Awkward moments – we all have them. Whether it’s trying hard to make a conversation over dinner or asking the boss for a raise, all of us have been in situations we would rather not be in. There’s no avoiding them, because life makes sure to put us in such tough spots every now and then – just to remind us that we, too, are flawed. I have known this feeling too – when you just wish that the ground would swallow you so that you didn’t have to deal with what’s in front of you.

I was in 8th grade, and I had been assigned a role in the famous Speech Day – the annual prize ceremony of the school. I was one of the many narrators, and had a simple line. On the day of the rehearsal, we all put on our costumes as the teachers put make-up on us – I went up on the stage, and a bout of stage fright took hold of me. The faces of the audience scared me, and for a moment, I forgot my lines. I searched my mind for the words which I had practiced so many times – but nothing! My mind was blank.

After 10-15 seconds of silence, my forehead was sweating. My heart beat with quick and hard, as if it were a rabid animal trying to get out of a cage. I felt awkward and frightened. My mouth refused to open, and I stood there dumbly. Fortunately, someone whispered the first few words of my lines from the backstage wings – and I narrated my line. I was saved – but that awkward moment will forever be with me in my memories!