“A blank paper, paintbrush, and a palette to create dreamy colors. That’s all it takes. Next thing I know, I’m lost deep in my world – painting my thoughts and bringing them to life. It’s the medium I choose to express myself. A medium, just like music for musicians, words for writers and numbers for mathematicians. But at times, my hand trembles and I am overcome with fear that I will mess up the colors while painting. The same thing happened when I participated in the ‘Kopila Valley Inter-school Arts Competition’ held this week at my school. I was painting with a theme ‘My beautiful country’. There were 79 other participants from 14 different schools vying for the top spot, and I was nervous. But then I remembered to take it one brush stroke a time, and the calmness took over me. At that moment, painting felt like a metaphor for life. You feel afraid to make that next stroke with a brush or take on the next challenge in your life. Either way, you eventually have to conquer your fear and take the next step.”

Note: Her painting won the first prize in the competition.