A gorgeous lady elegantly clad in a crimson saree smiled her way into our class. She was going to be our new English teacher. Gauri Ma’am simply stole away our hearts in the first encounter itself. Though being a shy and introvert child, I was a good student and did well in studies. As the days went by, her English lessons brightened up our boring school regime. I reveled in joy as I turned the pages of my Literature book as I developed a sudden strong inclination towards the subject, all due to her lessons. Then came the Annual declamation competition. Though being good at academics, public speaking was my worst nightmare.
As the names of participants were listed on the notice board, I was shocked to see my name on the top of the list. Extremely frightened at the very thought of speaking in front of the entire school, I decided to request Ma’am to remove me from the competition. With a nervous look on my face, I entered staff room where Ma’am was sitting. I went to her and conveyed my helplessness to participate in the competition. She listened to me patiently. As I finished, she made me sit and told me she wanted me to defeat my fear and prepare well for the competition.
I wore a worried look as she told me she had immense faith in me to turn out the best speaker at the competition. I was perplexed yet elated to hear her words of encouragement. Though fear lingered on my mind, in the next couple of days, she gave me invaluable oratory lessons. She turned out to be a perfect mentor for me. She became the beacon I needed the most. The final day arrived. As I faced the huge crowd, my heartbeat became louder but Gauri Ma’am reassuring look worked its magic. My fear vanished away and I began my speech beautifully. It turned out to be a cherished and memorable first ever experience of public speaking for me.
The results were declared and I bagged the first prize. It was one of the happiest memories of my life as Ma’am Gauri gave me a big hug and tears of happiness rolled down my eyes. Many years have gone by, but her speechless charisma and timeless lessons of wisdom still inspires me to conquer my fears to create the world of my dreams and achieve the impossible.
Very few souls have left a mark on my life as beautifully as she did. The Almighty bestowed one of the most precious gifts as the impact of her teachings, her nobility has been everlasting. She motivated me to break out of the shell and bloom. Every student had nothing but words of praise for her. She did not just ignite our imagination but inspired us to pursue excellence in our every endeavor. Life would not have been the same without her touch in my life. Her glittering, ever shining smile spoke volumes of the magical soul she possessed as she blessed the world at every step. She was not just a master of her craft, she effortlessly inspired a generation of students!!
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