“I was preparing for my Intermediate board exams when I found out that my father had a peripheral neuropathy and was paralyzed. I always wanted to study Hotel management as I was passionate about cooking, but I was advised to work at my father’s shop instead, because I had a family to look after. Everyone around me said my father would be fine in a year and I could join college again. But his health only deteriorated with time. He couldn’t recover, so I continued to work here letting go of my dream. It’s been 10 years now but I never stopped learning. Back then, I studied in a telugu-medium school, so I didn’t know English. Every day I would sit at the shop with a newspaper and an English dictionary. I’d underline each word and try to search for it’s meaning in the dictionary. Sometimes, I’d even ask my customers to help me. That’s when I met a girl who would come to the shop everyday. We would chat often and through our conversations, I learnt that she didn’t know how to cook. So we made a deal – I’d teach her how to cook, while she began to help me with English. Slowly, I began to talk broken English but now I can speak fluently. I also managed to resume my education and I am currently pursuing a diploma in Hotel management. Well, that’s the best part of life. You always get another chance!”

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