A pet in my pocket!

“Do you want to see my favourite animal which I always carry in my pocket?”, so saying, much to the amazement of the teachers and students seated in the auditorium, I pulled out a one-rupee coin with the four-headed lion, our national emblem. The deafening claps enthralled me. Needless to say, I bagged the first prize in the oratorical competition.

I was in the fourth grade then. A few days before the contest, I was a totally different person. Basically an introvert by nature, I loved to be in my own shell. When the date and topic ('My favourite animal') were announced, I was the least interested. Yet, I pulled out my school diary and noted down the details.

I remember many kids enthusiastically giving out their names for the contest. I had then felt that speaking in front of a huge audience was beyond my capability. I forgot all about it until my mom pulled out my diary. When she asked me about it, I told her that the competition was only for extroverts. She did not prod me further.

That night as I was about to sleep, I saw my dad writing something. When I went near him, he held out a paper and said that the contents written in it were for me. I reached out for the sheet. The writing began with “My favourite animal: The Lion”.

It took a few minutes for me to gather that he had noticed my childhood appreciation of the majestic lion as the king of the forest and had prepared hints on the speech. My surprise grew into disappointment as I knew what was coming up.

I vividly remember my mom and dad sitting near me and encouraging me to join the contest. My initial reaction was a big ‘NO’. I shuddered at the thought of speaking about the animal. My parents asked me to state my apprehensions and deal with them one by one. I finally decided to give it a try.

That was definitely a turning point for me! My dad helped me with the way how a speech should be delivered. I also learnt that, while your eyes should be on the audience, your concentration should be on what you speak. Thus, while preparing for the speech, I forgot everything else and kept in mind only the subject of the talk.

When the D-day arrived, though I was frightened a bit, I confidently delivered the speech. As the climax, I pulled out the coin to exhibit to all how my favourite animal ever remained not only in my pocket but also in everybodys! The thunderous applause made my confidence grow. I became quite popular in school and there was no looking back. I could also bag even a state-level prize!

The golden advice, “Where there is a will there is a way” given by my parents, rings in my ears even today.

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