Mubashshira Tasnim Mahmud

As she sat on her office chair with a steaming cup of coffee in front of her, she heard a knock on the door. “Come in, please have a seat,” said the fair-skinned lady with admirable eyes. “I’ve come from Prothom Alo for an interview with Miss Sumaiya Islam,” The journalist in blue shirt and black pants said in a rush. “Yes, this is she.” “We wanted to feature an article about your success story as a social worker, your inspiration and what not,” Mr. Shakil Ahmed said, getting comfortable, “Can we start? Won’t take much of your time, I promise. No coffee or tea, please. The sooner we are done, the better. I apologize for barging in like that, but I have heard you cannot say no. So, not missing a chance,” winked the man like a long-known friend.

She began with a sigh and a fainted smile, “Not much to tell really. I was born in a lower middle-class family. After my father lost his hands in an accident with my mother being a housewife, we could hardly manage a square-meal a day. Less than a year after that incident my father passed away and my mother committed suicide,” She said with trembling lips and teary eyes, whose gaze remained fixed on the picture of her parents hanging on the wall. 

She explained how her father had realized her extraordinary intelligence and had made her promise to complete higher education and become an independent woman no matter what. It seemed impossible to her at that point. “One day, Ms. Shilpa, my grade 3 class teacher called me to her apartment. It was a small but spacious place with a few wooden furniture perfectly aligned, a bookshelf full of academic and non-academic books. She looked deeply into my eyes that day and said, “I know this is hard, but you can overcome all the hardships and succeed.” That was the time I realized that words have the power to heal a soul. She offered me a place to live with her and continue with my studies thereon.”

“As days passed, I developed a bonding with her so strong that I almost forgot the pain of my parent’s loss. I found a friend, motivator, a mother, a teacher all in that one person. I stayed with her as she taught me how to be self-made. She taught me budgeting skills, how to operate the computers and sow my own clothes. “I clearly remember that she would often take me to her friend Anika’s house who was a jewelry designer, she would craft mud ornaments which deeply fascinated me.”

Miss Suamiya inhaled sharply before carrying on, “I started teaching young children of my area to help out Ms. Shilpa financially. It greatly helped me to do well in studies as well. I also began designing mud ornaments with a few friends and started a website to sell them online. Mud ornaments are a traditional handicraft of our area and we wanted to bring it to light.”

“However, luck had more in store for me. One day just after my grade 12 finals, I came home and found my teacher lying on her bed. She smiled looking at me, but it could hardly hide the pain in her eyes. She took my hand in hers, squeezed it, and said, “This time you have to be really strong. I’m diagnosed with leukemia, and I have at most 3 more months.” Sumaiya’s world shattered in front of her eyes for the second time it seemed as she spoke, “I felt as if I was losing my mother all over again.”

“I hid whatever emotions I felt and took care of her like she was a little child. I cooked, cleaned, gave her medications, taught children, and carried on the online business while preparing for my admission into a university. I was exhausted both physically and mentally, but I knew that much harder days were ahead of me and I had to go on.”

“After 3 months I could no longer stay in her apartment and decided to move to a city. I left her world behind and wanted to create a new story of empowerment with the new set of skills and hopes Ms. Shilpa taught me to learn and apply.”

“I enrolled into a university and made a pretty good amount of money from my jewelry business. But I needed to do something more to fill the void of my heart. About 2 years later, along with my best friend Nirob, I opened a shelter home for orphans and underprivileged children. We gave them access to free education, food, and shelter. We also started teaching them skills like operating computers, and sewing, the ones I was taught by my teacher. Every month, I give certain funds to the patients diagnosed with cancer.”

“Although my parents and my teacher are no longer with me, I know that they still bless me from above.”  “I am deeply moved by your painfully fulfilling story and I must admit that you are indeed a perfect example of what they call “the silver lining,”” said Mr. Shakil before withdrawing.