“When the father suddenly showed up, the wife flared up and said to her husband,
“It seems the old man needs money, otherwise, why would he come here?
He can barely fill his own stomach, how will he provide for the family?”
The husband averted his gaze, looking elsewhere.
The father was at the tap, washing his hands and face, trying to ease the fatigue of the journey.
This time, the husband’s financial situation was tighter than ever. The elder son’s shoes were torn. He grumbled every day on his way to school.
They couldn’t afford to buy all the medicines needed for the wife’s treatment.
He thought to himself, “of all times, did Babuji have to come now?” A heavy silence hung over the house.
After dinner, Babuji gestured for his son to sit beside him. The son was apprehensive, afraid that his father had come with some financial challenges.
The father sat up straight on the chair, completely carefree.
“Listen,” he said, drawing his son’s attention.
The son held his breath, his eyes fixed on his father’s face. Every fiber of his being was alert, waiting for the next sentence.
The father spoke, “There’s not a moment’s rest in farming. It’s a busy time right now. I’ll head back on the night train. It’s been three months since I received even a letter from you. Whenever you’re troubled, you do this.”
He pulled out fifty hundred-rupee notes from his pocket and extended them toward his son.
“Take these. They’ll help you. The paddy crop was good this year. There’s no trouble at home.
You’re looking very weak. Eat and drink properly. Take care of your wife too.”
The son couldn’t say a word. It was as if the words were stuck in his throat.
Before he could speak, his father lovingly scolded him, “Take it, have you become too big for this now?”
“No, not at all,” the son said, extending his hand. The father placed the notes in his son’s palm.
Years ago, when his father sent him to school, he used to place a coin in his palm in the same way.
But back then, his eyes weren’t lowered in shame as they were today.
Friends, always remember one thing:
Parents may become a burden to their children, but children are never a burden to their parents.
What truly belongs to a person?
– Birth: Given by others,
– Name: Given by others,
– Education: Given by others,
– Job: Given by others,
– And… Burial: Others will take you there.
So, what’s the point of pride?
What is there to be arrogant about?