A twinkle in her eyes...and a smile

A twinkle in her eyes...and a smile...

She sat in her classroom while her classmates relished their food...hungry she was...in the melee of girls rushing for school in the early morning she had forgotten to carry her tiffin box...

New to school...a complaint followed...she was seeking food from her teacher and her classmates despite carrying her own tiffin...counselling...with love...to our dismay a complaint followed again a few days later...admonishment followed...

Beaten black and blue she had grown up seeking alms...on the streets...doing so came naturally to her...

She remained fixated on her books stifling her pangs of hunger...she did not seek even a morsel...the very girl who was completely indifferent to education...the very same day...earned her first Star from her teacher...the second followed the next day...

She stood holding my hands to a loud applause from our girls...she had earned her laurels...the sweet sound of clapping hands...the very first she had received in her tiny life of 7.5 years reverberated in her ears...there was a twinkle in her eyes...and a smile on her face...

Hope...and our resolve to make a difference to the lives of people...is what you reinforced...lil' girl!