Its a Saturday morning, the clock strikes 10 and there she comes, right on time as usual. She enters the classroom and straightaway walks to her seat. It is a corner seat in the front row. Yes, the front row, not because she is an active listener but because she has no friends at the institute to sit with at the back bench and giggle. Students are still entering, one after other, in groups, chit-chatting! She knows the professor won’t be coming before 15 minutes at least! So, she takes out her notepad and pen and starts scribbling on the last page- this was her favorite pastime.

What to draw today, she wonders, while her pen is still making some random strokes. “A castle?” She pretends to be talking to her pen.. “No, a chariot? A three-eyed fish? A tree with chocolates? Or a fairy, that’s my favorite! No, wait, you wanna a draw a unicorn, right? No?”

Still seeming unconvinced her pen continues to scribble for a few minutes. “So you wanted to draw a face, eh?” She loves talking to her pen like that.

“Oh snap! This face seems a little sad, doesn’t it? Lets put a smile on that face,” she continues to speak to her pen.

But before she could make it smile, a gentleman, appearing to be in his mid 60’s, well dressed with a pastel turban, enters the classroom. She looks at her wrist-watch. The minute hand points to 2. The institute has invited a guest faculty to deliver the lecture today. She hurriedly turns back the pages of her notepad. The man introduces himself as Prof. Manish Dhatterwal, an alumnus from IIMB, a prominent B-school in the country. “So, today as you know I’ll be taking a motivational session, but before I start, everyone please introduce yourselves, names would be enough”, the professor says. “Lets start from the front row. Yes, you, the girl seated in the corner. Your name?” “Saina, sir”, she replied with a smile. “Oh, that’s a lovely name”. “Thank you sir”. “Okay then, next please”. “Sir, Rohan”, “Mudit”, “Gauri” and the names continue..

As the session starts, the speaker interacts with the class about their career goals, their future plans, from discussing their shortcomings to appreciating their strengths. He motivates them to work hard and harder, to build self confidence, to acquire a positive attitude, to be successful, to reach the top, the very top! All in all, everyone is so enjoying, noting down points into their notebooks. But, this young girl, Saina- her pen is still, the page blank!

Disagreeing with the professor’s verdicts, but still not raising her voice as she is afraid of being mocked at, being ridiculed and getting the ‘Indian Soap Opera Heroine” tag which is obviously not new to her, she is sitting quiet, lost in her own thoughts.

When the professor says “When you see someone driving a brand new Audi while you’re still driving your 5 years old Maruti 800, you must get up and work hard, to earn that damn Audi”, she is walking in a parallel world, she doesn’t see that damn luxury car ahead of her, she sees a man behind her, travelling barefoot along the road, not because he wants to save money, but because he has none!

When the professor says “What are you people doing? Clapping for Tendulkar for he made a century? Go and make one yourself, and let the world clap for you”, she sees not Sachin but Sahil- a little boy from a nearby slum who plays cricket so well that the ball from his bat often comes flying to her house, but he has no one to clap for him, but fellow children commenting “Tu out hai, ja ball lekr aa” (Trans: you’re out, go and bring the ball)

When the professor motivates “When you read in newspapers about people from premier institutes getting packages in crores, what are you doing? Selling those papers in bhangaar to get some coins? Stand up and work hard, and grab those packages yourselves, don’t sell but get those papers with your names laminated!” She sees not those 5 crore per annum packages but people who haven’t seen a 500 rupee note in their lifetime.

While other students are worried for their future, they are dreaming to make lots and lots of money, expanding their properties, deep inside her heart, she is dreaming of a secure future too, not hers, but Sahil’s. She is worried about all those derelicts she meets everyday, who could pack all their possessions in a paper bag.

Its 12 noon already, her thoughts are held in abeyance with the after lecture applaud by the students. She recollects her senses and stands up with the majority to clap for the great speaker. The class is suspended. She packs her bag, and leaves the classroom, still wondering about THE FUTURE. Lost in her own world, she walks downstairs. She wants to leave everything and chase her dreams, but, alas! like all those destitute people, she is dependent too! Dependent on her parents for her own needs!

As she makes her way into the parking area, she notices the professor reversing his car. Her heart asks her to go and talk to him, her mind compels her not to. Stuck between the two, she stands stupidly while the car honks and passes by. She takes out her pen and says “Come on, lets go home and put a smile on that face”, puts her helmet on and rides away!