This is a short story of Aravind (name changed), who stepped out of his comfort zone, seeking support, and learned to believe in himself for navigating challenges. Aravind rediscovered himself, and created a fulfilling life.
Aravind is a 17-year-old high school student feeling. He felt everyday was the same, attending classes he had no interest in, completing assignments that felt useless, not performing well in his exams and continuously comparing himself with his friends who seemed to have it all figured out. He felt stuck, lost, and overwhelmed.
One evening, while going through his Instagram feed, Aravind saw a list of sessions in his community center offering workshops on various topics like art, music, AI and entrepreneurship. Intrigued, he decided to attend the workshop on digital storytelling.
Aravind felt a sense of nervousness and curiosity as he entered the workshop room filled with artists, writers, and creators. Over the next few weeks, he started learning, collaborating with others, and exploring his passion for storytelling through digital media.
He made a few new friends at the workshop. One of them was Akhil (name changed), he was son of a watchman and had polio attack in his childhood, so he was using wheelchair. He used to look up to Aravind, and out of his kindness Aravind used to drop and pick him up for the workshop.
As he became more involved in the workshop, Aravind discovered a newfound interest and direction. He began to enjoy these new ideas. He started embracing his creativity and began to express his ideas. This led to him connecting with more individuals who shared his interests and aspirations. Well as any good story has a few hiccups as a part of it, he had a bunch of friends who started pulling his leg. He started going back into a shell and decided to stop going to the next set of sessions.
Well to his annoyance but in a good way, Akhil called him the second day when he didn’t turn up. Aravind, had nothing to do, so he thought he would just drop Akhil and be back till Akhil finds another mode of transport. Akhil had no clue of all this. Akhil asked for Aravinds help with a topic in the class which he couldn’t understand. Aravind explained it very well to Akhil, as providence would have it, the teacher of the workshop overheard it, and appreciated it. Aravind, said he had nothing to loose so he decided he would go to the classes for the sake of Akhil. He made more friends even when others were pulling his leg. He realized that he wasn’t alone in feeling stuck and that by taking proactive steps to pursue his passions, he could create opportunities, explore new possibilities, and redefine success on his own terms.
After a few days, he heard the story of Akhil (story for another day), which was gruesome in terms of the hardships he had to face. Aravind realized, he wasn’t the only one feeling stuck, and there are other people who desperately needed help, which even he could offer.
Inspired by his experiences at the community center, Aravind decided to launch a digital storytelling project focused on sharing personal stories, experiences, and perspectives from individuals in his community and he enrolled Akhil also into the project. As a part of the project, he connected with people from different backgrounds and made a positive impact on others by sharing authentic, inspiring stories that resonated with others facing similar challenges and experiences.
As Aravind continued on this journey, he gained confidence, resilience, and a sense of purpose in his life. He learned the importance of embracing change, taking risks, and believing in himself, even when faced with uncertainty, setbacks or nasty leg pulling in his case. He stepped out of his comfort zone, exploring new opportunities, and connecting with others who shared his interests and values, Aravind transformed his feelings of being stuck into a journey of self-discovery, growth, and fulfillment.
