Changing Times, Changing Perspectives
The train was about to reach Kozhikode station. Looking at my watch, I knew it was time to get down from the upper birth seat. I had copped up in one corner of the berth all the way from Thrissur. There was no other way. Sleeper coaches are crowded all the time. AC tickets are too fancy for me anyway.
As soon as I lowered my legs on to the ground, the train had stopped and people were gushing in. I could hear the faint cry of hawkers chanting, “Halva, Kozhikodean Halva” in the background. It has been a very long time since I dug my teeth into some halva, I thought to myself. But before I could come back to my senses, someone had already dragged his heavy suitcase and positioned it right across me. I had to be quick or else I wouldn’t be able to find space. As I set my foot on the ground and lowered my hands, I knew I was trapped. I was stuck between two fully grown men. My only option was to stand underneath the guy’s hand as he held on to the railing for support. I could see the sweat dampening his shirt. Just 40 more minutes, I muttered under my breath.
My final project presentation had gotten over at 3:30 pm the previous day. I then rushed to Lulu Hypermarket with Tissa, my roommate. We wanted to pamper ourselves one last time before we left Kochi. Our B.Tech days had come to an end, you see. By the time I got back, it was 6 pm. I had hardly slept the previous night and my head was throbbing. I changed my clothes and jumped on to my bed. Before I knew it I had fallen asleep.
I woke up at 11 pm, weak and utterly confused. I rushed to the bathroom and splashed water all over my face. I was supposed to be giving a motivational speech at Nirmala Matha Central School, the next day. I couldn't screw it up. I took out my laptop and opened a blank doc. The clock showed 11:25 now. As I wrote my speech, I couldn't help but take a small trip down the memory lane.
Thank you for the introduction.
I would like to first thank Principal Sr. Linsa Maria, Ex-Provincial Superior Mother Little Maria, Member of Parliament Shri. T N Prathapan, PTA President Adv. Cherian John for letting me share the stage on this beautiful occasion of Merit Day Celebrations at NMCS.
Before I begin, I would like to congratulate all the students assembled here for their meritorious achievements. (Let’s give them a big round of applause).
And now, it is time for me to begin my little story.
It all started in 2013 when I wrote the super-tough Nirmala Matha (NMCS) entrance test and was selected to pursue my senior secondary schooling at NMCS. And like most of my classmates, I just had one big dream, to become a doctor, same as my parents.
And thus I came to Thrissur, away from my family in Vadakara, onto an unfamiliar setting. I didn’t know anybody here and I was all alone. I was also an average student. Along with all the hectic tuition classes, things were pretty hard.
But, little did I know that God was in fact, very kind to me, because it was at this very school, that I transformed into the “Nikita Mallya” that you see before your eyes today.
Those two years at Nirmala Matha, taught me a lot about life.
I learnt to understand how competitive the entire world before me was and that discipline and hard work were the only way out as taught by my teachers.
I learnt to bend my knee and bow my head before God and trust him with my fears and insecurities every time I attended prayer meetings during after-school hours.
I learnt to treat my teachers as my second family. If I start listing names, it is going to be a very long speech and hence I will keep it short. Jyothi ma’am, who served as my class teacher played an instrumental role in this part of my life.
I learnt to explore my interests and talents. I discovered my talent to move people with my words. I wrote my first ever- article based on my beloved English teacher Meera ma’am. She believed in me when no one else did and I’ll be forever grateful to her.
But, what is life without hurdles and obstacles along its way? For when the results arrived, I hadn’t cleared my medical entrance exams. I was devastated and heartbroken. This is where I learnt that things don’t happen exactly as you planned.
Since a) I didn’t want to repeat, and b) I had a decent rank in Keam for engineering. I decided to go ahead with B.Tech.
Today, looking back — I can safely say that it has been one of the best decisions of my life.
I started studying for B.Tech in Computer Science from Govt. Model Engineering College, Kochi. And in my four years, I participated in various clubs and activities serving multiple leadership positions. And all these culminated into me winning the prestigious Grace Hopper Scholarship to attend the world’s largest conference for women technologists held in Houston, Texas in 2018. It was there I got to meet Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter and Priscilla Chan, Mark Zuckerberg's wife, founder of the Chan- Zuckerberg Foundation among many other computer engineers.I was also one of the esteemed delegates selected to attend the Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations conducted at Harvard University, earlier this year in Feb. I visited Harvard University and MIT, Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a result.
And all this motivated me to apply for a Master’s in Management Science and Engineering from Columbia University, one of the top universities in the world today and I am proud to say that I’ve been selected and I’ll be leaving soon in August.
Two days ago, when Jyothi miss called me to invite me here, I was overjoyed. I would like to take this opportunity to again thank, Principal ma’am, Jyothi ma’am, all the dignitaries on the dais and the entire organising committee for sending me this invitation.
To conclude, I’m going to quote Steve Jobs as I can see no other quote fit for this occasion.
“You cannot connect the dots, looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards.”
There were multiple times in my life, where nothing made sense to me. There are times when they still don’t. I have struggled, cried and lost but today I feel like I have won. To all the students here, I urge you to believe in yourself, seek support from your parents and teachers and put in hard work. And before you know it, one day you will be here standing where I am today. All the best.
Thank you!
The train came to a halt at Vadakara station. I thankfully got down in one piece despite all the pushing and pulling. As I climbed up the over-bridge, I could see people still streaming out of the train coaches. When I got to the middle, I could see the train leaving the station through the wired fence whilst the passengers made their way towards the exit. I stopped on my tracks for a split second, closing my eyes and fully living in the moment. I have a long way to go, ahead of me. Not a moment to lose!
