Road
To
Success
The New Wonderland
Keep your dream,
Hope & patience alive!
Part-1
Birister Sharma
Dedicated to my loving parents
I surrendered to you O my Lord……
“Om Namah Shivaya!”
One Word
If you want to bring ‘New Wonderland’ in your life, then you’ve to keep your dreams, hopes and patience alive. And work hard with determined mind till the end, until you get your success lady. Then no force in the entire world will stop you to achieve your goal. You will definitely fulfill your dreams into reality, no matter how many hurdles come on your way. You will find your route to success. And you, too, bring ‘New Wonderland’ in your life.
Learn how to see your dream, live in your dream, and work hard to turn your dream into reality.
Always remember that your dreams are the blue prints of your success.
1
I was very busy, engrossed in my work when the intercom of my cabin rang.
“Arun, come in my cabin,” my boss, Mr. Chaudhury called me in his cabin.
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
I had done a lot of research work on climate change about India in recent times and its causes. I had collected a lot of data and reports from the government and non-government organizations. I had no time to move away from my work. But when your boss call you, your every important work becomes less important. So what, I had to halt my important work to report on climate change for the weekly news magazine in the midway. Really, I hate the person who disturbs me in my work, but, alas, I was helpless, boss is boss, I had to obey him. I had no other option.
“May I come in, sir?” I asked permission.
“Hmm…Hmm...” Mr. Chaudhury replied. He was very busy and glued on his laptop. He looked very happy and satisfied on something.
“Come here immediately and look at this news clip.”
“What is that news that he was so excited?” I thought.
I went closed to Mr. Chaudhury.
“Look at this man,” Mr. Chaudhury exclaimed. His eyes were like bulging out at any moment.
I looked at the news clip.
It was a small piece of news clip which was published by some local newspaper many months ago. Even I had never heard about the newspaper.
“What is so significant about that he was so excited?” I thought. “It is already rotten news. This man has no other works. If he wouldn’t be my boss and owner of this newspaper, I’ll kick him out and fire him straightaway.”
I didn’t ask him anything. I just listened to him.
“Arun, you might be thinking that this small news clip is no importance, right?” Mr. Chaudhury asked me like he had read my mind.
“No-No, sir,” I said. I felt little nervousness.
He looked into my eyes with his bi-spectacles.
“Okay, good. Look at the next page.”
On the next page there was a small news article.
“Now, read this,” Mr. Chaudhury asked me.
“Yes, sir.”
Barren Land Changed into New Wonderland!
Can you believe this; a man can change a barren land into a new wonderland where there are no drops of rain water or any natural source of water. The land where there was only desert and sandy soil. The land where there was no possibility of human survival. The land where there was no life and no hope. But one man changed everything. For this man, nothing is impossible. Today that barren land is full of life and full of wonders. Yes, a man can change everything with his hard work and self-believe. He is no scientist or any super human. He is just a normal man. His name is Mr. Sagar Thakur.
And the news article was enclosed with a picture of beautiful landscape. It seemed like somebody has extracted from the Google image or wallpaper. My mind didn’t allow me to believe that news clip.
“Can it be possible? It is like somebody has downloaded wallpaper from the Google search engine or done like copy and paste.”
“Still you don’t believe, do you?” Mr. Chaudhury asked me.
“Yeah,” I replied, shaking my head. “Sir, I think somebody wants to get some highlight while giving this kind of fake news. This kind of stuffs are becoming new trends and very common now a days, sir. Every other day you’ll see new names and shocking stuffs. You can see many such kinds of stuffs on social networking sites and magazines.”
“That’s why, I want you to go there and find out the reality of this news, whether it is a real news or just a fictitious one.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, Arun.”
“No-No…sir….I can’t.”
“Why?”
“I’ve to give my report on climate change on this week news magazine.”
“You don’t worry for that. I’ll change the subject of this week.”
“But!”
“No, Arun,” Mr. Chaudhury cut me shot. “This is your new assignment. You’ve to do this. Thereafter, you’ll get your leave for one month.”
Mr. Chaudhury was very expert in convincing people.
