'I am not a loser'

Raj found it difficult to concentrate on his lessons. His father had died in a car accident a couple of years ago and he missed him a lot. His mother worked very hard. Always tired, she didn’t spend enough time with him. This made him sullen and stubborn

“Raj, what is an adjective?” repeated the teacher, impatiently, staring at the boy. “Miss…I donnn’t…knnow,” stammered Raj. He looked down, shuffling his feet. The other students began giggling. He was trying hard to find the answer but his mind drew a blank. The teacher yelled again, “I can’t believe you don’t know!”

Hearing her booming voice, something snapped inside his head and he yelled back, “Leave me alone!”

Luckily, the school bell rang, signaling the end of day. Grabbing his backpack Raj ran out of the classroom with the entire class hooting “LOSER!” behind him.

The teacher headed towards the principal’s room.

Raj was not a “good” student. He found it difficult to memorise his lessons. He was 10 years old. His father had died in a car accident a couple of years ago and his mother worked very hard. Always tired, she didn’t spend enough time with him. She scolded him a lot. This made him reticent. To make matters worse, he began stammering. He scowled most of the time and was easily angered. He hated everything. And everyone.

When Raj reached home that evening, he found his mother, Arpita, standing in the middle of the living room looking very angry. He was feeling miserable from his day at school.
“Raj, how was school?” Arpita asked.

“It w…aa..sss f..in…ee,” squeaked the terrified boy.

“Then, why have I got yet another complaint from schoo?” she yelled.

“I…I don’ttt…knowww….wwwhhh…y,” he replied.

“You ought to be ashamed of yourself! I work all day. All you have to do is study. You can’t even do that. Into your room, now!” she screamed.

Raj fled to his room. He bolted the door, threw himself on the bed and sobbed.

Exhausted, he looked up and saw the photograph of his dad on the bedside table. “I miss you daddy. Why did you go away?” he sobbed, holding his father’s photograph.

“Everything was so nice when you were with us, daddy. Mummy didn’t have to work. She wasn’t tired. Why did you go away, daddy?” Raj began sobbing again.

Raj sat alone in his room, crying late into the night, finally falling asleep holding a photo of the person he had loved most in the world, waiting for dreams of happier times.

The next day after school, Raj walked to a beautiful park nearby. Feeling more sour than usual, he began thinking of the fun times spent with his father at the park. He had happy memories of this place.

Suddenly lovely music floated through the air. “That sounds like a piano,” thought Raj.
Hypnotised, he followed the music. He reached a building that was separated from the park by a tall fence. The music came from the ground floor apartment and the door was wide open. An elderly woman was playing the piano.

Raj stood outside the door, listening. The lady finished the piece and bowed to an imaginary audience. Turning around she saw Raj. “Come in, my boy.”

Raj entered her apartment. She sat him down near the piano and started talking to him. Her name was Sandra. She was a pianist and taught children.

“Do you like the piano?” she asked, gently. Raj shrugged.

“Would you like to try?”

Raj went to the piano. Sandra took him through the basics. When his fingers played the simple tune of ‘Do-Re-Me’ for the first time, Raj looked up and gave Sandra a big smile. He had never felt so happy.

“That was lovely! And now let’s try another combination of Do-Re- Me.”

Raj did that perfectly too.

“You are very talented, my dear.”

Raj’s face glowed. He promised Sandra he would return the following day.

Thus started a wonderful friendship between 70-year-old Sandra and 10-year-old Raj.
Every afternoon after school, he went to her house and learnt to play the piano. Sandra enjoyed teaching the enthusiastic learner. Raj picked up difficult compositions quickly and played them perfectly.

One day he saw the grand piano in the music room in school and started playing.

Anil, the music teacher, heard him. He was mesmerised. Anil told the principal that Raj was the right student to represent the school in the nation-wide inter-school music competition.

When Raj told his mother about this, Arpita was surprised. “You play the piano? When did you learn?”

At Sandra’s house when Arpita saw her son play the piano, she was spellbound. “I never knew you could play so beautifully,” she said with tears in her eyes.

Raj practised every day. Everyone at school got to know that Raj played the piano and was representing the school.

The day before the competition, Raj played his piece at the school assembly. The entire school gathered to hear him play.

That day, he walked with his head held high, best of luck cards from his classmates in his bag. He wasn’t alone anymore.  “I’m not a loser,” he said to himself, carrying with him the hopes and good wishes of his teachers and friends.

Siddhanth Banerjee (14), Podar International School, Mumbai.