A letter from August 22nd, 2022

Dear one year older me, It is currently 12:06 AM and the date is 22.08.2021. Your old self (me) is anxious and can't sleep. You have to wake up in 5 hours because you're starting a crucial thing in your career as a teacher in about 8 hours. Today's the day you start your pre-internship. All the charm and magic of draping a saree is gone. You're tired and your back is aching because you spent more than 6 hours in preparing your first lesson plan. I don't know in one year if this will matter or not but I am definitely hoping that your first day experience as a teacher in a school pays off. You wanted to make a mark in the education system of your country. I know that it's almost a shout into the void because how can one teacher make a difference but remember that old man at the book fair so many years ago? He had said, "Someone has to start somewhere, right?" Hopefully you can contribute to the education system in your own ways and try to make children fall in love with literature just like you fell in love with it once. For you, it served as an escape but hopefully, your guidance and your passion for the subject will transcend through them and set them free from society's shackles which still inculcates values in children that a career in literature means nothing. Know that if at least one student of yours chooses to study literature in their university course, you will have been successful in your venture then. Till then, Keep hustling and keep loving what you do. Love, Your past self.