Who wins your praise?

Ramu had been living in the house of Suren since his younger days. Suren knew that he was on orphan hailing from his village to whom his rich father had taken kindly and kept him under his care. Ramu was brought up like the other children in the family and had received the same education up to the college level.Ramu on his part did the master proud by studying well and topping the college. A bright and honest chap he had endeared himself to one and all in the family by his pleasant behaviour and smiling face.

Over the years he had grown into a tall and handsome man who can put to shame even the matinee idols. Suren’s father asked the youngster to oversee the servants in the house and its management. Entrusted with the running of the household, Ramu was scrupulously honest, sincere and hard working. Suren’s father liked him as much as any other member of the family and trusted him blindly. When the old man died suddenly, Suren who had also a soft corner for Ramu allowed him to continue as before.

Things were going smoothly till Suren’s only daughter Vaishnavi who was a college going girl fell for this handsome man’s good looks and strong physique. She too was an exceedingly beautiful girl, intelligent and fun loving. When the girl started making advances to him and indicated her love for him, Ramu did not take advantage of her yearning for him. Knowing his position in the family as a servant and aware of all the affection shown to him by Suren’s dad since his young days, he never encouraged her. He kept a safe distance and even indicated to her his lowly position, his antecedents as an orphan and the likelihood of him being accused as an ungrateful wretch. He advised her that she choose someone befitting her status in life and leave him alone.

But the girl madly in love with him just would not allow such talks to dissuade her. She made him drive the car for her to be dropped in the college or when visiting malls and thus chose every opportunity to be alone with him.Ramu was in a quandary. He too liked her but resisted such thoughts to engage his mind.It was when her pleadings to return her love became persistent and she started holding his hands or putting hers on his shoulders, Ramu decided to put an end to this. He was afraid that he in a moment of weakness he may be tempted to accept her love. His loyalty to the family and sense of gratitude overcame his personal predilections.

He tactfully mentioned to Suren his predicament and asked him to relieve him from his duty. He also said he had spoken to none about this. Suren was touched by his sense of loyalty and his act of self denial. He wondered what any other young man would have done in a similar situation.He had a private discussion with his daughter though it is not known what transpired in the discussions. The girl seemed to accept the logic in his advice and kept away from Ramu.

Suren removed him from the household making him his personal secretary in his big office. He made him stay in an independent accommodation. He sent him for training to different institutions and made him work in several departments for short periods. Given his talent, hard work and innate intelligence, Ramu became indispensable and a Vice President in the office in a matter of few years.Suren found that Vaishnavi’s affection was not a mere infatuation but an abiding love that withstood the long lapse of time. He was willing to do any thing she wanted and what greater thing can there be than in entrusting her to the person she loved most. Ramu now had the social status and matching charm as that of Vaishnavi.Suren possibly kept the word he had given her while discussing the issue initially.

Who wins your praise in this episode? Is it Ramu or Suren or the girl who bided her time to win Ramu’s hand?

Life is not a level playing field

This is different from the usual stories that I post..Please do not mind.

