Born in 2001 in a government hospital, I, Deep Gopalani, entered a world that was already a battlefield. My father never came to see me, and shortly after my birth, my mother made the bold decision to divorce him. I was raised by a powerful, resilient woman whose strength and determination became the cornerstone of my own journey.

Despite her unwavering dedication, my mother couldn’t afford to send me to an English-medium school. I studied in a Gujarati-medium government school, even though my native languages were Hindi and Sindhi. It felt like stepping into an unknown world where understanding and expressing myself was a constant challenge.

To make things harder, many teachers gave preference to Gujarati students, while others like me were treated as if we were incapable of achieving anything. I was labeled as “dumb,” but deep down, I knew I wasn’t. I started studying late at night, learning Gujarati on my own, and proving my potential.

Eventually, I shocked everyone with my progress. Not only did I become one of the best students in my class, but I also broke through the biases surrounding caste and language differences. My mother’s strength and my own resolve to challenge stereotypes fueled this transformation.

“The challenges we face in childhood often sow the seeds of greatness.”