Shoulld

In class seven, during an English lesson, I read the word "should" out loud. It came out as "shoulld".

The class laughed. By the next day it was my nickname. It stayed with me for a whole year, until I changed schools.

English has been a lifelong problem for me. I come from a small town near Jaipur, where English was a subject in school, not a language people spoke at home.

I was determined not to let one word decide who I would become. I kept speaking, even when I knew I would get it wrong.

Today my English is okay-ish. Good enough to pitch on a stage in the Netherlands, sit on panels, and give a TEDx talk.

But I will be honest. The fear of being rejected is still there, every time I start to speak. I have just learned to speak anyway.

To every kid who got a nickname for one wrong word: keep talking.