As soon as we complete our 10th grade is when we have to make life changing decision, to streamline our subjects. I chose humanities as it always resonated to the things I wanted to be and not just because it was the ‘Easier’ stream. Instead of supporting my choice people would question my strengths which was not just hurtful but highly demotivating. My friends and me were kicked out of school right before our 10th final exams because they assumed that we would never make it through. They feared the bad rapport we could bring to the institution if we failed.

It is obvious that any institution would want to invest their energy into students who look promising and bright, but it is kids like me who already have difficulty in learning because of our physical or mental discomforts who need more attention.

Schooling was actually a disaster for me. I could never retain myself at one school for long enough to strengthen my academic skills. I was then put in a hostel but I did not do too well with unexplained rules either. I was diagnosed with problems in my chest which meant a lot of hospital visits and unattended classes. I became weaker as a student and teachers started disliking me even more for my absence.

I could have easily punished myself for not succeeding when I could not clear my SLC in the first attempt but I chose to fight my weaknesses. Today when I look back at it, I realize those failures shaped me into the strong person that I am today.

I have always believed that education is important but what is more significant is to be able to absorb and apply those lessons in a meaningful way. Negative reinforcements and attached stigmas in such cases invite hurt and trauma that can affect a person for as long as ever.

Our traditional society sometimes makes it worse for a girl who is already treated as a give away which then considers her an absolute failure. To put it simply, such social constructs and beliefs have always decreased the chances of women succeeding in life drastically. It is true that usually when it is a girl, she is protected a little more, restricted a lot more and allowed very little. To think of it logically, men get treated on the basis of the things they are capable of doing or or simply as the ‘people’ whereas women on the other hand are mostly just treated as women, their gender specified roles as their life goals and anything beyond that is made to look like an unachiveable story.

Respect is not passed on and deserved by people who earn it. It can not be deliberated on the basis of the clothes one wears or the kind of money one has. I hate it when people are judged on the basis of clothes that they wear, especially in the case of a girl. I am not comfortable with the kind of clothes a girl is expected to wear, I do not feel beautiful with makeup or when I try on dresses. Is it not crazy that we are expected to look groomed and pretty but it necessarily does not make life easy for women?

The schoolmates I grew up with were  loving too, a lot of them were men who played football and it is then when I realized the love I had for the sport. One of those days the coach asked me if I wanted to play, to which I was initially reluctant but it his trust in me that helped my passion take another step. My father bought me my jerseys, he never told me that my gender was more important that my love for the sport. He never let me feel that he was superior just because he was a man,  for me he was an ordinary man with an extraordinary heart.

Mothers are emotional and usually understand their kids but it is a little different when both of your parents invest their trust in you, you start believing in your dreams.  A healthy parent –child relationship contributes to a society and nation state that is healthy.

Animals can’t speak they say, but I feel the street dogs around my house know me, they get excited to see me. I feel they talk to me when I listen, we just need to listen. Then there are people who leave their dogs on the streets once their fanciful demands are met, human beings need to buckle up and realize their duties and understand that life is precious.

My dream has always been to be a social worker, a sports psychologist and to live with my parents in a big house with all the dogs possible. When I was very young I would bring home stray dogs and my family members never stopped me. I think it all started back then and I have never looked back. It breaks my heart when in my neighborhood I see people using things as harsh as chemical acid to pour on stray dogs, just to stop them from coming around. It is really that difficult to be kind and non- violent?

If gender equality is our concern, we need to make more space for girls. We need to have an environment which is free of violence and labels. To think that we need to make women stronger is a myth, we have to make men more accepting of diversity and justice. We have to understand that men are victims of patriarchy too which takes away the most basic of their right to express.Women face obstacles and we end up choosing traditional fields of service even in today’s ‘connected world’.

Education helps us set our career and fuels our sustainability but it is not the most important thing; passion and happiness inject real meaning to our lives and that is what the focus of quality education should be. What good is education if it can not make us humans aware of our responsibilities to contribute back to our surroundings and nature?

My life has been incomplete since my father passed away last year, I miss him and his love a lot. He stood by me in all my decisions, he was my best friend. He taught me the value of love and life, he taught me that being a good human with good intentions, passion and gratitude was the most important education one could aspire get. He taught me to how I could be tolerant of others and honest with myself. He taught me how to enjoy football, watching or playing and encouraged me to pursue it.

I grew up dreaming of becoming a football player but only with time did I realize that something as simple as football could be so difficult to pursue because in reality it still is a gender exclusive field. Football is not just a sport but passion for me  and Manchester United fan is my heaven.

I am struggling with my academics so I do not really know how education will work for me but I would really like to become a sport psychologist. I hope someday I will be able to contribute what I have learnt from my failures and achivements  in making sports a field that attracts people with the real passion and dedication and girls who deserve a chance.