final day of the school board exam; Abha submitted her papers fifteen minutes before the final bell and rushed back as if she had something urgent to do. If the rain continued for a day the roads would be blocked or completely eroded away. And once the safety walls were damaged it would allow the rain waters to gush in and ruin their homes. Thoughts kept rolling through her mind.

She was a bright student who despite her poverty and infinite obstacles at home continued her studies.  Her father worked on a tea plantation farm in Dungra Khasmahal in Darjeeling, and they are a family of seven with her grandparents and two young brothers.

She quickly finished the household chores and went to the garden to work. Her father happened to be her role model in her life, a cheerleader, a friend, and a guide who always inspired her to learn. But now he has asked her not to continue her studies and join the plantation fields as they were going through tough times. Confronting fear is not easy as most of the time we do not know the reason for it. Fear simply entangles us, then cripples us, and makes us angry and helpless at the same time. Sometimes, the struggles become so hard that we want to give up as giving up is an easy option. It was easier for her to blame her father or her destiny. But is it possible to let go of our inner demons? She wanted to scream but could not as screaming was also exhausting and all she could do was stay numb.                   It seemed she and her father both were holding on to the same strand of pain, one being the victim and the other being the oppressor in which one was going through the pain of guilt and shame and the other of fear. But if any of them could take the next step with love detaching them a little from this pain, they could be free. Not sure if she would find the courage to speak to her father the next day and give wings to her dreams or let her fears overpower her and rule her life.

Have you ever wondered what makes a winning story? All stories are not about winning but stories that give us enough courage to keep us going through the journey of life and transform us from ordinary to extraordinary become winning stories.