Alisha belongs to a lower middle class family. Her family runs on her father’s income. Like any school girl, she too has desires of having fancy hair clips, Barbie dolls, toys and what not. But seeing her father struggling for a monthly budget, she kills her desires. Her father is a laborer in a private factory. And life is always ready to make a path full of hurdles for her family. The factory has to shut down due to loss but they transfer the workers to other factories. Her family shifts to a new city. But she has no excitement. She knows like always, no one will be her friend. Being intelligent she got a concession for her studies. Every day she goes to school it is the same routine study and comes back. No one pays attention to her. She watches how other children go with their parents or by bus. But she has to walk alone. Her father’s income is enough for monthly expenses but not enough for the bus fare. With time she gets used to it. Every time she sees something new and fancy that her classmates bring, she feels sad for not having it.
After a month, one day on her birthday she hopes for her parents to take her somewhere to enjoy the day then she will tell her friends how they celebrated it but all her hopes died when no one wishes her and as always she goes to school. In class, everyone wishes her but after that no one talks about it nor gives her anything. School ends on a disappointing note. But while going out of school, her art teacher gives her, his diary as a birthday present. She was happy, at least she got a gift that too from her teacher. And this gift turns her life. She falls in love with the black beauty and its plain white pages. She doesn’t know what to do with it and what to write but she always keeps it with her.
One day, one of her classmates brings a beautiful pencil box and shows it to her friends. Alisha who is eager to see this asks her to show but she refuses. Suddenly, one idea popped up in her head and in recess she opens her diary and starts drawing the pencil box in her diary. Like this time passes. Whenever someone brings a new thing, she will draw it in her diary and will be happy with her new found hobby.
But as every thing has an end, so has her diary. She is upset with it but she can not ask her parents to bring her a new one. So, she goes to her art teacher and asks if he has one more diary to give her. Art teacher asks her, “ what you did with the previous one?”. She shows it to teacher. Art teacher was astonished when he saw the beautiful artwork and kept it to himself.
Next day, her art teacher gives her a new diary and starts to call her in the art room in her free period. Every day the art teacher will train her. With time Alisha starts to spend her full day engrossed in art. And every teacher starts to love her because of her studies and creativity.
One day, Mr. Kamble (art teacher) announces a national level art competition where only three students per school will take part. For the selection of students, Mr. Kamble organized a competition. Competition held in three stages. In the first stage, everyone is asked to make something meaningful with their creative mind. In the second stage, the selected 15 students are asked to draw a portrait of the person who is their ideal and in the last stage, they were asked to make the Madhubani painting. Clearing all the stages, Alisha with two more students got selected.
Finally, the nationals arrive.
Alisha is excited and nervous too. One side the feeling of presenting the school in national and other side fear creeping her insides, everyone’s hopes and expectations are scaring her. What If she fails?
After a month of hard work, finally the day comes. It’s now or never, she boosts up herself. She was all set to go. Everyone is allotted with a single room.
A black canvas was given to them with no theme but only colors. Five hours with no theme on the national level.” What to paint?” is the only question roaming in her mind.
After giving it a lot of thought, she paints the canvas with different colors, red, white and so on…
Time passes by, Alisha anxiously waits for the result. No one knows what one has painted.
One day Suddenly, a letter comes at her home stating,
“
Congratulations!
Dear Alisha,
A hearty congratulations to you for achieving the first place and winning a full scholarship in National college of art and crafts in NAC (National art competition ) all over India, conducted by NAC organizations and National College of Art and Crafts. “
Tears start to fall down from her eyes. Finally she achieves something for herself, for her family, for school.
Next day, Principal and Mr. Kamble appreciate her with a trophy. And after a week, she receives the check and scholarship letter from the NAC head and CM.
A girl who has struggled with her life having no friends stands in front of the whole nation all with her hard work and dedication.
~ Never lose hope. You don’t know when a simple change brings you success. Just give your best.