“Okay,” I accepted with heavy heart. Actually I had no other alternative. And I needed one month leave desperately for Sujata. For the last couple of months she has been complaining that I wouldn’t spend much time with her. She was right; she has every reason to complain for giving her less time. Actually, I had spent more time in my office than at home.
2
Then the next day, I went to find out about the reality of ‘New Wonderland’ created by one man so called Mr. Sagar Thakur.
I picked the earliest flight from New Delhi to the state of Rajashthan. I got down at the Jaipur airport, the capital city of Rajashthan. I hired a taxi to the place called Jhunjuwa. It took six hours to reach there. Then I traveled by train for eight hours. And again I traveled by bus for three hours. And at last, I had to travel by the country boat for hours to reach my destination, ‘New Wonderland.’ I didn’t know how many hours it would take to reach my final destiny. And I didn’t know whether I was traveling on the right route or wrong route. But I kept on following the road map given by my boss and traveling on and on.
I was tired and fatigued. My body was paining and wailing. I was feeling like I would die at any moment if I would travel any longer. I had never traveled by so many means of communication in one single journey.
“I would resign from this job if I would know that I have to go through with these tiresome and never ending journeys. I hated this job.” I cursed my job.
“Mr. Chaudhury, one day, you’ll go to hell!” I cursed my boss.
I was feeling like I was being sent to exile for endless years and thereafter I’d never return to my family. I had to spend my entire life in traveling.
The country boat was full of crowded passengers, young, old, men, women, children, their bags and baggage, bicycles, cows and goats. They were traveling like caravans. They were dirty, sweating and smelly. Some men were smoking bidis and some were chewing tobaccos. The whole country boat smelled with different kind of odors. I couldn’t breathe properly. I felt like suffocating. Once I thought to cancel my journey and return to home and resign from my job. But I couldn’t do that. There was not a space to put one’s foot. Full packed and overloaded. If there would be any minor twist or turn, the whole country boat would be capsized into the river. But still the passengers were boarding one after another, pushing and pulling against each other. There was no stoppage. Nobody was there to warn them that overloaded boat would be capsized.
“God, please, save me today,” I was praying in my mind. “After this assignment, I’ll definitely resign from this job.”
Somehow, I got a half seat with a man and adjusted with him. But I didn’t know when and how I dozed off in the midst of the crowded country boat where woman folks were talking non-stop and loud crying and shouting children. Thereafter, I didn’t know when the country boat was started its voyage and when I reached to my destination.
“Babuji, wake up……Babuji, wake up….” the boat man awakened me. “You’ve reached ‘New Wonderland’.
I opened my eyes while feeling like I was in my house. I was almost calling Sujata to fetch me a cup of coffee in my bedroom. Then I realized that I was in my exile. There was not a single passenger left in the country boat.
“Oh, thanks, bhaiya.” I said to the boat man in sleepy tone and paid him my boat fare.
I was so tired and felt sleepy that I wanted to sleep there for a while. Somehow I got up without noticing anything around me. And when I opened my eyes clearly with the beaming of morning sunlight, I was dumbfounded and amazed while seen the beauty and greenery of the surrounding. My tired body and sleepiness was gone. And I was feeling rejuvenated. I was feeling like I was visiting in any beautiful hill station or in some dreamland. I was breathing a fresh air with sweet fragrance. There were freshness and sweetness in everything and everywhere. The picturesque was exactly as same as the picture my boss, Mr. Chaudhury showed me in his laptop.
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “This is really the most beautiful place on earth.”
Before I complete my exclamation about the beautiful place where I was landed, the buzzing mobile phone diverted my mind.
It was a call from my boss, Mr. Chaudhury.
“Hello sir,” I received the call.
“Did you reach there?” Mr. Chaudhury asked me.
“Yeah, I just reached here, sir,” I answered.
“Good-Good.”
“So, how was the journey?”
“It was terrific, sir,” I replied with cursing mood.
“One day you’ll get the toughest journey in your life,” I cursed him in my mind. “Then, you’ll realize, Mr. Chaudhary.”
“And how is the place?”
“It is really one of the most beautiful places on earth, sir.”
“Really?”
