The Lonely Sun

It's a story of one class of one pakistani school where how students learn science,geography ,history and other subjects in daily 5 to 6 hour study.The school bell rang and Rabia got up to move towards her class. The recess was over. She had to in the back bench where there was hardly any one to accompany her. It was her general science period. All the girls stood up to welcome Miss Urooj, their teacher.First, she made the drawing of the Planets of the Solar system and then she started to explain things in detail. Rabia was more interested in the topic then any of her class fellows because of her newly gained interest in the sun. The teacher told that the sun was stationary and all planets revolved around it. She explained that the sun was a source of energy and life was not possible without it. Miss Urooj explained, “The light of the sun is so intense that when it shines, no one can see the stars and planets and it makes its pressure felt through its sheer power”. Miss Urooj taught the class with practical demonstration and she told the students to learn from the sun, work hard to shine and make themselves so powerful that other people should find attraction in them.
This very message touched Rabia's heart. She was really impressed by the day's lesson. She was still hesitant to ask questions because she thought, the other students would make fun of her. But that was the first day when she thought she could understand things. She considered learning was interesting. She listened that day very carefully and attentively being so alert not even missing a single detail about the solar system.In the evening when she went back home, she had loads of questions on her mind and she waited eagerly for her father's return whom she thought could answer her queries. Her father was a very kind man who always was a good listener. He allowed Rabia to ask questions freely. He tried his best to satisfy his daughter with answers though Rabia's questions were usually very difficult to answer. He never lost his temper even if he was unable to understand her wise questions. The only explanation at the end of every discussion he could offer was that every thing was subject to the will of God.
That evening when he came back from his workshop, Rabia opened the door with a smile and her father gave her a compassionate hug. After they had their family meal, Rabia took her father to the corner of the house where they would sit quietly and discuss things. Her father noticed her unusual eagerness and excitement and asked what it was all about. Rabia asked her father if any other planet provided assistance or ever accompanied the sun and whether it was alone since its creation. Her father smiled kindly as he used to do at such questions and said, “My dear child, the sun does not need any assistance because it is very powerful rather it gives energy to others. It is not weak.”
Rabia's father was well aware of the background and the complex nature of the question. He knew his daughter was studying in difficult circumstances facing prejudice of her schoolmates. He would often console and try to give her courage to face difficulty. He was able to read Rabia's mind by looking in her eyes. He never let her down answering her queries. He further added that the world respects those who work hard and God helps and rewards those who help themselves. He told Rabia, “No one is inferior to anybody; people respect those who believe in themselves rather than indulging in self-pity.” This motivated her to face the world with courage and renewed spirit.
He told Rabia that hard work paid in the end no matter how many hurdles she had to face and success was always waiting for her. Rabia was very impressed by the message her father conveyed and she was able to develop a strategy for the days to come. She was able to overcome her complexes. That night, she picked up her books with determination not to remain a scared and feeble Rabia anymore. She decided she would not bear loneliness and hatred anymore. She wanted to gain real affection from her classmates.
That day onward Rabia started to prepare her lessons in advance. She carefully prepared the list of questions she had in mind even before the beginning of the lecture. Her contribution in the class was more than any of her companions and she was more admired by her teachers. There were certain students who tried to make fun of her but she ignored them and did not show any anger. She was more confident than ever before and after some days those small back chats and nasty commentaries were gone. She was able to look in the eyes of her class-fellows confidently and answer them if anybody tried to be smart.



After a few weeks, she found herself in the middle of a group of girls who used to neglect her in the past. They wanted to benefit from her knowledge and were impressed for her intelligence. She topped in all examinations leaving others behind. She was the one who took delight in representing her class as well as her school in extra curricular activities. She would take part in speech and quiz competitions. There was no one to compete and excel her in attaining knowledge. She was very lucky to get her father's advice which proved to be the turning point for her. Her grim expression changed, she was no longer nervous. This personality change was her praise, which made her confident. Now she was proud of her accomplishments.
She realized, 'social status' and 'money' were very petty issues. This self-enlightenment helped her to get out of her self-pity.