User:Shefali Rawlani

Introduction

I was born on October 3rd, 1998, in a little town named Seoni in Madhya Pradesh, India. In my family, there are four of us: my dad, who runs a cloth shop, my mom who takes care of our home, my younger brother, and me. My dad started his shop when I was just one year old. I'm the oldest among my siblings, and my dad really loves me a lot.

Seoni is famous for being a lot like the place where Mowgli, the Jungle Book character, lived.

Schooling

Shefali's education journey started when she was just 3 years old. Her parents decided to send her to the Modern Higher Secondary School in Seoni, Madhya Pradesh, for Nursery (Kindergarten). As she got older, she moved to Maharishi Vidya Mandir School in 5th grade. Even though she wasn't a top student, Shefali always believed that her abilities were more than just grades.

During school, Shefali felt a bit different from her teachers and classmates. She never bullied anyone or used her strength to show off. Instead, she relied on her inner strength to handle challenges. At Maharishi Vidya Mandir School, where lots of students were around, Shefali chose to sit at the back of the class and usually carried just a few notebooks. Her way of organizing things was a bit unusual – it was hard to tell if her notebooks were for rough work or specific subjects. Despite her unique style, her life seemed to be going well as she approached 15 years old.

A difficult 15Th

When I turned 15, everything seemed to take a difficult turn. I was in 10th grade by then, and both my school life and personal life were becoming more challenging. My class teacher, who had once been really supportive, suddenly started treating me differently. It felt like she had turned against me, perhaps influenced by how some of my classmates had started to treat me poorly. This wasn't the first time I had faced such treatment. I remembered back when I was in 8th grade, my class teacher, Ms. Bharti Senger, had told everyone not to talk to me because I wasn't doing well in my studies. I felt so isolated.

But 10th grade brought a whole new level of difficulty. My parents, who I really needed on my side, weren't as supportive as I hoped they would be. It's tough for any child when your parents seem to trust others more than you, and I was no exception. I had experienced a similar situation earlier in my school years, and it was just as tough then. The combination of classmates treating me poorly, teachers changing their attitude, and my parents' lack of support made my 15th year one of the most challenging periods of my education journey.

The First Love

I learned that having friends brings happiness, while being without them leaves you feeling alone in the class. At home, I have a spare phone, but I have to admit, I took it without permission from my father. I did it because I had feelings for a guy, but my father didn't allow me to talk to him. He said he loved me, but his intentions were different – he wanted a physical relationship. I was in a confusing situation; I believed he loved me deeply, but my parents were right all along. I was in a relationship with him for about 6-7 months, deeply in love and always humming the lyrics "Pehla Nasha Pehla Khuma, Naya Pyar Hai Naya Intezaar" (First intoxication, first desire, it's a new love, a new wait). Little did I know, his love was actually a facade hiding someone's darker intentions, and I was blind to see it.

He succeeded; he achieved what he wanted. After a few months of being in a relationship with him, I received a call from someone claiming to be his friend, pretending to be my friend named Mayank. He told me, "Hey Shefali, I need to tell you something. Somen doesn't love you; he's been in love with Akansha for a long time. He used you for his physical desires." Those words hit me like a landslide, leaving me speechless and empty.

I had no clue about the reality of my situation. I tried desperately to reach out to him, but he stopped answering my calls. A few days later, I found out that Mayank didn't call me on his own accord. He had passed on that information because Somen, the guy I had fallen for, instructed him to tell me the truth.

It was Somen who shattered me completely, leaving me devastated and broken.

Accepting my reality, I moved forward to the next chapter of my life. When I entered the 11th grade, things didn't get any better. My class teacher, Mr. Pandey, seemed to have a strong dislike for me. He was the type who would ask for money from students if they wanted to progress to the next class. Rumor had it that he only respected the students he favored and treated others poorly.

During our annual school event, there was a change – the school brought in outside dance teachers to help with our performances. I found it fascinating and refreshing, as I was tired of the familiar faces who disliked me. Among the new faces, there was a guy named Aadi who stood out, charming and confident. I thought about befriending him, but my efforts failed as the people who had once despised me seemed to become friends with him. To make matters worse, I heard that Aadi considered me to be of low value, even though we hadn't even interacted.

I confided in two teachers at my school, hoping to find understanding and support. Unfortunately, they turned out to be no different; they shared everything I told them with Mr. Pandey, my class teacher. Every piece of information I shared was relayed to him. I later discovered that there were others in the school who felt the same way I did, but somehow, only my words seemed to be passed along to Mr. Pandey by those teachers. It was a frustrating and isolating experience.