Written by: Sunabhi Pokhrel - 25018, Grade IX
Posted on: 27 June, 2021
Life is like a boxing match. Defeat is declared not when you fall, but when you refuse to stand again. Hey, it’s me Austin Paudel. You know my name, not my story. You’ve heard what I’ve done, not what I’ve been through. So, take a look at my life. I was born on August 19, 2004 AD in a beautiful village in Pokhara. My childhood was not so easy. I have had to work every day and night since I was young. My family had very poor economic conditions but they always worked hard for me and my dreams.
Since a small age, I had always dreamt of being a boxer. I wanted to become a world-famous boxer and take the boxing field of Nepal to the top in the world. So, I never stopped working hard. After lots of struggles and hardships, I got into a boxing school. During that time, boxing wasn’t considered a big thing in Nepal. I still remember those days when my relatives used to say, “Austin dear, boxing will never take you anywhere. You can study hard and become a doctor or an engineer. Only then will you succeed in life.” If those people who said that to me are looking at me right now, just wanted to let you know where I’ve reached. My family always supported me. Due to all those struggles, our family wasn’t as poor as before. We turned into a decent middle class family. I used to live in a hostel during my high school life with my boxing coach and a few of my friends. They were like a second family to me; always supported me in every step of my life and always motivated and encouraged me to work harder. They were there for me at the lowest point of my life and had always stood by my side. I cannot even describe in words how much I love them. Well, everything was actually pretty normal before Covid-19 arose. 2021 AD has been the most difficult point of my life. My family was in Pokhara but I was living in Kathmandu. And it was the peak time of coronavirus; more than 10,000 cases and 100 deaths a day. I don’t know how but many of my friends, coach sir and I got tested positive for coronavirus. We stayed in isolation together for one week but the condition of a few people including my two best friends and coach sir started to deteriorate. Oxygen levels started decreasing but due to the unmanaged governmental system oxygen cylinders were not available on time. All three of them lost their lives within three days. Feeling sympathetic, right? Everybody sympathized with me during that moment. But nobody realized that what I needed was people’s support, not their sympathy. I still remember how heartbroken I was. I wanted to yell, scream, shout and cry aloud but you know the stuff like ‘You are a boy.’, ‘How weak can a boy be when he cries?’ and ‘Boys never cry.’ always stopped me from doing so. Nobody even realized that crying doesn’t mean that a person is weak, but it means that a person has a heart. I had to control all my emotions just by punching the walls. Those made me feel stronger no matter how much blood flowed from my knuckles. I would cry myself to sleep every night. Everybody called me weak but they never knew what I had gone through. My coach, who was a father to me, with whom I had lived for 5 years, who had taught me about my dream; boxing had left the world, left me alone. My best friends, with whom I had planned on going to the US and living together there as buddies, had gone, leaving me alone with nobody to turn to. I was just a seventeen-year-old boy. I was broke and I needed encouragement but there was nobody I could look out for. My heart couldn’t accept the fact that I lost my beloved ones altogether. I was still corona positive. Negativity in my mind had made me much weaker. I thought I couldn’t make it. But then realizations hit me hard. What about all that hard work I did for my dreams to come true? I had dreamt of going together with my buddies in the US but even though they aren’t here with me, I could be the one fulfilling their dreams. My coach; had always wanted me to be brave, work hard and fight. He would have never wanted to see me in such a vulnerable state. I had promised to make him proud and I decided that I would make everybody proud of me. I would fight hard every day and be brave. I would win medals and trophies for them. Even though they aren’t here with me, they might be watching me from far away. After that day, I started working as hard as before. I would box every day. I even got tested negative.
Till today’s date, I, Austin Paudel have been working hard and have not given up in life no matter how bad the situation has been. I know life doesn't give justice to everybody. Nobody wants their life to be crap but we need to accept the reality. If I hadn’t been through those phases in my life, I would have never reached where I am today. So, everybody never give up on yourself. Coach sir and my buddies, if yo