“Sir, I didn’t believe that this beautiful place is situated in our own country. It is like a dream come true.”
“You like it, right?”
“Very much, sir! Thank you, sir!”
“Thanks to Mr. Sagar Thakur, the creator of that beautiful place.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re right, sir.”
“Okay. Now, listen, you go there and bring all the stories of ‘New Wonderland’. And meet Mr. Sagar Thakur personally. Take his complete bio-data and interview. A-Z, okay? It’ll be great piece of news for our newspaper.”
“Okay.”
“Great. Best of luck!”
“Thank you, sir!”
“And happy holiday there.” My boss, Mr. Chaudhury laughed.
3
I started my footsteps slowly and slowly towards the ‘New Wonderland’. There was a big sign board in the entrance of ‘New Wonderland’.
‘You are most welcome in New Wonderland!’
Feel like your home!
I walked on the road. The road was completely concrete; there were no crack marks and no sight of any potholes like any other metro city in our country. The footpaths were neat and clean, more neat and clean than our houses. There was no dumping of garbage anywhere. There was no flowing sewage drains anywhere. In every place there were standing dustbins. There were streetlights in every half meters which were connected with solar panels. And there were Cctv cameras installed in every half meters distance. The road was not so wide or not so narrow. Average size and perfectly managed. On both sides of the road many beautiful pine and deodar trees were planted. And in the middle of the road there were many blooming flowers with different colors. The flowers I had never seen in any big gardens in Delhi or in any other metro cities. I was feeling like I was walking inside any botanical garden or any floral shops. The whole ambience was diffusion of sweet fragrance of flowers. I was feeling like I was landed in any dreamland.
After walking a few miles I had seen the housing colonies. Generally, we see village houses made of thatches, mud and old bricks, but in ‘New Wonderland’ all the houses were made of concrete bricks and cements. The colors of the houses were almost same, the crimson white and red.
Then I saw the shopping complex. The shopping complex was so beautiful and fancy that we rarely find in any big metro city. I visited there and I dined in one of the restaurants.
I asked one of the chefs who was serving me, “If you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Who maintained all these in ‘New Wonderland’?”
“Our Thakurji.”
“You mean, Mr. Sagar.”
“Please, sir, don’t take his name. Nobody take his name. We all pay him great respect.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I got little fumbled. “Thanks!”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
“One man. Wow! Heads off to you, Mr. Sagar. O sorry, Thakurji.”
I had dined full thali. It contained with full plate of rice, dal, paneer, vegetable, curry, salad, pickle, lemon, curd and sweets. The dinner was delicious. For that I paid only fifty bucks.
I couldn’t stop praising about the food items that I had dined.
“Beta, you wouldn’t get these kinds of sumptuous food items anywhere in the world,” I said to myself.
After taking lavish dinner, I came out from the restaurant with content heart and belly.
I waited there for a moment and thought to take some rest. Just then a man was passing by from there.
“Excuse me, brother,” I called him.
The man stopped.
“Yes, sir.” He responded me very politely.
“Actually, I’m a journalist and coming from Delhi,” I introduced myself. “and looking for a place to stay.”
“Don’t worry, sir. You, please, come with me.”
After walking for a while, he took me in a place like big hotel. I didn’t expect that in ‘New Wonderland’, I would see any big hotel like in big metro cities.
“Is this a hotel?” I asked the man.
“No, sir. This is a rest house for our tourists and visitors in our ‘New Wonderland’.”
“O, I see!” I was lost my mind for a while.
“Hotel like Rest house! Wow!” I exclaimed in my mind.
The man took me to the caretaker of the rest house and left. I thanked him.
“Sir, you’ve to pay fifty rupees per night stay here.”
“Okay!”
I paid fifty rupees in advance and booked one room for me.
I was wholly perplexed. I was thinking like I was in some wonderland. Of course, I was in ‘New Wonderland’.
The caretaker led me to the fifth floor by lift and escorted to the room allotted to me.
“This is your room, sir.” And he handed me a key of my room.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, sir.”
