Thanks Mom!!! Thanks Dad!!!

Everyone who has seen Taare Zameen Par will surely appreciate this bit. I'm sure every one of us could sympathize with the protagonist on a number of occasions like standing outside class, being teased, not doing homework. And I'm sure every one of us must have had at least one tear run down our cheeks while watching the movie.

I ,for one was every bit an Ishaan Awasthi during middle school. Was perpetually the 'outstanding student'. I have more memories kneeling outside the class than inside the class. I wasn't dyslexic or anything of the sort, I was just plain, NOT BOTHERED!!! And I had no issues telling the teachers that. This made it even worse, I would get the second prize in all competitions even though I was better than the first prize winner only because I didn't want to study, because i never saw the point of it all! I would spend most of math and Hindi classes on my knees ,outside the class where it was a regular sight. It had come to a point where, the day i was absent, the entire school knew, because i wasn't kneeling outside.

Not one exam or test went by ,when Mom would not be outside the Principal's office begging them to give me a re-test to get me through. The poor woman would literally beg and plead my case while i was busy playing football. Not a day went by when if Mom happened to bump into another parent or teacher, where they would say, "Kya Mrs.Murthy! Aapka bachaa bilkul bigadgaya hain. Uska kuch nahin hone wala. Ghar pe padaa dho. Yeh school ke laayak nahin hain!". And Mom, being the strong one, would give a weak smile and walk away. Mom would try her best. Spend hours doing my homework while i was busy playing somewhere or goofing off. Just so that I don't get rapped on the knuckles at school. But still, I always managed to be outstanding.
Dad would come home and try his best to drill 2+2=4 into my head, but it never worked. I just never cared enough to learn. They would try their best to make me learn stuff but alas, it just never worked. Nothing worked.I was always successful in scoring single digits. I once remember just putting my pen down during the Hindi exam and had stopped writing, because i was too bored. And Mom was back to pleading my case.

But through all this I am really very thankful. It's only after seeing TZP that i realised how lucky I am. If not anything else, I am lucky to have these two as Mom and Dad. They always stood by me. They never put me in a hostel no matter how troublesome I was. They came close at times. But they had faith in me. They knew that I would turn out fairly alright. They would always take my side, because they knew that I was a talented kid and I just needed the time to find my way. And that did eventually happen.

I may never say this enough to either of them, but I'm really thankful that they never sent me away. Thanks Mom and sorry for every time I didn't study! Thanks Dad for everything and keeping me home no matter how much trouble I got myself or you guys into! Thanks for standing in my corner and keeping the faith!!! I may not have turned out the way you may have wanted me to be, but I think I turned out quite alright in the end! And I'm only going to get better! And if I've ever let you guys down, I never meant to do so!!!

Thanks Mom and Dad!!! You're two in a million!