An Act of Kindness

‘You rascal, this is the fourth time’, Kirorimal was shouting at top of his voice. Customers and fellow salesmen too sighting from the corner of their eye while attending their customers.

‘Sorry Seth’ said Rajat, his eyes looking at the ground.

‘Sorry?’ Seth Kirorimal yelled again, ‘Don’t use this word again in front of me. Tomorrow you will give away all these Saris for free and say Sorry? ’

‘Seth, Deduct the loss from my Salary’ said Rajat, his eyes still staring at ground.

‘Thanks for your permission, Rajat Babu. I have already given you multiple times and this is your last warning. If you do this again, you better not show your face to me. Now go back to your work.’ Furious Kirorimal went back to dig into his account books. Other Salesmen too resumed their work.

In the evening after closing the shop, Mohan asked Rajat.

‘What happened?’

‘I don’t know why this Muchhad (big mustached) Seth doesn’t understand a bit’

‘In fact, why don’t you try to understand a simple fact that Seth is running this shop to make money, not for the charity? If you dare selling one more Sari in loss, he would definitely kick you out of the shop.’ warned Mohan.

‘To hell with him’ was the blunt response from Rajat.

‘I know you are the kindest person alive on this earth’ Mohan smiled ‘So who was the beneficiary of your benevolence today?’

‘An old woman, she wanted to buy a Sari for her daughter who has come to meet her in summer vacation. The Sari cost was 480 Rs but the poor lady had only 400 in her purse.‘

‘And you gave her the Sari for 400?’

‘No, for 380’ his eyes turning away from Mohan.

‘380, Why?’ Mohan gave a surprised look to Rajat.

‘Twenty Rupees for her to pay her rickshaw fare back home.’

‘Wonderful. And why had you not spared her another twenty rupees for her dinner tonight?’

‘You are also a heartless creature like that Muchhad Seth.’

‘OK. OK. My dear big hearted friend, Can we go for dinner now?’

And they left for dinner and then to their one room rented house which they both were sharing.

Mohan knew that he could not change Rajat who was always ready to help any needy one without even considering all the facts about them. He was afraid that someday someone would take advantage of him.

One morning Rajat returned home from his morning walk with a small boy.

‘Who is this boy?’ demanded Mohan, who had just woken up.

‘He is Billu’ said Rajat ‘and from now onwards he will stay with us’

‘Where did you find him?’ Mohan eyes becoming wider

‘He was sitting at the bench of the park where I go for morning walk. The poor chap has no one in this world. So I thought I should help him until the boy finds some source to feed himself.’

‘Are you out of your mind? You relied on what he said to you. He must be cooking story to get you in his trap. By the way, do you think we have any extra space for another person in this ten by ten room?’ Now it was getting difficult for Mohan to control his rage.

‘How much space a small nine years old would need? You don’t worry; I can share my cot with him.’

‘And who will pay for his food and other things?’ Mohan asked.

‘If you don’t what to share, I am fine with that. I will bear all his expenses’ Rajat replied.

Seeing that Rajat would not give up, Mohan agreed to keep the boy with them but on a condition that the boy would do all the daily chores in the house and would cook for both of them.

Rajat reluctantly agreed on this condition.

That day onwards, Billu started to live with them. In return, he used to clean the room, wash their clothes and cook food for them.

Few days later, one evening when Mohan and Rajat returned from shop, they saw that the room door was open which was very unusual because they had instructed Billu to keep the door closed whole day. Their surprised eyes got stunned when they entered the room. Their clothes and utensils were lying on the floor in a scattered way. There was no sign of Billu. The lock of Rajat’s cupboard was broken. His heart sunk when he saw his savings of twenty thousand rupees that he was saving from last one and half year was missing. No other things were taken out from there.

Rajat sat there with both hands on his head. Mohan had advised him many times to deposit his savings in a bank as he himself was doing but Rajat never took his advice seriously.

Rajat had saved this money for his brother’s higher education who wanted to take admission in engineering college this year. His dreams shattered like that broken cupboard. Tears were rolling down his cheeks. This was not the first time he had paid a price of helping others but this act cost him his own dreams of making his brother an engineer. He cursed the day he brought Billu to stay with them. Rajat apologized to Mohan many times for ignoring all his advices.

A day after the incidence, Rajat gathered all his courage and called his brother to tell him that he would not be able to pay his college fee and described him the entire incidence. He was speaking in a low apologetic voice. His brother was taken aback. All his effort of two years in preparing for the engineering entrance exam had gone waste.

It took Rajat ample time to recover from that loss. He was still helping others but in his own limits and stopped going out of the way in the process. This was a lesson well learnt from that awful event.

