Rainbow Dreams

Drizzling continued in the backdrop of mild sunshine and Neena spotted a rainbow with vibrant hues. The rainbow reminded her of her colourful dream of being a fashion designer. She was good at stitching, and so she wanted to get a degree in fashion designing. She appeared for the entrance exam of her dream college for fashion designing. She topped it, but she tore apart the admission letter. Her parents could not afford the hefty fees of this college and she just could not make them feel ashamed of their weak financial condition.

Hiding all her tears, Neena headed towards her place of solace, a nearby orphanage. This place made her feel blessed for all that she had in life.

"Didi aa gayi", was the roar when she reached orphanage. All the kids gathered around their favourite, Neena didi.

The sight of the tattered clothes of these kids always disappointed her. This time, she decided to do something for this. She collected some old dresses and bed sheets from her house and neighbors and started stitching clothes from them, making the best possible use of the old stuff.

This Diwali brought more happiness for the orphanage as every kid had a new dress to flaunt. The enchanting smiles of the kids added brighter shades to her rainbow dreams of being a fashion designer.

She started using every bit of old cloth she could get to carve out dresses for the kids of the orphanage. With time, she became more and more adept in stitching.

The collector of the district and his team once visited the orphanage for a program. They were surprised to see the kids wearing latest fashion dresses. Upon asking, they were told the reality. The collector was really impressed with Neena's talent and innovative concept. He met her and offered assistance to start her own workshop to popularise this concept.

She established her workshop with government assistance. She started catering to the needs of other orphanages and special need homes too. She started providing training to others too. With time, help started pouring in from other corners too. People started donating their old clothes to be recycled by her for orphanage kids. Some people even requested her to make something new out of their old stuff. Her low cost designer clothes and other accessories started gaining popularity. Her workshop, training centre, and happy faces became her daily life in the next twenty years.

Today, she had been invited as the Chief Guest for the Convocation Ceremony of her dream college, in which she could not afford the admission once.