Pranu shares her story of beating the odds and making it

I am Pranu, a girl of 19 years living in the city of Bangalore. I am originally from Darjeeling, West Bengal but I was born and brought up here in Bangalore itself. I have a small family of four – my mother, father and brother. I have been through a fair share of struggles in my life which I would like to share with you all. I think it can help someone who is going through a tough time right now.

My mother tells me that when I was a kid, I was very lively and happy-go-lucky even though there were several problems in our life at that point. My family was battling with poverty. My father used to work as a security guard and his pay was very less. His pay was used in our education, medicines, rent and essentials of the house. This left us short on cash in situations of illness; in those days, we would not have money to prepare a meal at all.

My mother still provided us with the best she could even if it meant harsh suffering for her. I remember when there was no food in the house, she would give me a glass of milk and put me to sleep. That one glass of milk was one glass of happiness. It tasted like heaven and taught me the value of food.

My parents tried hard to earn money for the family but something would go wrong in one way or the other. It caused severe disappointment too but it also taught me many important lessons. The most important being – Life is not a bed of roses. My mother would often tell me that we cannot have all that we wish for and it is okay.

On some really bad days, my father would come home agitated and misbehave with my mother. I wanted to stop him but I did not have the courage to do so. On such days, I would feel helpless and cry at night.

Along with my family, I learnt to adjust in what we had. I went to a school and made some friends. But I would never invite any of them to my house because if they come, they would be our guests and we would offer them food. We had very less food to begin with and I did not want to cause more trouble to my parents. Hence, I would make excuses when my friends tried to make a plan of coming over to my place. They thought I was rude and weird but the truth was that I did not want them to know of our poverty. I was young and dealt with them the best way I could imagine then.

With god’s grace and my parents’ blessings, I was good in my studies. I was among the top 5 students in the class each year. But because of our financial troubles, I had to discontinue my studies after 7th standard. About a year later, my teachers decided to sponsor my studies. With their help, I resumed my studies and completed 10th standard. It was a very proud moment for my parents and teachers when I scored the highest marks in the 10th Std. Board exams.

But sadly, my family did not have money for my admission to 11th Std. Hence, I had to take a break again. This was a huge setback on me.

It took me some time to come over this setback. Writing down my thoughts helped me immensely and it gave me strength. In this process, I have written two books and am waiting for them to be published in due time. Also, I read a lot of inspirational stories which gave me strength. These stories have helped me stay positive and fight the tough times. I also visit orphanages and old age homes as I have realised that helping other people heals my sorrows.

I feel that life has given me many chances to learn and grow. The difficult times have brought along sadness and dejection but they also taught me the importance of hope. I have learnt to believe that one can find a way out in any situation. It is possible to love and enjoy anything that I have to do.

Also, I think there are some things I cannot change – my past being one of them. But my future lies in my efforts. So I have taken charge of my own life. I have taken up a job as a customer executive in a company in Bangalore and earn money to support myself and my family. I think I will be able to save up some money soon and resume my education.

Your DOST celebrates the brave spirit of Pranu! Do you have a story inside you of struggle that you overcame with your brave spirit? Share it with us! You never know who can connect with your story and get the courage to keep moving ahead!

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