“You Are A Blessing…”
“I stand here today….,”
Began Nina, a final-year Social Work student on whom the college auditorium’s spotlight was focused.
“As the university’s best achievement award winner 2022, and…and…” Her voice trembled as she continued.
“I am grateful to all my professors, faculty members, staff, and my dear colleagues, for having not only recognized but also helped me to realize my potential within to become what I am today”.
She then stopped for a while and took a deep breath while her eyes spanned across the length and breadth of the college auditorium. It was, though filled with university professors, students, and their family members, yet having a resounding silence to listen to her speech. Her eyes were pensive but steady. As she exhaled her breath, she began to talk again.
“You have seen and evaluated my potential. Thank you very much! But do you know me?”
The audience was startled for a moment and there heard some whispers in the crowd as well. The college officials and the invitees in the first row became a bit uneasy, though attentive still. Yet, Nina’s eyes were determined though her voice was still bleak when she inquired again.
“Do you know me? Because, all of these wouldn’t have been possible except for one person in my life, whose name I didn’t know until I came to college.”
There was an ‘Ooooo…’ in the crowd. But it faded away and came to a quiet halt as Nina continued her speech.
“Three years ago, when I first came to the college to collect the degree enrolment application form, it was the first time I realized that I had to fill in my parents’ names in the application. All I knew about my mom’s name, if at all I had ever wanted it, was that she was called Mrs. Kumar after my dad. I called her on her WhatsApp number to ask for her full name. Yes, you heard it right, I called her up on her WhatsApp number since she was in Thiruvananthapuram because ever since I was in Grade 3 and came to the convent hostel, I have not seen my mother”.
“She was silent. But I asked for her name again: Amma, I am so sorry. I did not want to offend you. But it has never occurred to me to fill in your full name in a document. And there, she started to sob.”
“That day, as I left my mother’s name on the application, blank, I could not quite put myself together to complete the rest of the items in the application. Since then, I had zero hopes of getting into a college. Neither had I wanted to attempt in any other college because I thought that I would have to go through the same process again and again, which means, that I would have to make my mother cry by asking her to reveal that which she doesn’t want to do by herself for some reasons.”
As her audience was becoming more and more serious in listening to her, she continued.
“As I came home that day, there came my school principal to see me that evening, a dedicated Jesuit missionary who used to visit us when we were in rehabilitation camps at Killinochchi.”
“Welcome, Father. It is so nice to see you after so many years. What brought you here, Father?” I asked.”
“”Ah… I was passing this way and I just thought of stopping by to see how you, my little child, are doing in life. You are a grown-up girl now, ha… Aren’t you?” He answered.”
“He sounded joyful and interesting as he always did and it made me forget my worries for a while. Having talked life over a cup of tea, he was about to leave when he pulled out an envelope from his khadi bag hanging on his left shoulder.”
“My child, complete your application and hand it over to the college office tomorrow with the letter you’ll find inside this envelope”, said he with his usual witty smile at the corner of his mouth.”
“Should I open the letter or should I not? Should I attach it to the application with the envelope or without it? I wondered for a while.”
“I was so restless the whole evening and I couldn’t sleep that night at all. There was something that troubled me about the envelope, about his witty smile, about the letter inside. ‘Am I missing something in life?’ I asked myself. ‘Is there something that I have not known so far in my life’, I became curious.
“On the following day, as I was going to submit the college application, I received a call from that Jesuit Priest and his voice sounded still cheerful over the phone.”
“Did you read the letter I gave to you to attach to the application?” He sounded exceptionally witty. “
“Oh… Should I?” I was scrupulous.”
“It’s better you didn’t. Save it for the right time. Please keep a copy of it safe with you and you can read it on the day of your graduation.”” I thought he was hilarious for a second.”
“And so, today, as I am honored with this best achievement award, I feel all the more honored to read that letter in front of him who made all this possible for me, who helped me to reach the stars, and who came all the way to participate in this ceremony on my behalf.”
She unfolded the copy of the letter she had kept in her pocket, and as she opened it, her fingers trembled and her heart was soaring high. She knew that she wanted to cry. Yet, to fight her tears within, she closed her eyes tight. As she opened her eyes, she saw that the priest was standing next to her holding her by her shoulder as she read:
“Dear Sir,
Please accept this child to your college. I have known her ever since her family was in rehabilitation camps after the war. She grew up with her foster mother until she was about 8 years old. When she was about a year old, her parents were……………”
When Nina saw what was written next in the letter, she sank into an uncontrollable pool of tears while those eyes fixed on her in the audience cried as well. The priest took the letter in one hand and held Nina in the other as he said,
“let me finish it for her”.
He began…
“When she was about a year old, her parents were killed in the crossfire between the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) and the Sri Lankan Army while they were hiding inside the jungle. Since then, it was Nina’s aunt whom she calls ‘mother’ who brought her up until she handed her over to the Sisters when she fled to Tamil Nadu in the late 90s. Since then, she has been in touch with me inquiring about her well-being and her studies.”
“Therefore, what she has gone through in life is tremendous. Yet, I believe God has blessed her with greater gifts and talents in life. Educate her to become what she is truly capable of. Let her know that, starting from her own self, understanding is more rewarding than being understood, and giving makes her more joyous than receiving.”
“May she be a blessing to your institute, to the field of her expertise, and to society at large! Thank you!”
As the priest finished reading the letter, Nina fell to his feet, sobbing uncontrollably.
As she was slowly raised to her feet by the priest, the audience soared to their feet chanting:
“Nina is a blessing…” “Nina is a blessing…” “Nina is a Blessing…”
As the chanting increases, the chief guest, the college officials, and the special invitees joined her on the stage with the award on which is written, “The Best Achievement of The Year 2022”.
As Nina was awarded, the principal of the College said to the audience as she was approaching the microphone “You are indeed a blessing to our institute and to our society. We are very proud of you, Nina”.
-End-
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