A month later, Mohan went to Post office to send a money order of twenty thousand rupees in the name of Rajesh Chaturvedi, brother of Rajat Chaturvedi. On the way back home, he met Billu at his tea stall and paid him five hundred rupees; a small price for teaching his friend a lesson that he would never forget in his entire life.

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---Kawal

True Love

Rajeev met Shivani first time in an inter-college sports event at Delhi University. He was the captain of his college’s basketball team. On the fourth day of the tournament, Rajeev’s team won their last qualifying match to enter into quarterfinal. He won a lot of praise because of his play and leading the team to win over a tough opponent. He was packing his kit and about to leave the ground when he heard a sweet voice from behind ‘Well Played.’

He turned around to find a beautiful girl with a badminton racquet in her hand. She was wearing a while top and a white knee length skirt. He stood up and extended his hand towards her ‘Thanks, I am Rajeev.’

‘I know.’

‘You know? How?’

‘Everyone is talking about you. I am Shivani, Nice to meet you’

Rajeev felt a sensation within him as they both did handshake.

‘Are you a badminton player?’

‘Yeah’

‘Are you playing in this tournament?’

‘No, I use this racquet to herd sheep around.’

He looked at her mischievous eyes and then they both started laughing.

This short meeting became the beginning of a new relation between them. From that day onwards they spent a lot of time together. They went to watch each other’s matches. Rajeev liked Shivani’s happy go lucky attitude towards life. She was not very much disappointed even on her defeat in semifinals.

“Losing one match is not end of life, you need to prepare for the next match” was her mantra of life. She became a big support for him and stayed there until his final match. After winning the final match Rajeev proposed Shivani and she happily accepted.

Life was never so contented before. Their colleges were not very far. They were meeting every day after their college and sometimes even bunking classes to spend times with each other. The more close they came the more they liked each other. The appreciated each other’s positive and accepted negatives.

After two years when their graduation was over, Rajeev got a job in a Bank in Mumbai and Shivani decided to open her own boutique in Delhi itself. The two years they spent together were good enough to know each other to take the decision of staying together for the rest of their life. The decision was well supported by their parents. They decided to marry after two years so they could give enough time to shape their individual's careers. Rajeev left for Mumbai and Shivani too got busy in her new venture.

They kept talking over phone for next one and half year. Just six months left for their marriage so they started dreaming and talking about marriage plans. Like all other girls Shivani too was excited for her marriage and she was involved in every task of wedding preparation, be it marriage cards or finalizing venue or shopping for Rajeev and herself.

All the things were going on their way. It was all like a fairy tale for them until one fateful morning when Rajeev got a call from his father.

‘Hello’

‘Rajeev’ His father’s distress voice came from the other end.

‘Papa, what happened?’

‘Beta…’

Rajeev’s heartbeat running fast ‘Papa, tell me what happened?’

With a trembling voice his father said ‘Shivani met with an accident yesterday.’

‘What?’

‘Yes Son, She was returning home on her Scooty after finalizing her wedding dress. On the way she was hit by a speeding truck from behind. She is still in hospital. Please come back soon.’

Rajeev boarded the next available flight to Delhi. He directly reached to the hospital. His parents were already there in the hospital. He saw Shivani from the glass window of the ICU. His father put his hand on Rajeev’s shoulder.

‘Shivani got injuries into her head and other body parts. There was no danger to her life but….’

‘But, but what Papa?’ Shouted Rajeev.

‘Doctor’s say that….’

‘What they say?’ Come on Papa tell me, I cannot wait anymore’

‘They say that she had got serious injuries in her head that has affected her brain and she is in the state of Coma now’

‘No. It cannot happen. God cannot be so cruel to us. She has never done any wrong to anyone. This can’t happen to her. Why it happened to her, Papa? Why?’ Tears rolling down his cheeks. ‘No Papa. We will take her to the top most specialist; we will call the best doctor in the country. This cannot happen to her. It just can’t happen to her’

Today, One year Later, Shivani is still in hospital. She cannot remember any moment she spent with Rajeev. She cannot speak properly, she behaves like a child. She cannot recognize her own parents. She needs twenty four hours assistance.

Rajeev resigned from his job and never went back to Mumbai. He stays in hospital to take care of Shivani. He feeds her, clean her, play with her and take care of her day to day needs. Rajeev took her to every single hospital he knew or recommended by anyone for that matter. He has spent most of his savings in doctor’s consultancy fees and Shivani’s treatment but in vain.

He still hopes that one day Shivani will recover from her illness, that one day she will recognize him, that one day she will be a cheerful girl again, that one day she will become a bride, that one day they will also be called a happy couple.

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This story is loosely based upon a real life story which I saw on Youtube a few days back. I am sharing the link with you too.




I salute to their True Love and pray for her speedy recovery. I wish they will soon become a happy couple again.

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"Losing one match is not end of life, you always need to prepare for the next match"

-- Kawal