top of page

The Lang-Lit Mocktail

ELTIS-SIFIL Blog:

The Unsung Hero!



“When I was a just a little girl, I asked my mother what will I be?

Will I be pretty will I be rich, here’s what she said to me…“

Que Sera Sera

Be brave, be bold and be confident.

Yes, my mother is a very encouraging woman. She has always enthused me to accomplish my goals and follow my dreams. She has taught me to take decisions and stick to them. I have learnt to face challenges from her.

When I was a child, I studied in a school where ethics and manners were more important than academics. We were taught life skills, manners, etiquette, and above all, soft skills. I went to school by the school bus. Huge and capacious! There used to be 2 attendants to take care of all the children inside the bus. The bus used to pick me up at 6:45 am and I used to come home at 2:45 pm.

I remember that rainy day when I was in grade 9. I had a Physics class test for 50 marks. I had prepared really well for that with the help of my father. When I reached the bus stop that morning, I was surprised to see that none of my usual school mates were there. I thought I had come early and so I did not see anyone. But even after 10 minutes, no one came. I stood inside the building as it was raining heavily. It was a bit weird but still I comforted myself and started revising from my notebook. The formulae in Physics were difficult to memorise so I started with them. At a distance, I saw a boy gazing at me. He was sinewy, fair, good-looking, and well-dressed. At that age, I could not comprehend why someone would look at me. Was it in anger, anguish, good intention or bad intention? I had no clue... He was constantly looking at me. After some time, he started walking towards me and stopped at a distance. This made me uncomfortable. I got petrified. I was alone. I just wanted to run away but I could not.

Multiple thoughts started running in my mind. What if he stabs me or maybe something else? I was trying to tell myself that everything is fine and I am just overthinking.

Suddenly another man came and stood behind this boy: tall, stout, hefty, dark; almost looked like a kidnapper. He too started looking at me. Now, this made me nervous and I was scared to death. I realized that I was in danger. There was no one to save me. My mother’s words started echoing in my ears “Always be brave and find a solution rather than getting frightened!”

Unfortunately, my bus had not yet come. I did not know what to do. The boy started walking towards me again and the man followed him. The boy stopped; the man stopped. This continued for some time. Now both of them had come very close to me.

I wanted to die or run away or realise that it was just a dream. But no, this was real. Suddenly, I heard the horn of my school bus. I felt relieved. The bus was coming. I could see it at a distance but I was not sure how I could reach it. What if they catch me, touch me or kidnap me? At that moment, the man came forward and led me towards the bus. He made sure that the boy did not follow me. He led me to the bus and waited till I got into the bus and the doors of the bus were closed. I was flabbergasted by everything that happened. I did not speak to anyone in the bus. I had many questions in my mind: Why did this happen? Where were my friends? Why was I alone at the bus stop? Who was bad - the boy or the man?

I am generally a very garrulous and cheerful girl. But that day, I did not have words to speak. I reached school and took the test. I failed. I got 17/50. I went home and narrated the whole story to my parents. For the next few days, my father came to drop me.

Things settled and became normal again. But why this had happened was still a mystery to me.

I asked my father to find out. After few days, we learnt that the boy (good-looking) was a child trafficker and the whole gang was caught by the police. And the man (scary) was a road-side cobbler who had his shop near my bus stop. He suspected that something was fishy and hence had tried to save me. I never got a chance to thank him.

We should not believe only our eyes. There are 3 aspects of what we see: first-what we see, second- what is being shown and third- the reality!

I learnt that appearance is deceptive. I then became courageous and confident. Not that I am not frightened of anything anymore, but I have learnt to face the challenges of life through the lessons I have learnt.


Sangeeta Randive

Full-time faculty and Coordinator




75 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page