There are some people who influence us more than others. There is something about their personality that attracts us to them. And we, consciously or otherwise, try to be like them -if not exactly, at least in some respect.

There are some people in our lives, who give us the perfect definition of inspiration. They are no less than angels from heaven. I am very fortunate to have someone who gave me hope to live it on when I was shattered. And that special person is my mother. My father was diagnosed with cancer in the last stage and doctors gave up hope. Despite the sudden change in our lives, my mother kept consoling me by saying: "Birth and death are universal truths. Everyone has to go one day."

At one time, I lost my hope to live, because my father had been the backbone of our family without whom life was meaningless to me. But, I have realised that I didn't lose my father. He still lives within my mother. My mother tries to make us laugh even in the darkness of life. Despite of having a lot of responsibilities, she is always ready to face them. She knows that she has to make me and my brother able enough to survive in this society. I don't know how to describe my mother, but simply, she is my role model.

Saloni Pattnaik

Class X

DAV Public School, Chandrasekharpur