Making of a man During my travels, way back in my youths, i came across this great man. His name is Pradeep. Pradeep came from a wealthy family. At the time of our meeting, he was working with the poor people of Kolkata. One evening, after work, he told be that he was going away, but will be back after a week. "Amos, when i come back, i will tell you a story" After one week, in the evening by the lawn, he started: When i was young, i never used to lack anything. I woke up from a big, warm bed, a sumptuous breakfast, wore a white cotton uniform and rode on SUV to school. Life was not hard and everything was done for me. Then as i grew, i started to notice things. Some of my classmates had torn uniform. Others seemed weak and hungry. I also noticed that some skipped classes. I also noticed that while i was being driven to school, some of my classmates walked home. I started to question. One day, my immediate deskmate, Khan the wag, skipped school. I thought he had overslept, but when he did not attend school for a whole week, i decided to ask the teacher. The teacher informed me that he had not been in school due to lack of school fees. I wondered how unfair life can be. Such a bright boy would fail to do the exams because of money? I realized how money to me was just a figure. We always used to compete with my sister on who would save more. I had managed to save quite a lumpsum over the years and it meant absolutely nothing to me. However, i thought the money would mean a lot to someone else. The following week, i approached the head teacher and offered to pay for part of my friend's school fees with my own savings. The head teacher was hesitant and immediately informed my father. My parents came to school immediately. They thought that i had stolen money. I explained to them that i wanted to use the money in my piggy bank to pay for my friend's school fees. That gesture humbled my father. He agreed to the idea, under the condition that the sponsorship will be done anonymously. He also decided to add my allowance so that i will be able to fund my good gesture. That is how my friend went through schooling. Later, he got sponsorship from the government and studied to become a very prominent lawyer. And i forgot about it. Last month, the lawyer decided to give back to those people who made him be who he was. He went back to the school and requested the management to give him the name of his sponsor. Last week, the lawyer came here and kissed my feet. Kissing someone's feet it the highest gesture of respect a person can offer to another in India. I was proud of my self. He concluded. Recently, i remembered Pradeep's story. And what kept ringing in my mind was the lawyer's words "Pradeep, you made me the man that i am today!" I kept wondering how i can make men and women from my business or life. And i settled on one thing "Just do what is right at the moment." That is what Pradeep just did. If we do the right thing today, our future will be full of good memories and moments. |
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This blog post was published on 13 Dec 2018 in Inspiration category. Access all the posts at Blog |