"Annual Result Event"

Again, IT was that time of the year. Sania was feeling  excited along with fear, as she entered through the gates of her school. It was the ‘Annual Result Event,’ and last minute preparations were going on.

The stage was set, the table decorated with prizes and the podium ready for the most awaited announcements. The students were requested to group together in the ground, the lines would then walk towards the hall where the event was to be held.

Following the instructions, Sania walked up to her grade’s line. She could feel her heart pounding heavily against her chest. As she tried to maintain steady nerves her friend Ajeeb walked up to her.

“Oh Sania! Why do you seem so worried? Of definitely you’d get the first position. It’s people like us who should worry, I only scrape through with B’s.”

And with that started the usual comments: “Oh the girl with As is worrying away”; “Look at Sania she is actually sweating”; “She always carries these expressions, but mind you she’ll take away the position this time as well”; “She is such a drama queen, definitely she’ll have the highest marks”; “That’s fake worry, she knows she’d top again”.

Sania wished to disappear into the thin air. Comments like these were what Sania’s ears had been hearing since many years now. Every result day was the same, her classmates knew that with her being in the class nobody could even dream of getting the top position.

Sania’s success was the result of her continuous hard work. She did get worried easily but that was common because everyone got the jitters on the result day. However, her classmates took it as dishonesty. They wondered why a person like Sania should be worried. They simply could not understand that. This way they talked, Sania did not usually mind these statements.

However, today the situation was different. Sania knew this time her result would not be up to the mark because she had not done well enough in her exams. The reason was that she had had influenza during exams due to which her preparation as well as her performance suffered. With a lot of competition in her class, she knew she wasn’t anywhere near receiving the first position this time.

Sania waited patiently for the special event to start. When the positions for her class were announced, she could feel the ground disappearing under her feet. She could clearly hear the sudden short brearhs, the “oohs” and “aahs” were louder than the claps as the first and even the second positions were not bagged by Sania. She stood third this time.

Putting a brave smile on, with an unsteady pace Sania walked up to the stage to receive her prize. She didn’t know what really was happening, like a robot she shook hands with the principal, thanked her and walked back. She had to brace herself to show the news to her parents. The talk continued, but everyone was surprised how Sania secured the third place instead of being first like always.

For the first time, Sania felt hurt. Her silent tears weren’t seen by anyone. While Sania’s parents were waiting for her at the school gate, expecting the smiling face of hers they saw every year at the result day. With her eyes turned to the ground, she walked up to her parents and the next moment they could hear her cries. However, by the time they reached home Sania was feeling perfectly fine!

It was because her father explained to her one of the most important lessons of her life, “You’ve done it way better than many others my dear,” he went on, “We know that you weren’t well during the exams, but look with your hard work you still secured a position, what if it’s the third position? We are proud of you. Not everyone can do what you did in spite of being ill. You must learn to appreciate your efforts. Let others talk, the talks do not matter, what matters is your effort. And we are happy with that.”

That night, Sania celebrated with her family by going out for dinner. And after returning home, she had the time to reflect upon her year, her result and most importantly at what she had learned today. She understood that people’s talk do not affect you unless you let them do so. The world will keep on talking, in front of you and behind you. You just have to ignore negative things because you’re the only judge of your progress and all you have to do is to continue with excite and strong desire.