Gone for Gold Again!

My story with Queen's Commonwealth Competition started when I was in the sixth grade. My old principal, Ms. Latha Kari, introduced it to us at school. After which, for the past five years, I have been a constant participant. On my first attempt itself, I landed a Bronze. My second attempt in seventh grade got me another Bronze. My third attempt in eighth grade also got me a Bronze.

However, as is human nature to not be satisfied with what we have. I was frustrated. How could I have gotten Bronze three years in a row? Insecurities started filing in. Doubts started lingering. I knew it was prestigious. A chance some may never get let alone be brave enough to dream about. But you must understand, for a girl who had constantly always aced her English across two entirely different curriculums, not moving even an inch from the same rank had its toll.

When I received the Gold Award last year, my first reaction wasn't a smile so wide it touched my ears. It was tears. Tears of joy and relief, streaming down my cheeks until I could not feel my eyes anymore. For I had done it. Claimed what I thought was impossible.

The same reaction was visible upon my face merely a few days ago. When I received the mail that I had gotten a Gold Award, I was elated. Now, I had wondered a while later. My award repeated. So did the Bronze Award. Why was I much happier now? And then a saying I had heard my dad tell someone recently echoed. "Would you rather cry on the streets or would you rather cry in a Mercedes Benz?" A statement I had not thought about so deeply until that moment.

Perhaps, this gold also meant a lot to me because of the topic I had chosen to write about. It was "Across the Commonwealth, recent advances in digital technology have created new opportunities for connection, while also highlighting what remains uniquely human. What can people contribute that technology can never replace, and why is human connection still vital within diverse Commonwealth communities?"

My opinion on this matter had formed merely a week before these topics were revealed. There was a phase where I had spent more time on my devices than with people. Yet, when we travelled to my maternal grandparents' places, I found myself more intrigued by my surroundings than by my phone which led me to write the essay for this competition. Please find it here: https://dhamathisuresh.wixsite.com/website/post/the-dissonance-in-the-machine

This Essay got me this Gold Certificate!

I am so grateful for this opportunity. I would like to thank my parents who are always there by my side. I want to give a special shoutout to my maternal grandfather because he completely inspired this essay. I am grateful to all my English teachers who have helped me make a huge advancement in the language. Most importantly a HUGE thanks to all those who have been blessing me all along. Do stay tuned to Dhamathi's Little Loved Voice on Wix!