“If you really want to eat, keep climbing. The
fruits are on the top of the tree. Stretch your hands and keep stretching them.
Success is at the top, keep going.” ― Israelmore Ayivor
Badarika was a chubby
little girl who resembled the Jujube fruit in the garden. She was the healthy and well nourished
daughter of Baltishn and Balamani. Balamani was indeed
a jewel in Balitshn’s life as she was soft
spoken, poised, organised and able. She loved her role of a homemaker in
Baltishn’s life which was carried out with utmost sincerity. The couple
belonged to Odisha, but had moved to Dornala in Andhra Pradesh in search of a
job. Luckily Baltishn landed a job in this remote village which was near
Srisailam, a tourist spot. Once when the young couple had gone to Srisailam,
Balamani had the opportunity of eating the Jujube fruit. She stored the seeds
carefully in her saree and planted it at Dornala. She was blessed with a baby
girl that year and Balamani named her Badarika as the plump infant resembled
the Jujube fruit. Baltishn was powerful as his name suggested both in deeds and
strength.
The happiness in Balamani’s life knew no bounds
when the Jujebe plant sprouted into a sapling the year Badarika was born.
Baltishn and Balamani felt they were responsible for two little ones, a frail
and weak plant, and a tubby baby. The Jujube plant is a deciduous shrub with thorny branches, the fruits are luscious, they are usually
called Indian
Dates and belong to the species of Ziziphus. The frail plant grew fast and was
around five feet tall by the time little Badrika was five years old. Badarika
loved the fruits, but could never
reach it. The comfortable life and the good food of Balamani kept her plump and
adorable. She wanted everything very easily, including the Jujube fruit.
Balamani would tell her ‘if you want to
eat the fruit you keep climbing, stretch a little more, the best fruits do not
fall, they are at the top’.
Badarika would always
give up in any activity. She would never
put her best as fatigue would grip her midway in the path of studies or sports.
As she grew the change was visible. She grew grumpy fat and remained
disappointed. Balamani and Baltishn kept encouraging her, but Badarika had
resolved to be a disappointment. The only fascination for Badarika was
athletics. She constantly watched the fleet of sports programs and dreamt
being a part of this.
Balamani got her admitted under a coach to bring her back
into a better temperament.
It was the first time they saw Badarika smile. Badarika was regular for her coaching, nevertheless her
laziness remained. She would never
begin her day on her own, all her work had to be done by Balamani, however, she
would always hustle to the Athletic
Coaching Centre enthusiastically. She would begin the race with the others, but
would finish off much later than everyone. Her coach called her a month later and
reprimanded her saying, ‘Badarika, to do
well, one must stretch oneself, go beyond their capabilities’. It reminded
Badarika of her mother’s words. She felt ashamed of herself for the first time.
The next morning Badarika woke up sooner than the normal time, the early
morning was breathtaking,
she looked at Jujube tree as it beckoned her with its gleaming ripe fruits. She
stretched on her toes to pick a ripe yellow green Jujube. She failed to pluck it,
she kept trying till she caught it in her palms. She loved the tang as it
tasted better because of the efforts she had put in. She stretched a little
more to pluck a few more, each time there was an inner gratification.
Badarika reached
the sports ground sooner than usual, she
slipped on her sports shoes eloquently and began the warm ups methodically.
Every step reminded her of her teacher’s words, “we are bestowed with great potential, but use only a fraction of it,
stretch yourself to explore the hidden potential”.
Badarika decided to ascertain the meaning,
she participated wholeheartedly yet finished second last in the race. The coach
saw a promising feature in Badarika, she did not linger or walk wearily. Badarika was satisfied with her efforts for the day, her inner
satisfaction led her to plan and execute her steps in the
races that followed. Step by step she mastered the ability to move ahead. She never evaluated her
moves, her judgement was restrained to her belief
that enthused her every day.
Badarika was selected
in the regional sports competition, she practiced each day, it was just the
efforts she had put regularly, yet each day she had added the formula, ‘stretch
a little more’. The motto had carried her far ahead of others as the inner contentment and fulfillment was heartwarming. She had grown taller, the chubbiness had
disappeared to make way in the form of a strapping personality.
The competition was
held at Hyderabad
which was 175 kms away from Dornala. Badarika decided to go with the group to Hyderabad. The mellowness in
handling herself appalled her parents, but this was what they had always aspired to see. They decided to reach the sports arena in Hyderabad
on the sly. As the match began, Balamani and Baltishn sat in the audience
holding their hands, they wanted their loving daughter to do well to reinstate
her faith in the magic words. The race began and the audience witnessed
Badarika running precisely, she was way behind others, but when the last stretch lay ahead,
Badarikha gained momentum, she ran swiftly like wind, the words “ stretch a little more Badarika,”
echoed within her, she quickened, put her heart and her soul into her goal, she
stretched across to run far ahead of others. The unrealistic bit of a stretch
for Badarika had turned out to be the winning stretch reminding one of the saying “if
you want to eat the fruit you keep climbing, stretch a little more, the best
fruits do not fall, they are at the top”
“If you don't break your
own standards, you will not reach new heights and levels. It is by stretching
our limits that we move beyond boundaries. Keep improving!” ― Israelmore Ayivor,
Simple and inspiring! Wish there was some more description of how the change came about and how it changed her life. This theme is evergreen and delightful. Hope to see more on this!
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed reading this.Such stories should be read out in the class often.
ReplyDelete