It was class 7th Geography final exam. I was nervous because I was prepared for History paper. When I reached my classroom, I came to know about the mistake I committed in noting down the correct exam time table. I started going through the book, which I borrowed from a friend.
Mere getting pass marks wasn’t enough for me, I had to excel in all subjects. One mistake and I was out of the race for first rank. From last 5 years I was either coming second or third in my class. From last 5 years Abba was telling me that he will buy me a bicycle whenever I come first in my class. One mistake and my dream to ride my own bicycle would remain as a dream.
I started going through the chapters. I was not able to recollect anything. Troposphere, Stratosphere and Ionosphere sounded alien to me. I closed the book and cried in silence. Woes of a thirteen year old boy, who realized that he will have to wait for one more year to get a bicycle, made him cry.
I started looking for some inspiration. I had never been through such a situation in my entire life. I had never written any exam without proper preparation. I had never failed in my entire life. Then suddenly some weird thought stuck me. Why don’t I make this a memorable moment? Whenever I get into trouble next time, I can look back at this situation and gain confidence. This thought process gave me some confidence. I opened my book again and started going through the chapters. Still Troposphere, Stratosphere and Ionosphere sounded alien to me, but this time I was enjoying this new experience.
Finally I wrote the exam and got pass marks in Geography. I was out of the race for top rank and I ended up getting third rank. Once again Abba smiled at me when I told him my results. He was happy (as I thought then) because he need not spend those extra 1000 Rs., which matters a lot to a middle class family. I was happy because I had learnt the art of getting inspired in a difficult situation.
PS: I would have never become what I am today, without those small challenges Abba came up with. I finally got my bicycle in class XI. Abba rode the bicycle from the store till home (almost 10km).
