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The day, when the world was about to get familiarized with the meritorious holder of The Global Scholarship, had arrived. The atmosphere today had a different vibe. A few sparse clouds were racing across the sky, chased by a cold, keen wind. Usually the sun would be the cruel mistress who’d beat down on her slaves – the people – in her own relentless way but instead, today she was acting kind and humble towards them.
Ms. Mariana Dsouza, the former possessor of the scholarship was invited as the chief guest for the Prize Distribution as she was till then the youngest candidate who had attained the scholarship. The anchor invited her on the stage saying, “May I now request Ms. Mariana Dsouza, the girl who achieved the Global Scholarship 2019-20 at the tender age of THIRTEEN, from India, to come up on the dais and voice-over her experiences, her winning moment and delineate her heart out, motivating the present generation.” I saw Mariana, with tears in her eyes, portraying that a glance or a blast from the past had just clicked her mind.
MARIANA NARRATES:
I feel completely nostalgic, moreover blessed to the core, standing here on the podium in front of the top 50 rankers, from the horizons of Earth, who have burnt the midnight oil studying and practising. A year back, I still clearly remember that it was the Republic Day of my nation, India i.e. 26th of January which was just a day prior to appearing for this global scholarship. That day, I sung a patriotic song, and delivered a completely emotional speech. But I had never known how the day would proceed.
My family conditions weren’t stable, they were getting worse. I remember each and every day there would be one or the other row amongst them, when my family members would curse each other to death. My merely 14 year old life has many stories, many secrets yet to be revealed.
After my father handed over the business to my uncle, he didn’t bother to work even for a single day. As a consequence, the fruitful business which earned profit in crores was now in complete debt. There were loans to be repaid, with debt growing in numbers.
It was around 6:30 pm, when my sister’s phone rang. We felt that it would be the daily officer, asking when the EMI would be paid. She picked the call. It was our father weeping. Just wails.
I snatched the phone from her hand as my palm got the feel of her teardrop. Hearing those sentences were piercing my heart, and hearing them from our father. I knew I had to be strong. I knew that we had to continuously keep talking to him, as we knew that if our call gets disconnected it would disconnect our whole lives. After asking for a thousand times about where he was at that time and crying all the way till our tears didn’t abandon us, we got a reply from him, a disheartening reply. He said, “I am BEGGING outside a restaurant.” No sooner did my sister hear the restaurant’s name than she ran. After walking for 45 minutes, we found him. He was there, standing with wet eyes, and a demoralized mind. We had brought him back home.
In the midst of all this, I had to appear for my exams. I had already paid the fees for the entrance examination and had secured a rank but now was the Grand Finale. I had an EXCUSE for not appearing for this examination. But I appeared for the examination. Excuses didn’t bother me, nor did the circumstances. I was mentally STRONG now. The sights of my sister crying in front of me, kept on running in my mind. But I tried to FOCUS and didn’t GIVE UP. After two months, I received a parcel containing INDIA’S flag, a medal, and a certificate along with a letter which read:
Ms. MARIANA DSOUZA,
INDIA.
Heartiest Congratulations! You are amongst the TOP 50 rankers in the world. To know your rank among the top 50, kindly grace the prize distribution ceremony in Hong Kong with your presence along with your family. We have dispatched you the tickets for the same.
A year back, on the same date, I was there, sitting as the audience, amongst the TOP 50, without the slightest thought of being the 1st Ranker at such a tender age, and get an aid of hundred thousand dollars. Thank you so much Global Scholarship Faculty for supporting me to be what I am today.
Saying so, Mariana got down from the platform, but her struggle,her willpower, still managed to keep the spectators, awe with continuous applause.
Her story taught us that:
The Winner is always a part of the answer; The Loser is always a part of the problem.
The Winner always has a plan; The Loser always has an excuse.
The Winner says, “Let me do it for you”; The Loser says, “That is not my job.”
The Winner sees an answer for every problem; The Loser sees a problem for every answer.
The Winner says, “It may be difficult but it is possible”; The Loser says, “It may be possible but it is too difficult.”
Winners say, “I must do something”; Losers say, “Something must be done.”
Winners see the gain; Losers see the pain.
Winners see possibilities; Losers see problems.
Winners see the potential; Losers see the past.
Winners choose what they say; Losers say what they choose.
Winners make it happen; Losers let it happen.
Winners plan and prepare to win. What matters is preparation!