Not all of us are born with silver spoon in our mouths. Most are born in poor or in not so well to do families. The rich wallow in affluence not knowing what hardship is like while the latter wade through their lives constantly fighting battles to lead a life of dignity without having to struggle for their next meal. The choice of being born rich or poor is not in our hands. It is all destined by fate or god as you may wish to call raising a question why life has not been made fair for all. It is an unalterable fact that world is imperfect offering no level playing field. The gifted and deprived live side by side. 
This is not only true among the people but also in every aspect of the universe. Some countries are prosperous endowed with abundant natural resources while a few are in arid land or deserts where nothing of value can grow or be found. Some have population disproportionately small to their plentiful natural wealth while the others have too many people for too little of natural resources. Even within a country some parts are flourishing with people enjoying a higher standard of living, health and literacy while other parts are burdened with poverty, illiteracy and diseases.The leaders in some places are capable and good while it is not always so in many places. 
One can be born in any region, in any gender, tall or short, weak or strong, good looking or ugly, fair or dusky. Life is not supposed to be fair to all. It is impossible to make all men and women identical in all respects. Life is a game of cards where one is dealt with a different hand or cards and asked to play the game. You win or lose based on how well you play and may lose even when you play well.
Instead of cursing our fate for the misery in our lives and complaining about what is wrong with life, we should accept the fact that differences persist from one to the other and endeavour to overcome the difficulties. There is little point in cursing the fortunate few all the time and endeavouring to bring them down to the lower level instead of combating the hardships and working one’s way up. Self pity is the last thing one should indulge in. 
This does not mean that the society we live in should ignore these imperfections and perpetuate the differences. The society or the government should make conditions congenial for the hapless and provide scope for improvement of their lot by positive discrimination to the extent possible. The laws of the land must be equal for all and should not favour the rich and hurt the poor. That is the reason why our constitution provides that there will be no discrimination against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex, and place of birth or any of the m.
Despite these the handicaps one is born with continues to dog through one’s life until overcome by diligent efforts. When one accepts the crude fact that life isn’t fair, two scenarios unfold .If the person belongs to the fortunate few, he will develop a compassion for those not well placed. He or she would be motivated to help others overcome their difficulties though voluntary efforts. He would also motivate others like him to do likewise. It is the same philosophy that motivates the rich countries to assist the poor countries through aid, grants and easier trade terms to remove poverty. The same is true of individuals too who through philanthropy attempt to level the playing field. 
On the other hand the hapless many to whom life hasn’t been fair accepts the inevitability of the inherent imperfections and stops bemoaning their lot and work courageously to surmount the difficulties. Many developing countries have become wealthy nations by dint of hard work. Likewise many individuals have become rich by dint of hard work. There is no open sesame except sustained effort to upgrade oneself and improve one’s position. The lives of an Abraham Lincoln or a Dhirubhai Ambani or many of the businessmen and industrialists who from humble stations in life have made it to the top are lessons for the poor not to get traumatized by the disadvantages but to work hard to succeed in life.

The hidden treasure

The clothes of Raju’s family of four were found everywhere on the chairs, sofa, treadmill, sewing machine and even study tables. With both Raju and Ramya working, there was no time available to fold the clothes once they were taken out of the dryer. Everyone was changing the clothes minimum twice daily. Whenever the door bell rang, all of them ran to hide the clothes before answering the bell. Raju and his wife were looking frantically for a chest of drawers of the old type with five rows of spacious drawers and the top one comprising of two smaller drawers. They could not find them in any of the furniture shops. Such a piece they were told is out of vogue. One shop keeper advised them to search for such a piece in auctioning firms. It was in the third shop they found one quaint piece made in rosewood with an ornamental elliptical frame at the top for holding a mirror. There was of course no mirror in the piece on display. It was big enough to accommodate all their clothes. There were no takers in the last three auctions. The floor price was not high. Though outsized and inconvenient, they settled for the price the firm quoted and had it brought to their home.
There was fight in the home as to who would take the bottom two drawers. They decided that the children should use them as they could bend more easily and frequently than the older people. When the clothes were put in the drawers, Raju’s son who had a keen observation for details complained that the bottom drawer assigned to him was slightly smaller in volume. They found it to be true but could not make out the reason.

Ramya surveyed the rear side and found a small hole at the bottom enough for a needle to enter. The boy thrust the needle from the rear but the tip did not show on the inner side in the drawer. Tapping the side Raju found it hollow. With suspicions aroused a quick examination was done by their son who found small screws at four places of a small square in the centre of the inner wall. They opened it immediately and found to their great astonishment jewellery of the olden years like those worn on the waist, arms and necklaces of golden coins. They were all bundled in clothes and hidden safely and secretly by some one who had got it made initially .Its current value could be several lakhs of rupees. Discreet enquiries without divulging about the find revealed the piece had changed several hands and that the firm which sold had no information about the original owner.
The question that was bothering their minds was what should be done with the treasure discovered. It neither belonged to them nor to the auctioning firm. Raju did not want to retain it though Ramya had her covetous eyes on a couple of jewellery.But Raju was clear in his mind that nothing should be taken. There was little point in selling to jewelers for converting to cash for distribution to noble causes without exposing themselves to innumerable questions and even suspicion. The IT department was another bugbear. Handing over to police was not a preferred option for them. They spent restless days and nights till they finally dropped the bundle in the Hundi at Tirupati temple. They had a lingering fear though for a few years whether the original owner would trace the furniture to them and claim the hidden jewelry.

