The hero that lies in me

If there is one song that inspires me at any given time, it has to be Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’.  Other than the obviously uplifting lyrics, I have a memory associated with the song. If I may, I’d like to take you back to that memory, the memory of my XIth standard.

We all got into the most intense discussions after our class teacher announced that it was our turn to present the morning assembly. Brainstorming, idea generation, disagreements…all of it was happening at the same time. And just like the ‘egg first or chicken first’ confusion, I am not sure whether the theme came first or the idea to sing along with Mariah Carey’s ‘Hero’ did. Nevertheless, we had the blueprint ready and role and responsibilities assigned.  Since I had the song ‘on a cassette’, I agreed to get the lyrics. And may I remind you those were days without the savior Google so there was no luxury of quickly searching for the lyrics. I heard the song over and over again and jotted down the lyrics. And the more I heard it, the more I believed in it. It had such an everlasting impact that I still believe it.

We decided 'Hero' to be the finale and our entire class to be singing it. After a short dramatic, we were all on the stage with the audience wondering what all of us were up to. I had a short write up on hope and the strength to go on which I narrated with 'Hero' playing in the background. And as I finished and walked back to the choir, we all sang the chorus together 

“And then a hero comes along,

With the strength to carry on,

And you cast your fears aside,

And you know you can survive,

So when you feel like hope is gone,

Look inside you and be strong,

And you’ll finally see the truth,

That a hero lies in you”

The entire auditorium echoed with our collective voice and as we finished I remember there to be an absolute silence before a loud applause could follow. It was a silence of awe. Our Principal congratulated us for the outstanding show which was followed by accolades from teachers and students alike as we walked back to our class. It was not only a moment of pride but a moment where the lyrics got magically etched in my heart. 

Every memorable experience has a reason and I know the reason for this one. It is a constant reminder of the hero that lies in me. 

And now if you have the sudden urge to hear 'Hero'...here goes http://youtu.be/0IA3ZvCkRkQ