“I believe that in an era where students of my age are experiencing mental health problems like stress and depression, my thoughts might give a different perspective on the way they see studies, school and hopefully life as well!
Cricket! The best thing Britishers introduced us 75 years ago. A sport celebrated all over the world. In India, it is not just another sport, but a feeling shared by a nation of 1.4 Billion people, an emotion which makes us dance on ‘dhol’ (musical instrument) when we win the World Cup and aches everyone’s heart when we get knocked out of the tournament in the league stage.
Growing up reading stories of communal hate and violence, ‘Cricket’ seemed to be the answer which brings all castes, all religions, and all communities together. I might be exaggerating but I find Cricket a miracle, and I’d fallen in love with this miracle.
As a child, I always wanted to watch the match but now I want to be on the ground hit that ball hard that it crosses that boundary to touch someone’s heart in the stand.
Since I first picked up the bat when I was 4 years old, nothing has been able to stop me. But as schoolwork, cricket, and practice hours increased, life was becoming increasingly challenging. I then came to the realisation that I needed to strike a balance, so I made a schedule. 7 hours at school, 4 hours playing cricket, and the final 3 hours spent at home and doing homework.
But nothing comes easy to you in this world and I had new unwanted guests in my life, my injuries. I was a bag full of wounds and with studies to manage it seemed like I was in deep water. Self-doubt, stress, and depression came to me the easy way. But as humans, I believe we always have two choices, either accept fate or fight back and win what we are looking for. Sachin Tendulkar’s poster has always done that magic on me to go for the second one.
When I won the national cricket tournament in January 2020, all my hard work and perseverance paid off. I also received sponsorship from a prestigious sports brand that supports professional athletes. (MRF).
None of this could ever be possible without my parents supporting me for everything, be it skipping an exam for an important tournament or letting me cry during a breakdown. They are rock solid people, my forever goto buddies. I owe my win to them.
Apart from cricket, I have an inclination toward writing. My recent short story ‘Hasta La Vista’ has been published in a book called ‘the green door’. I aspire to open an NGO in future and explore more experiences along with my passion for cricket.
One message I would like to give to everyone reading this is – Cry, cry as much as you can don’t be prey to depression and never keep anything within, during all this I cried thousands of times and trust me every time it made me feel lighter. Crying and not keeping anything within in the past has made me immune to mental health issues today… So if anybody calls you a crybaby one day, the next day they will cry to be you! “
Story by Anagh Prabhakar
Gems International School, Gurugram
Edited by