Courtesy begets courtesy

It was like any other tiring day for Kumar in the office. The reception lounge was crowded with customers with all of them waiting for their turn to meet him. He was a sales officer in a government company selling steel rods and structurals.The demand then for steel rods was very heavy far exceeding the availability. Housing activities were at peak. The rods were sold in the market by private traders and producers at a premium .Being a government company, the prices were fixed and much lower than the market prices. As a result all the house builders mostly drawn from middle class made a beeline to this office. There was a good system of registration of demands and supplies were made on first come first served basis. Kumar was an honest officer following strictly the rules laid down by the company.
The afternoon was relatively less busy. One visitor who met Kumar mentioned that he was an inspector of police and that he had applied for a small quantity of steel long back and was awaiting the company’s offer. Kumar promptly checked the records and found his turn had come due. He offered him a coke and meanwhile arranged the offer to be given to him on the spot. The inspector was greatly impressed with the customer service and thanked Kumar profusely before leaving.
It was about a month later Kumar was to leave by Shatabdi for Chennai urgently on an official business with his colleague. His colleague had to cancel his journey at the eleventh hour as he was unwell. Kumar was at the office up to 1 p.m...When he reached the counter for cancelling the colleague’s ticket and obtaining refund it was already late .He was then approached by a decent gentleman telling him that he was to travel by the same train urgently as his father had taken ill suddenly. Considering the fact that he hardly had fifteen minutes for the train, Kumar readily agreed and exchanged the ticket for the money. It was then a policeman appeared from nowhere and charged him with selling the ticket on black. Kumar pleaded with him that he was an officer in a government company and was in a hurry to catch the train. He requested him to let him go assuring that he would not commit such a mistake of selling directly. But the policeman was adamant and took him to the police out post in the station platform. All his fervent pleas to the constable to let him go fell on deaf ears.
Once he entered the police outpost, the inspector who was seated in the chair stood up and came forward to shake Kumar’s hand. With a beaming smile he said “how come you are here, Sir? Please take your seat.”
Kumar was bewildered at this bonhomie and was not able to place him. Seeing this, the inspector said ”Have you forgotten me, Sir? I met you a month back at your office for an offer of steel rounds. You not only obliged me promptly, you had even offered me cool drink as it was very hot and I was perspiring.”
Kumar replied “I have come here, Sir, under different and rather embarrassing circumstance. “
Even before he completed the inspector asked the constable as to why he brought his respected friend to the outpost. The moment he began narrating the incident, the inspector bellowed at him in anger” you idiot, rush to the guard, Saab is coming.”
Turning to Kumar he said “I am extremely sorry for this incident. I am unable to offer you even a cup of coffee as the train is about to depart. I cannot forget how nice you were then. Please do not mistake me.”
He came with Kumar up to the compartment and saw him off. As Kumar sat down in his seat with the train slowly moving, he realized that courtesy always begets courtesy.

