A lesson well-learnt...

About a couple of years ago, when dad was posted in Dhule, Maharashtra, he often had to visit Mumbai for official meetings. The nearest airport was at Aurangabad, and he often had to take the early morning flights. Being a religious soul,  he missed no opportunity to visit the ‘jyotirling’ that is famously located there. On one such trip this incident happened, which he narrated a few days back.

One morning, on his way out of the temple, a teenager boy approached him as he was moving towards his SUV.  Inching closer, the boy said, ‘Sir, I am a student of 10^th standard and  need some money to buy books’. My dad is a thorough philanthropist and is ever ready to help people ‘who want to help themselves’ as he always puts it. “Hum to sirf zariya hain. Jo unki kismat me  hai, unhe zaroor milega” (We’re just means, they’ll definitely get what is in their fate) is what my mom adds. And my parents strongly feel the pleasures in ‘giving’. So taking it as another god-gifted opportunity to help a little child, my dad asked him to sit in the car and took him to a nearby book store. ‘When I looked at him”,dad said,”I was reminded of Viviyan (my younger brother). This boy would also be somebody’s son, probably of a father who wasn’t as fortunate as me to be able to provide his son with the books he needed for a brighter future.” From the shop, dad bought him all the books he asked for, notebooks and even other stationery. The boy thanked him and my dad left for the airport, feeling happy and content.

A few weeks later, dad had to again board the same flight at the same time. As he went about his ritual of visiting the temple,  the same boy approached him again while he was coming out. Now, my dad has photographic memory which neither was this kid aware of, nor did he himself possess. Dad immediately recognized the boy but before any other thoughts could register or process, with utter confidence this little lad started off with the same 10^th standard story, AGAIN!!!  My dad caught him and reprimanded,’a few days earlier I’d got you all those books and stationery, where are they?’ The boy struggled to release himself and finally managed to run away. 

Words probably can’t describe how violated dad would have felt.

After that, dad paid several visits to the same temple before boarding the same flight at the same time of the day, but never met that kid again.

After hearing this incident, I could not help but wonder, under whose “able guidance” was this kid actually working. [Most probable chance is that the kid(or his ‘supervisor’) would have resold the books and other stationery at silly discounts (may be to the same book store)and ‘ate, puffed and drank’ and the money was gone!]  Was this kid orphaned by fate or was it some cruel joke of destiny that had made him a subject, turning him out into someone he’s started to enjoy being! Did the child even understand the dynamics of this universe at work-that he’d be precisely and accurately awarded with whatever he was giving to this world: treachery, mistrust  and deceit.  Or may be this was all absolute non-sense for a child whose only concern was to attend to a growling stomach and fight for survival-no matter however! Who was  at fault? Better still, who was suffering because of this fault? Would he ever think twice before helping any such kid again, I asked dad. “When we stumble while walking, we neither stop walking, nor do we stop treading the same path. But we learn to be more careful and attentive and start wearing the right shoes. There are always lessons to learn. I have already started browsing websites to learn the ‘art of face-reading’.” was his reply.