Dream big and be an achiever
It’s your dreams that take you ahead in life! If you do not have a dream to pursue, you will never be able to reach anywhere in life. On the other hand, if you have a dream, and are determined to pursue it at any cost, come what may, you will surely see the fulfilment of that dream, one day or other, sooner or later, even inspite of a possible handicap that you are born with, or of a very poor family background that you are born to. No one can stop you from reaching the heights that you have set your eyes on.
Over the years, THE TEENAGER TODAY has always made it a point that every issue of the magazine brings you inspiring stories of one or more such individuals who proves the above to be true, whether it be the true story of A.P. J. Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, or that of Paderewski, the greatest pianist of his time, Napoleon Hill, who continues to be acknowledged as one of the most successful American motivational authors, or that of sports stars like Swapna Barman or the pop star Divine whom we featured in the last issue. We will continue to do so in the months to come.
Keeping with this beautiful tradition, we bring you this month the profile of Ashweetha Shetty, hailing from the background of illiterate beedi rollers of Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu who toil 12 hours a day “to keep their body and soul together.” With a dream to pursue, Ashweetha not only became the first among the first generation graduates in her village, but also the founder of the Bodhi Tree Foundation, which supports over a thousand graduates to realise their true potential. She continues to dream of “an India where there is no rich-poor, illiterate-educated divide.” May her dream come true especially in the context of the new government that we look forward to having after the ongoing general elections!
The present issue has a lot more in store for you: the story of 13-year-old pianist (THE TEENAGER TODAY had featured him in March 2018) Lydian Nadhaswaram who rose to claim recently The World’s Best Award and the US$ 1 million cash prize that goes with it. In addition, we bring you a profile of Smrithi Mandhana, the newest Indian cricket star on the rise.
Happy holidays, happy reading!
Alfonso Elengikal, SSP, has the unique distinction of being the longest-serving editor of The Teenager Today, an office he held for over 17 years. He is the bestselling author of You Can Make A Difference, You Are Destined For The Skies, Let The Real You Stand Up! and Discover The Hero Within You published by Better Yourself Books.