Friends forever

Anju and Sweta were class mates in LadySriramCollege in South Delhi. .Anju was strikingly beautiful while Sweta was chubby and plain looking. Both had taken commerce group. They were very close to each other, had similar tastes and shared their lunch boxes.Sweta’s father was a leading Chartered Accountant with a big office in Sundar Nagar.He had very good business with many reputed firms as clients . They lived in a posh colony and had three cars.Sweta was always well dressed in rich clothes and came to college in car. Anju on the other hand was from lower middle class. Her father worked in a government office on a modest salary. They lived in a small government apartment in Kidwai Nagar inadequate for the six members in the family.Anju was a good student and often helped Sweta in her lessons.Anju went to college initially by bus and after a month or two Sweta invariably picked her up. The difference in status did not stand in the way of their affection for each other.Sweta never put on airs or flaunted her prosperity. Sweta wanted to be a CA like her dad. Anju had modest aim of seeking a job after graduation.
Time flew fast. Immediately after the final examination in the third year, Sweta was married to some relative of hers on the father’s side. She left Delhi soon thereafter and the contact between two friends abruptly ended.
Anju by virtue of her good look got married to a computer engineer who was particular about beauty. After a couple of years they went to US. Her husband in association with a few friends promoted a dot com company in its hey-days and made his millions.Anju had two daughters. After fifteen years they returned to Bangalore and settled down in a nice suburb. He started a company that was flourishing.Anju’s health suffered a set back with acute back pain. She was advised bed rest. It was then she had advertised for a lady cook in the papers. There was no good response.Anju was disappointed. She was resting after sending the girls to college. The servant maid who went to answer a bell came and announced that a lady has come in response to the advertisement for the cook.
When the maid brought her to the room she found a fat lady of her age in a cheap sari, grey in hairs, wrinkled face and a sad face. After a few minutes the lady asked whether Anju ever lived in Delhi and studied in SriramCollege. It was then it struck like a hammer blow that the lady before her was none else than Sweta.Bewildered and uncomprehending at the turn of lives, she asked “Sweta, how come you are in such a position? What happened? Your husband was in flourishing business and rich.” She asked her maid to get coffee and snacks.
Sweta replied” Anju, I was waiting for years to share my agony with someone close to me. My mom had passed away. My father was always haughty and spent all his time in the clubs with friends drinking and playing cards. He never took any interest in the family. Soon after he had a heart attack, he got me married to Suresh a distant relative on his side without ascertaining fully the background. Both I and my mom were against the alliance. My father being a domineering person, we could do little to stop the wedding. Suresh was an engineer and was running a publishing business and had a press. My father had not made proper enquiries about his financial standing or about the income from business. He was given to understand that their family had huge landed property but was not aware that it was all mortgaged against the debts taken. Initially till two sons were born, life went on smoothly. Suresh was lazy by temperament and did not upgrade the machines in keeping with technological developments in the industry. The business went down. My parents had meanwhile passed away. My brothers ignored me. Suresh took to drinking and started pledging my jewels. He sold the house I got from my father. With his wasteful habits and no steady income all the money vanished soon. One son, a college drop out, had turned a vagabond. Luckily the second son, a responsible chap, has just finished the final year of engineering thanks to the generous help from a cousin of mine. I need to work till this boy gets a job to keep the hearth burning. This is my sad story”
Anju thought over the matter and said”Sweta, I am very sorry at the way fate has been cruel to you. Let us be friends for ever and not alter it by being employer and employee. I will request my husband to provide a good job for your son in his company. His office pays very well. I am sure things will brighten up for you. I can let you stay in an out-house in another building for a year. But make sure your husband is kept in his place

Divine help

The morning paper no doubt carried the usual forecast of the meteorological department about the likely light to heavy showers in the evening. Yet when Vasantha left her house to do some urgent shopping, the sky was very clear with no indication of any rain. As she finished her purchases and came out of the large super market, it was raining heavily. Most of the customers were waiting in the portico for the rain to subside. The wind was chilly and strong. But it did subside after an hour when the roads by then were flooded with water. She luckily saw a bus to her destination crawling opposite to the supermarket in the inevitable jam. She ran towards it and got into the crowded bus. She breathed a sigh of relief that she would be back in her home within thirty minutes. The bus started moving slowly and the rains also commenced again with greater fury. The road was filled knee deep with water. She could see many cars stranded after they broke down. It looked hours as the bus inched its way towards the destination. She regretted her decision to go out despite the warning of a possible rain as she also wondered who ever attached importance to the weather predictions of the department.
The bus stopped at a stop that was about half a mile away from her house. It was raining cats and dogs. The conductor urged her to get down quickly. There were no trees nearby except a transformer. The bus stop was just adjacent to the transformer. It was getting dark. The road was dimly lit. She was afraid to wade through the knee deep water with a heavy parcel in her hand. She was apprehensive of open man holes that she had seen earlier.. There was not a soul in sight. No auto rickshaws could be seen. It was those days when mobile phones were not in use. She got really nervous though a brave lady by nature. When things looked so formidable with no ray of hope, people turn to god. She too prayed intensely to her ishta devatha Lord Guruvayurappan, the presiding deity of Guruvayur to help her reach home. Tears were trickling from her eyes as she continued the prayer amidst the unrelenting rain. Her clothes were drenched and legs started aching.
It was then a rickshaw puller appeared before her as if from no where and shouted at her “Have you gone mad, Amma, standing under a transformer in this heavy rain? Are you not educated enough? Get in quickly. I will drop you.”
She asked him” My house is in 2nd cross street three streets away. How much do you want?”
He laughed saying “What a foolish woman you are asking me such a question in such a situation? You give whatever you feel like. This is not the time to bargain. Get in fast”
He dropped her soon at her house and pocketed the money she gave him without even looking at it to know how much she had given. Vasantha sincerely believed that it was Lord Guruvayurappan Himself who had answered her prayers for no rickshaw puller in sane mind would be dragging the vehicle in such a downpour in that desolate road..
The air was cold and it was still raining heavily as Vasantha stood watching at her saviour fading away from her eyes at a distance in the dark road.

