First —


The first time
I took a step
Through the open doors
At the Parle-G factory
(my team's workshop)
I was hesitant
And I took a step back
But then I saw
More gears in the box
Than people in all of Mumbai
And I heard
The soft whir
Of motors


The gears in my heart
Clicked
So I took another step


The first time
He asked me to get the
Power Tool
And tighten the screws
I had to ask him for help
I didn't know machines
Had replaced screwdrivers as well


After that
I tightened all the screws


The first time
I spent the entire evening
At the factory
I didn't realise the sun had set
Hours felt like seconds
Morning turned into night


Earth now revolved around my robot


The first time
I visited another stall
At the Southern Cross Regional
In Sydney
I picked up their team badge
And pinned it on my tracks


The next day
My tracks were weighed in kilograms
A yellow-book for the teams


The first time
They announced 6024
As the recipient
To the Chairman's Award
Qualifying us for the
First Championship
I couldn't believe it
None of us could


A dream come true
Houston, we have a problem:
Our hearts are beating too fast