Once upon a time, in a village named Canola, there lived a little boy, Alex, who was very passionate about dancing but didn’t get to dance much. He was born to poor parents and couldn’t afford dance classes. After completing Grade 8, he started working in a small workshop. Though his family discouraged him from studying, he wasn’t sad because he believed he’d have more time to practice dancing, and studies wouldn’t distract him.
In that village, there was a small dance class with only one dance master, Yama. Alex went to him and asked, “Yama sir, can I join this class?” Seeing Alex’s shabby appearance, Yama reluctantly agreed, saying, “Yes, but you need to pay 1500 rupees a month. If that’s okay, you can join.”
Alex worked hard, day and night, and finally earned the 1500 rupees. He was overjoyed, and the next day, he paid Yama the fee to join the class.
Yama allowed him to join, and now Yama taught them dance steps. The other children in the dance class were very good dancers, except for Alex. Yama paid little attention to him, and the children teased Alex, calling him a loser.
Days passed, but Alex still struggled with dancing. Then, a notice for a dance competition arrived. The group needed only 13 members, but Yama’s dance class had 14 people, including Alex and Jacob, the newcomers. Without hesitation, Yama disqualified Alex. Alex didn’t know about this. On his birthday, he came to Yama with a bright face and asked him to take a chocolate and bless him so he could do well in the dance competition. But Yama said, “You’re no longer in the dance competition. Anyway, happy birthday, you fool.”
His heart shattered. Alex, who didn’t know the meaning of the word “fool,” thought it must be a good word since his master used it, and he started calling himself “Fool.”
Thirty years passed. One day, in the same village, there was a boy named Calvin, who was blind in one eye. He loved dancing very much, so his father enrolled him in a dance class. He was happy and excited, but his excitement didn't last long. He was bullied and struggled with dancing. These things made him insecure, and he decided to leave the dance class.
The next day, he went to the main dance room. The chief dancer was facing the wall, wearing sunglasses, so he couldn’t see Calvin. Calvin told him he was leaving the class. Suddenly, the chief dancer turned around and removed his glasses. Calvin was shocked because he recognized him as one of the most famous dancers in the world.
Calvin, stunned, asked, “Why is a little boy like me making you reconsider your decision?” He replied, “Sir, I love dancing, but dancing doesn’t love me,” jokingly. Hearing this, the chief dancer laughed and said, “That’s the best and funniest answer I’ve heard. Is that the only reason?” Calvin replied, “No, but I’m not good enough. I’m blind and can’t dance properly, and others make fun of me.”
“Oh, so your insecurities are making you step back, right?” the chief dancer asked. Calvin replied, “Maybe.”
The chief dancer handed him a notice about a mega dance competition and said, “This time, you’re going to this competition on behalf of our dance academy.”
“But how can I? I’m not going. I’m not good enough. Please leave me alone,” Calvin cried. The chief dancer said, “Anyway, you have to uphold my name. It’s all in your hands.”
Hearing this, everyone got angry with the chief dancer. “What’s happening? How can this boy dance? It’s impossible. Kevin is here; he's good at everything. Let us give him a chance,” the dancers said angrily.
But the chief dancer said, “No, Calvin is going to participate. This is my final decision. If you wish to stay here, otherwise go somewhere, but Calvin is going to dance.”
Seeing the chief dancer’s support for Calvin, Calvin was inspired to dance for him.
So, Calvin, filled with newfound energy, began to dance with renewed vigor, and the day of the competition arrived.
The other dancers, brimming with arrogance, told the chief, “Sir, I swear he can’t win the competition. Kevin will win,” their voices laced with anger.
The chief simply smiled and said, “Yes, I know,” before turning away.
The competition began, and it was Calvin’s turn to dance. He performed in front of a vast audience, and when the results were announced, Kevin was declared the winner.
