“Bindu, why are you crying?” Startled, Bindu looked around. “You didn’t answer my question,” the voice seemed to be coming from the statue of Lord Ganesh in the corner.
“It is I who is speaking,” she saw the Lord’s trunk sway ever so slightly.
“B...but if you are really Ganapathi then you sh....should know the reason why I am crying.”
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“Okay, I’ll tell you. You are good in studies, but you have a problem — you stammer. This morning, you volunteered to speak in the school assembly. You worked hard but when the actual moment came you couldn’t utter more than a few words. Your classmates made fun of you and that is why you are crying.”
“Wow! You are g...great. Now I am convinced you r....eally are G....Ganapathi, my favourite G...god.”
“Thanks! I am relieved you are satisfied that I am original.”
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“Ganapathi bappa , what do I do about my stammering?”
“That’s not a major problem. I can take care of that.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Participate in the elocution competition to be held next week. Work hard and write a nice speech.”
Hard work
“But I am sure I’ll make a mess again.”
“No, you won’t. You start practising how to speak without stammering. Stand in front of the mirror, look at yourself and speak loud and clear. Do this as many times as you can. And you’ll see how quickly you will get over your nervousness. On D-Day, I will be in the audience. Of course, no one else will be able to see me. The moment you start feeling nervous, just look at me and I’ll take care of the rest.”
Bindu spent hours practising in front of the mirror. As the days went by, she found that her stammering had decreased.
On the day of the competition, as her name was called, she went on stage, butterflies in her stomach. She looked at the audience. In the third row, Ganapathi sat flapping his huge ears.
She began speaking. A few seconds later, as she looked at the huge mass of faces in front of her, she panicked. She shifted her gaze to Ganapathi who nodded encouragingly. Bindu gathered courage and continued speaking. Nearing the end of her speech she once again felt at a loss for words and looked helplessly at Ganapathi. His reassuring presence was all she needed to complete her speech with a flourish. When the results were announced she had come second — a result which was beyond her wildest dreams.
“Thank you so much,” she told Ganapathi that evening. “The credit goes to you.”
“No, my child. I had nothing to do with it. It was all your hard work. The only thing I did was to make you believe in yourself. You were confident that since I was sitting in the audience I would take care of any problems you might face.”
“But your presence gave me courage.”
“Well, that is what faith is about,” Ganapathi said.
***
“Wake up, lazy bones,” Bindu opened her eyes. She was in bed and her maa was sitting beside her.
‘Was all this a dream?’ Bindu wondered.
As Bindu looked around she saw on her study table a bright and sparkling cup and her face broke into a radiant smile.