Touch her, Lift her, Kiss her
By Saai Syvendra ·
An age when hours felt like seconds and seconds felt like hours. When sour felt sweet, sweet felt sour. When dreams turned into reality, and reality into a nightmare of embarrassment. CC, Ladies and gentlemen, let me take you down memory lane to when I was 15.
A time when she was my heart and soul. I fell head over heels by looking at her picture. She was shining like gold, and I was told that love was uncontrolled. I was also told that there was another bold boy who thought she was gold. That’s not it. To win her over, he had an entire set of wingmen. Guess what? I recruited my own.
Both of us were working hard for one day, the 14th. The day I would touch her, lift her, and kiss her. I’ve been visualising that all night long. Now, as the anticipation built up, the moment arrived—the 14th of October, the day of the water polo encounter. As I was walking along the poolside, scanning the crowd, there she was, seated on stage, radiating warmth even in the shade of the stage. In that fleeting moment, our eyes met; it was as though time had paused to admire her beauty. And there I was, drowning in her eyes. But, as fate would have it, a sudden collision with someone shattered our connection. Turning to face the interruption, I found myself staring dead straight into the eyes of that bold boy, the captain of the opposition.
“Don’t you dare have the slightest hope that you can win her. The trophy is already mine!” What arrogance to claim that my love belonged to him! It is time once and for all to decide who she will go home with. That being said, the whistle was blown, and the game began even amidst the heavy rain. After multiple passes, shots, and goals, we emerged victorious, eight goals to one. It was the moment my teammates and I were working day and night.
The announcer said, "Now I call upon the captain of the winning team to come and collect the trophy." I heard him say, “Now I call upon Captain Romeo to come and claim the heart of his love, the trophy Juliet.” And so I did. I walked up the stage, ( )touched the trophy, lifted her, and as I was about to kiss her, (cough and drop the trophy). You see, the top of the trophy was like a bowl. The rainwater that was collected in it choked me. I dropped the love of my life! I was standing there amidst the stare of the audience, which I couldn’t bear. To gain some confidence, I turned to my right; all my teammates had their palms on their foreheads. I turned to my left; my coach gave me a death stare as if I’d just humiliated the entire school. I found myself in the darkness of embarrassment, with the loudness of laughter deafening me, and I could not find my way out. That is when I felt a pat on my back. “Don’t let your embarrassment define who you are.” The Chief Guest who handed out the trophy bent down, picked up my love, handed it again, and continued, “Embrace your embarrassments.”
Ladies and gentlemen, have you ever forgotten your script during a speech, or spilt coffee all over yourself, or dropped and broken a glass in public? We've all been there, victims of those moments we want to rewind and erase. But what if I told you that these 'embarrassments,' as we often label them, could be powerful tools for growth and resilience? Years ago, during that water polo match, even though I made my dream a reality, it resulted in a nightmare of embarrassment. It was a defining experience, not just because of the incident itself, but because of the Chief Guest's words that truly resonated: 'Embrace your embarrassments.'
Instead of letting the shame define me, I chose to learn from it. I realized that everyone faces awkward moments and that choosing to laugh, learn, and move forward is what truly matters. Today, I stand before you, not only to share that embarrassing story but to give you a touch of confidence to lift yourself up and kiss your fear of embarrassment goodbye. Remember, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was once an embarrassment, but today it’s one of the world wonders. Learn to embrace your embarrassment.
For those wondering how that day ended, after hearing those words from the chief guest, I felt a light of hope clearing the darkness of embarrassment. Yet again, I touched the trophy, lifted her, and I finally, (kissed her).
#Gavel
#2024
#WaterPolo