Dear Ishaan Awasthi,
Having seen you grow up with us and hearing the tales of your journeys I have learned a lot. You were the first character I ever resonated myself with. I suppose that’s mostly because we are so much alike, in thought and in terms of our personality. Watching you in that movie, every scene felt like watching myself from a third person’s point of view. And I kid you not when I say that we are alike. Just like you, I too had difficulties in reading and writing while growing up. I struggled with math the most- I never understood the concept of carry-overs and was taken to the principal’s desk as they thought I was just fooling around and was refusing to learn. I dreaded PTMs, the teachers told my mother that I was not as intellectually developed as my classmates and a special needs school would be the right place for me. My mom too used to threaten to send me to the hostel if I could not get my grades up and watching you getting hit by your teachers in your hostel was the worst nightmare for me as I thought that would be my plight in the near future and just like that those tears would roll down my cheeks and I would weep in my mother’s arms and plead her to not send me to the hostel.
Thankfully, that day never arrived. I never went to the hostel and I think this is where our paths slightly diverged but we met again as Ram Shankar Nikumbh entered our lives. For me, the silver lining to my gloomy clouds, my Ram Shankar Nikumbh was my uncle. He was the only one who understood my problem and was the only one to approach it differently, a way in which I didn’t feel humiliated and belittled. He instilled courage in me. The courage to accept myself the way I am and work on my shortcomings. He helped me to read and write clearly, he taught me how to stand up for myself when nobody else could and passed on of the greatest life lessons. He makes sure, even today, that I realize my interests and pursue my passions and enjoy the process of learning at every step. He was also the person who introduced me to you and told me that I wasn’t alone.
After knowing you for years all I have to say to you, Ishaan is thank you. Thank you for making me realize who I am and thank you for making sure that I wasn’t alone. You have always been my comfort person; somebody I can always be my truest self with. Life doesn’t pass by as quickly as a movie does but since we were on the same page in our lives, watching the movie made me believe that my book too shall have a happy ending as did yours in the movie.
Yours truly,
Sanjana