Teacher's recompense

Suneeta was asked by the principal to handle class V that year as Mrs. Alexia who was in charge of this class had resigned.Suneeta found she had one problem boy in her class. She has been in this school for years and never had seen like this child. Kartik was a shy, intelligent and well behaved student. But he paid no attention to what was being taught. She had to call his name thrice or even more whenever she had a question for him. He was always lost in thoughts. He did not mingle with other boys and girls even during play time. Always morose no one had seen him smile. The other children understandably ignored him. He came to the school in shabby and unpressed clothes. His hair always needed a cut. He wore a much used pair of shoes that needed a replacement. Naturally this disinterest in studies reflected in his performance and he stood at the bottom of the class. Her initial attempts to reprimand the boy by punishments brought no improvement except a hurt in his eyes.Suneeta was a sincere and hard working teacher. She could not admit defeat in the case of this boy who was otherwise normal.
It was by accident that one Sunday she met Mrs. Alexia in the market. When she broached about this boy to her, Alexia’s eyes became misty as she narrated his story. Kartik was actually the brightest boy in her class, very jovial and a natural leader. He was her favourite child. It all changed when he lost his mother in class IV. .His dad whom she had seen once was a good for nothing drunkard. He took no interest in this only child of his and brought a woman to live with him. She too did not take kindly to the boy and made him work for long hours.Mrs Alexia felt sorry that she could not help the boy as much as she wanted as she had to leave the school.
Suneeta was moved by his sad story. She changed her approach to the boy. She spoke lovingly and encouragingly to him. She could win his confidence only gradually. She shared her lunch with the boy on occasions. She spent more time with him to bring him up to the level of his class. She persuaded the school management to extend scholarship to him and out of the money bought new dresses and shoes. Her love and compassion paid dividends when he started scoring high marks and was the second in the final examination.
On the last day all children brought the teacher gifts wrapped in multi coloured papers in ribbons of assorted colours.Kartik too brought one in a used envelope tied loosely with a twine. She opened it first and saw a pair of cheap ear tops. He said this was his dear mom’s and had saved it from others eyes. He said he had nothing else to give her and pleaded with her to accept the same. She instantly removed the pair she was wearing and wore the one gifted by him. For the first time she saw his face wore a large smile.
Years rolled by and Kartik she learnt was in a college doing MCA. He kept in touch with her once a while always thanking her for her affection and love that filled the void created by his mom’s demise.Suneeta was happy that her efforts to give him confidence, motivation and the love he missed when he was young had worked wonders. She was thankful to god that she realized in time the power that teachers had in imaginatively moulding the lives of the wards under them
It was year later that she got a phone call from Kartik requesting her to accompany him for the University Convocation. She wore his mom’s ear tops he had presented her when he was in class V for the special occasion knowing she was filling his mom’s place. Her joy knew no bounds when he was declared University topper.

Tears started flowing from her eyes when he hugged her and cried “Miss, you had lifted me from the gloom that enveloped me. It is only your steady affection and the efforts to teach me that made a man of me. I see in you my late mom. But for you I would have been a wastrel.”

The thought occurred in Suneeta’s mind that it was only Kartik who opened her eyes to the true role of a teacher. He quietly removed from his coat pocket a jewel box containing dazzling and costly pair of ear studs and implored her to accept this token of his love and gratitude..