Help, alas!
Born in a small village near Bhawanipatna a city in the heart of Orissa, Asha grew up in a farmer’s family.
The family used to live in a small hut, surrounded by green paddy fields. Bananas and juicy pineapples grew in abundance. Asha enjoyed the simple life. The family was poor and had to work hard.
Yet, Asha had great love for learning. She would read for hours together. To support herself through school, she developed a vegetable garden. She would tenderly tend the plants. When they gave crop, she sold them out in the market.
Asha topped her class each year. She dreamt big. She wanted to be an engineer. When the tenth boards came, she stood first. She was determined to do equally well in class twelve. She studied day in and day out. An unbelievable spirit had gone into her.
When the results came out, Asha had beaten all records. She had a score of 99.1 percent and was second in the I.I.T entrance exam. Yet, her parents did not have the means to support her through college. Would her dream die so soon?
A TV reporter heard her story and put it out in the news. It made a big splash. Soon, offers of help came pouring in. Yes! Help came alas, Asha could soon go to college. She would become an engineer—the finest one in the world!