Jamshed was a 17-year-old and the only son of a horse trainer in the small town of Badin, Sindh. He would go to stables and racetracks, visit farms and train horses alongside his father.
As a result of his active involvement in his father’s profession, he was an average student academically. His parents were satisfied with both his academic performance and his personal interests.
One day at school, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be when he grew up, as a final project for a course. Jamshed wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in detail and even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, including all the things he wanted, such as buildings, a track, etc. He drew a detailed floor plan for everything he dreamed of owning one day.
The next day, he handed in the project. He was excited and expected to get an A+. After two days, he received his paper back with a ‘C’ grade on top of it. On top of that, his teacher asked him to meet her after class.
Jamshed went to meet the teacher and asked, “Why did I get a ‘C’?”
“This dream is too unrealistic. You need lots of money to buy land, pay for horses and manage everything. Think of something realistic or doable,” she said.
That day, Jamshed went home and thought a lot about it. He considered his choices, his options and all possible routes. When he could not decide, he went to his father and asked him what he should do.
After listening, his father replied, “Dear son, this is completely your decision. When I was growing up, my parents gave me full freedom to choose my path. So now, I want to give my child the same freedom to dream as big as he wants, because no dream is impossible.”
After a week, Jamshed made a decision and submitted the same paper again, without making any changes. Along with it, he wrote, “You can keep the ‘C’, and I will keep my dream.” The teacher said nothing, but smiled.
Eight years later, the same teacher went on a field trip with 30 students to camp at a famous and well-established ranch. As they walked in, they saw that the ranch was even bigger than they had heard, with spacious buildings, a proper racing track and a big house on the one side. Everyone was amazed and excited to meet the owner.
When the owner came out, to the teacher’s surprise, it was Jamshed.
She immediately recognised him as the boy she had once given a ‘C’, as Jamshed hadn’t changed much except for his more mature features.
As she looked at Jamshed and the ranch around her, she realised the impact of her words back then, not just on him but on many other children.
Before leaving, she approached him and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t understand your dream. It is ambition that makes things achievable, no matter how unrealistic they may seem.”
Jamshed, who had never held a grudge, smiled and accepted her apology. Realising that he had unknowingly inspired so many students to dream big, he felt he had truly accomplished something meaningful.
Published in Dawn, Young World, April 18th, 2026
