THE DISCUS THROW COMPETITION

Some subjects are really very boring. Especially in our Business Studies classes, we were happy to be disturbed by someone or something. Either the sight of my classmate sleeping with her eyes opened or the fight of my friends playing Sudoku in the next bench or the footsteps of someone near the door made me happy. We were in the ‘heaven’, that’s how everyone addressed our classroom. We were lucky to be the tenants of that 'one and only classroom', which was at the zenith of the college building. It was really a blissful place. The stairs from the second floor took us to the terrace. From there we had to take a few steps to our classroom. Usually, a cool breeze or a drizzling rain welcomed us to our class.

One day as usual we were waiting for some disturbance; a footstep was heard near the door. And I never thought that this disturbance was really going to take me at stakes. We saw a tall and stout girl at the door. She was the last year’s sports champion. She requested the teacher to send someone for the discus throw competition as very few participants turned up. No one came forward. The girl said, 'then the health representative of the class should participate.' Unfortunately, I was the health club representative of the class. I looked at my friend who was sitting next to me. She was the one who nominated me to that post. According to her, I was the most suitable person to that post as I had to improve my health a lot. Oh! I forgot to introduce myself. I was a lean and not that tall girl. This is how I would like to describe myself. The teacher asked for the health rep. I stood up. My eyes went all around searching if there was any sports student sitting in the class. There was none. They might have gone to participate in the other items. Unwillingly I dragged myself to the door. And the girl took me with her. We were like a bottle gourd and a chilli. I ruminated in my mind that I knew nothing about the game and my physic was not suited for the game. On the way I expressed my anxiety to her. And I had never imagined that she was such a good personality developer, that on reaching the ground I turned out to be the best trained sports woman. She gave me the first chance to throw. I held the discus firmly in my hand as she had instructed me. I closed my eyes and meditated on her advice, ‘stand with your left shoulder pointed at the target. Keep your feet apart. Bend your knees slightly. Hold the discus tightly in your right hand. Swing your hand back and forth and take your goal.'  My determination was higher. I took all my might and gave a throw. The discus vanished from my sight. It might have broken the boundaries. I stood upright with pride. Just then I heard a cry. I woke up from my excitement to know that my stout friend, who was standing beside me, had also vanished from my sight. When I threw the discus, it had fallen straight down, right on my stout friend’s feet. She was taken immediately to the first aid room.

 Alas! She lost her chance that year. And I happened to be the catalyst of her misfortune. A few days her innocent face haunted me. I was slowly recovering from all that, with the help of my friends. But one day to my great shock that girl came to meet me ascending the stairs of ‘heaven’. I tried to get up from my bench. But I felt a great weight on my feet. They hardly moved. I couldn’t face her. My throat was dry. What should I tell her? She came running to me and said, 'I was searching for you. We had to participate in the next sports event. I will be there. You must come.' Then with an encouraging smile she patted me on my shoulder and said, 'You need more practice. Do well.' As she faded away from my view, I saw an angel among the clouds that hung over our ‘heaven’. I felt relaxed. The clouds in my mind had all rained down.

 It’s true that every dark cloud has a silver lining.