Dreams sometimes ride a boat too : Corona Chronicle #082

Her 11th grade exams had been postponed due to the Coronavirus lockdown.

Even the passenger boats were suspended since the lockdown was implied.

A few days later, fresh dates for their exams were announced and she was sure she would miss them.

She did not have any means to reach her school as her parents could not afford any private transportation.

Her parents were daily wage earners but she had big dreams for herself.

One day, she thought that she could contact the Kerala state water transport department to tell them about her plight.

When she kept the phone after talking to them, the smile on her face was wide.

They understood her situation and promised her a boat.

On the day of the exam the boat came sharp at 11:30 to pick her up and dropped her at 12 to her school.

She was a lone passenger on the boat but the crew was in full complement.

She paid her fare for the boat which was Rupees 18.

When she got off the boat in front her school, she looked back at the boat and the crew with gratitude and gratefulness in her eyes.

She was almost in tears but somehow held them back.

She thanked the crew a several times during the journey and the crew felt overwhelmed.

The boat waited for her till she finished her exam and dropped her back home.

The officials did not even think twice before saying yes to the schoolgirl who had big aspirations.

Hiring a country boat, fitted with a boat engine could cost atleast Rupees 4,000 for a single trip but she paid her her normal fair for a return journey.

The gesture was so heartwarming that she would never forget it.

Dreams sometimes ride a boat too.

Disclaimer: Based on true events.

– Tanisha Agrawal