Dreams aboard the 5 A.M. train- Lasith Malinga's unknown story!

Does life seem overwhelming? Do the returns, just not seem to justify the effort you put in?

Here's a real life story which can just be the boost you need to hang in there & believe. This is a story of a father & son, from a not so well known village that exudes hope & belief.

There's a saying that 5 am is the time legends, either go to sleep or wake up. But 5 am, in this story meant it was time for a young boy to be at a coastal railway station in Sri Lanka, with hopes packed in a big bag on his shoulders, awaiting daily journeys that would be the bricks that would build the eventual path to a big dream.

This young boy would wake up early morning, and ride on his father's cycle amidst the silence of the dawn, while the rest of the village was asleep. Disembarking from the bike, the wait would continue for the beautiful train journey, along the coastal line towards the capital city. A city where many dreams blossomed, whereas many more dissipated.

What's the difference between those that blossom and those that don't? we may not know for sure. But we can dare to decode through this story.

The train journey may appear beautiful along the beaches from the outside. But in reality, when inside it's far from beautiful, when the train is packed to the core with commuters, especially when you have a space consuming cricketing kit bag with you. The journey would last hours every morning, culminating in Bambalapitiya. From Bambalapitiya in Colombo, a mad rush would follow in buses which would take the youngster to the revered cricket grounds, in the middle of the city. These grounds were the workstations where hard work would be put in for hours and hours, amidst the heat to sharpen his chosen craft, day in day out.

The hardship of the toll taken by the travel and the physical effort to become better at training daily, can be understood by anyone who has taken the public commute in Sri Lanka during peak hours, and experienced the wrath of the scorching Colombo sun. Going through the same routine daily, was nothing but near impossible. It was not for the light hearted.

Return on investment for the effort wasn't rapid as many would wish.

Yet, the father persisted with the outrageously demanding early morning push through the cold in his cycle, the son endured the rest with hope and belief. The end result?

A few months back in January, the now world renowned, celebrated son would narrate the story with pride in front of his father, amidst a distinguished gathering from the cricketing world in the capital city, whilst the father sat in the audience with a heart filled with pride and a face full of smile.

The boy from an unknown Rathgama, made the world take note of him and his origins through the craft he refined daily through the tough daily morning journeys.

There were days where he wondered whether it was worth it. There were days his father wondered the same. But they belived and kept their hopes alive and persisted through not only these hardships but many more.

It's that hope, belief and persistence which separates the dreams that blossom from those which dissipate into thin air in this competitive world. There is a famous saying,

Platforms remain, but trains move.

Likewise, the trains remain, and people move on in life from their journeys on those trains. Trains remain, but people move on.

However, some craft stories worth telling, just like in Mali's case where these train journeys become an integral part. The Galle- Colombo train has a special place in young Rathgama born Lasith Malinga's story towards greatness. If you ever feel overwhelmed during the course of your journey in any walk of life or doubt seems to encroach upon like a dark cloud onto your head remember this story.

Dreams become reality when persistence meets hope and belief. When finally it pays off, the journey that seems overwhelming right now would become a memory you'd be fond of and prouof about .

Believe. Hope. Persist. You too will be able to narrate the hard yards put in to the world which would view you in awe, while those who matter to you, soak in the glory with a smile on their faces and pride in their hearts.

One day, it will all be worth it.

Believe, hope, persist.

Also Read, From Yorkers to Wisdom: Why I Wrote This Book : Lasith Malinga