I was a weak student, mam. In school I was made to sit in the first bench. I was sitting next to a bright student and the teacher always discriminated against me.

I felt bad. I felt discriminated against. I grew up feeling inadequate and not smart.

Today when I stand here and I am able to speak. I feel good.

He spoke in a soft searching tone and when he stopped speaking, the class applauded his honesty in sharing.

• Sorrows diminish in sharing. Share, speak up, spread the word. You will meet a kindred soul somewhere.

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Jithu had lost all his confidence.

He is a special child, you see, he needs a little more love and affection than others and a lot of patience.

When the teacher constantly filled his sheets with red corrections and wrote big zeroes on his answer script, the brightness in his eyes dimmed, he looked tormented as if he had failed somehow.

I was afraid of antagonizing the teacher and the management who always welcomed me with open arms, so I kept quiet initially. But soon, I broached up some courage and approached them with my problem.

The management came up with a solution, they said,’Why don’t you prepare a question paper based on what you teach your son? Give it to us and we will print it out without letting him know. He will be tested on this.’ I was thrilled. I knew Jithu will now turn around. So we both worked really hard.

So this exam was different. I had set the paper and we had done a lot of practice. Infact, Jithu rocked it. He is slowly regaining his confidence. I am glad I spoke to the teachers. Soon I will join his school and I will be able to support him and others like him.

These are the words of a cancer survivor, a young mother of a special child, most importantly a feisty woman who has faced the challenges of life boldly. We laughed over a few jokes and she said, ‘when can we meet?’ ‘Soon,’ said I. Friendships like these need to be nurtured. We both have agreed to do just that.

• Express. Express. Express. Articulate your problem, more often than not the other person is willing to help.

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Where is the facility for sports? Who cares for young people like me who love to play? Why are we always asked to study?

Who do I talk to? No body understands me. The young man vent out his frustration.

Life is tough, he said sagely. However, I have learned to provide for myself and my cricket coaching, isn’t that amazing?

I hope my father feels proud of my achievements and witnesses my success. I am working towards it.

• Keep up the hope and keep up the efforts. The road to success is carved by steady and consistent hard work.

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I am not able to go out with them. Nor can I spend money that easily. I have a lot of limitations. Sometimes my academics also suffers, but when they stopped talking to me, it hurt me a lot, the young boy spoke softly. Friendships matter a lot to me.

I guess it is time to look for new friends. I hope there are others who I can get along with.

He kept on talking and then he said, I have started writing these days and it is helping me.

It is ok. I can live with it. I am strong.

• Move away from negativity. Choose people and places which are positive. Give and get courage.

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Different people, different settings, yet similar stories of disillusion, disenchantment and the effort to live on boldly.

A little love, care and understanding towards fellow human beings will make this world a better place for all of us.

Towards a better tomorrow!

Towards more pleasant stories, his and hers!

Towards more sharing and more listening!

Cheers!!!