The real fantastico

I am sure every young girl has had a phase when she admires on-screen beauties and wishes for that skin, that hair, that height, those eyes and that figure. I also envy girls who've got flawless skin, perfect bodies and who look great in just about any kind of clothes. I always thought that being like that is fantastico. This post is about an incident that's very close to my heart; it's changed my life.

When I turned old enough to know what a huge amount of money parties cost, I wanted to use that money for something more durable. I decided to find an orphanage that hadn't many facilities and use it to pay one of their kid's school fees; what's more durable than education?

We ended up paying fees for a ninth class girl, and since it was school time, she was the only girl I could meet. I got to speak to her for a little bit. I asked her what she wanted to be, and she said she wanted to be a doctor. I asked her why, and she said that she wanted to serve the poor. Being an MBBS student myself, I warned her of the hardships she would have to face-

"You'll have to study really, really hard just to get a seat."

She said she would study hard.

"If you don't get a seat, you won't have a wide choice of options."

She said she would get a seat.

"You have to study hard, through out your life."

She nodded yes.

"Even after you're thirty years old."

She said she was ready.

"You won't have time for much else, and you won't even make much money."

She said she still wanted to be a doctor and serve the poor.

She had impressed me beyond doubt. While driving back home, I thought about her, and I realised that that's what this country is supposed to be trying to get more of. A girl without parents, without the capacity to even buy books to study, wants to be a doctor, the toughest thing there is out there. She may not have the facilities, or the basic amenities to study for what she wants, but she totally conquered the first step towards getting it; she dreamt big. She didn't doubt herself when she set her goals, and that's exactly the kind of thing that achieves great targets. That's where so many of us, blessed, equipped with everything we need to be anything we want, fail. We fail to dream big. We fail to dream to make a difference. But she didn't fail, and that's why she will get all the help she needs. And that's what makes her fantastico.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.