Tears welled up in Calvin’s eyes. He ran to the chief and said, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t uphold your name.” The chief gently hugged him and said, “Anyway, Calvin, the first five rows of people clapped for you. Next time, you have to make it to ten.” Calvin replied, “Cool,” and, seeing the chief’s unwavering trust, he resolved to work even harder.
Two months later, another competition was announced. The other dancers asked the chief, “Is it Calvin again this time?” He replied, “Yes.” They retorted, “He won’t win the competition.”
Again, he simply said, “Yes, I know.” The competition began, and it was Calvin’s turn to dance. This time, he wasn’t focused on winning; his eyes and mind were set on making the first ten rows of people clap. He was overjoyed when he achieved that. When the results were announced, Calvin hadn’t won, but he was happy. He ran to the chief and said, “This time, the first ten rows of people clapped.” The chief hugged him and said, “Next time, twenty rows,” with complete confidence. Calvin replied, “Yes, I will.”
Years passed, and it was Calvin’s thirteenth competition. The chief asked him, “Do you know the meaning of ‘fool’?” Calvin replied, “Yes, ‘fool’ means stupid people.” The chief said,
“Yes, maybe. But you can’t defeat fools, and sometimes being a fool gives you a lot of confidence. Being a fool is far better.” Calvin said, “But I don’t understand, chief.” The chief replied, “That’s okay, boy. I know this time you will uphold my name and earn your medal.” With a warm smile, he sent Calvin to the stage.
Seeing this, the dancers said to the chief, “Sir, you are truly a fool. You know he won’t win the competition, yet you give him this stupid confidence. I swear he won’t win today either.”
The chief replied, “He will,” and walked away with a smile.
The dancers were surprised because he usually said “he will fail,” but this time, he said “he will.” They decided to wait and watch.
Calvin was on stage, dancing, and this time, the entire audience clapped. He was overjoyed.
Then, it was time for the results. “And the winner is Calvin,” they announced. Calvin was still in shock, as he hadn’t anticipated it.
Calvin was called to the stage, and he tightly hugged his chief. The chief said, “This time, you upheld my name and earned your medal too.” Calvin, beaming, held the medal. The anchor handed the microphone to Calvin for a speech. His hands were trembling as he slowly began to speak. “I dedicate this award to every participant and to my beloved chief, Alex Fool. And I would like to share this stage with him.”
Everyone was astonished. “He trained under Alex Fool? Wow, amazing!” Alex Fool walked onto the stage, and the crowd erupted, “My god, sir!”
The reporters swarmed them, asking, “Sir, you are a great dancer. Why did you choose Calvin, and why did you let it take thirteen attempts? If you had trained someone else, you could have won twelve times over,” a reporter asked.
“Yes,” Alex replied, “If I had trained someone else, I would have won twelve times. But that would have been of no use to me.”
And he began to tell his story. “I too was passionate about dance. I tried so hard, but my master just threw me away like a clove in biryani. His words, ‘Happy birthday, you fool,’ literally echoed in my ears every day. I didn’t even know the meaning of ‘fool.’ I thought that since he called me ‘fool,’ it must be a good word, and I changed my name to Alex Fool. See how foolish I am? But I understand that sometimes being foolish is good. And then, I tried so hard to reach this level.
One day, I saw this little boy. Even though one of his eyes didn’t work, the other eye was full of hope and the passionate fire of dancing. I saw him as my younger self, so I decided to shape my younger self better and stronger. I know Kevin is good at dancing, so he will have a bright future wherever he goes. But Calvin had many insecurities, and I wondered if there was someone kind to him. So, I decided to train him, and I swear, he is better than me.
Anyone can dance, but the best dancers have passion in their eyes and love in their moves. So, I request everyone, please be kind. If you find someone who isn’t good at something but still wishes to have it, please be kind and help them in their process, because they have endless power within them.” He hugged Calvin and said, “Well done, my younger self.”
“This is what success gives. Success only gives happiness, but think about your failure days. They might have taught you the biggest lessons. So, throw away your insecurities and work for it, Calvin," Alex Fool said.
Join the Discussion