The trembling of my hands was visible and quite apparent. The last question was on the verge of being disclosed and the moment had come. It was the final question in the school quiz which would either make me the underdog winner or yet-another runner up. Just as the question was revealed, I blurted out a few words on the mike with unusual confidence. I still don't remember them. The only thing I remember is the quiz master (a teacher actually) congratulating me. The newcomer in school had just defeated the rest. I had done the unthinkable till that time.
I shot to fame in the quizzing circles of my new school and was called in for inter-school competitions. The icing on the cake was the win in the City round of a renowned Quiz competition which featured regularly on TV. I was a star among my friends and had packed my bags to go to the national round. This chance came only after a wait of two years, but I was happy that it actually came. But, misfortune struck in the first round and another team was unfairly declared the winner. I was disgusted and the reputation of this renowned show sank in my eyes. I was a failed TV star in one night.
My parents told me just one thing, work hard and the world around you will eventually sort itself out. I managed to hold onto this dream through years of my childhood and worked tirelessly towards an unknown goal. I just knew one thing, the world will sort itself out. I cried but these tears vaporized in front of this dream I had carved out.
Years have passed since those days and I ended up in the greatest technical institute of this country. Frankly speaking, I had no clue what was about to happen here. I had made very little effort to understand this place in depth. The only image I had of this place was newspaper clippings and its placement statistics. I was attracted to it, quite literally. I came here and expected a Utopian world. Yes, I actually did think this way.
I dreamt in this place while everyone around me was fighting for something or the other. I was attracted to my branch, a quality found rare in a person here.Sooner than later, I too succumbed and joined in this collective flow of fighting for something or the other and grew attached to one particular "something". I too fought for it. I knew "something" was amiss but it all dimmed in the glory of future achievement, if only I would have done it.
I couldn't finish this fight and lost the battle. Something was surely amiss and I very well knew it. I had stopped dreaming and this one thing I will always keep with me. The loss made me ponder over my dream and its truth. The world around me had not sorted itself out.
Then, It dawned upon me. The fight had only begun and the war was not yet over. The dream had to live on. My parents were always right.