Everybody talked politely and gently. There were smiles on everybody’s face. I didn’t see anyone whose face was moody and sad. Everybody was cheerful and full of lives like the beautiful environment of ‘New Wonderland’. And everybody was very helpful. If anybody visit in ‘New Wonderland’ for the first time, he would never feel stranger, because, everything was friendly and homely atmosphere in ‘New Wonderland’.
The room was like the rooms of any five star hotels in Delhi or Mumbai. It was impossible to get a luxurious room for just fifty bucks per night in any five stars hotel in any place in the world.
I took a cool shower and napped for few hours to relax my tired body. However, I was not feeling that much of tire that I felt initially. I wished to go out and see everything in ‘New Wonderland’. I felt like I had no time. I couldn’t wait. I felt like I was one of the tourists who visited to see the beauty and serenity of ‘New Wonderland’.
In the evening, I asked one of the caretakers of the rest house to meet Mr. Sagar Thakur.
“Sir, in order to meet our Thakurji, you’ve to take his appointment.”
“Appointment!?” I was puzzled.
“Yes, sir. You’ve to take his appointment.”
“May I want to know why?”
“Actually, he is a very busy man. Every day he has to meet hundreds of men and women from all over the world.”
“I didn’t understand you.”
“Many people come here to meet our Thakurji. Some people come to take his interviews. Some people come to take his advices. And some people come to take help from him. And at the same time he has to maintain everything of our ‘New Wonderland’.”
“O, I see.”
“So, how can I get his appointment?”
“Don’t worry, sir. You just give me your name, place, profession and purpose of meeting him. I’ll arrange your appointment with our Thakurji.”
I gave him all the details of mine.
“I’ll inform your date of appointment with our Thakurji, tonight, sir.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, sir!”
At night, I got the appointment date of Thakurji. My appointment date was fixed after four days.
“Oh, God, four days! I can’t wait.” I wanted to scream aloud, but I held my mouth.
I couldn’t force anybody to speed up my appointment date with Thakurji. Even I couldn’t bribe anybody. I guessed if I would approach anybody for bribe, these people would lock me in their prison.
I informed about my appointment date with Thakurji to my boss, Mr. Chaudhury.
“It is not a big issue, Arun,” Mr. Chaudhury said. “You just relax, take time and take a nice interview of Mr. Sagar Thakur.”
“Don’t take his name, sir.”
“Why?”
“He has a great respect here. Nobody take is name. Everybody called him, ‘Thakurji’ with great respect.”
“Okay, sorry, Thakurji,” he laughed.
“You do your job.”
“Okay, sir”
Then the called ended.
I talked to Sujata and updated everything about ‘New Wonderland’. When she heard about the beauty and serenity of ‘New Wonderland’, she got excited. She, too, decided to visit with me in ‘New Wonderland’ in our holidays.
4
I waited for four days. But those four days were superb experience for me.
I found everything in ‘New Wonderland’ that was available in Delhi or any metro cities in the world. Even I had seen many wonderful things that, I didn’t find in Delhi or any metro cities in the world. I was stunned and at the same time I was amazed. I couldn’t stop admiring about the beauties and wonders of ‘New Wonderland’.
There were easily available health centers and dispensaries for the benefits of people in ‘New Wonderland’. There were standing Ambulance cars for any emergency and immediate causality. The health centers were equipped with all the modern equipments and facilities. And all the medical stuffs were freely available there for twenty-four hours service.
There were modern schools, colleges and university for the students in ‘New Wonderland’. I went to check out the education systems. When I visited all the school, college and university campuses, I was stumbled and my mouth remained wide open to see the facilities available there. The students were teaching with modern techniques and methods. They learned their lessons by practical and scientific methods. There were no bookish lessons in their education systems. There were no old fashion of traditional learning and teaching in ‘New Wonderland’. They followed the rules of learning and teaching by practical knowledge and field works. The mottos of their education system were to develop skills and make self-dependent.
There was computerized post office and banks in ‘New Wonderland’. Every person had their personal bank accounts and insurance schemes for education, health, life and death. It was strictly instructed to every person of ‘New Wonderland’ to open bank accounts and insurance for education, health, life and death.
There were computer centers and other information centers for the benefits of all people. There were free internet services and WIFI facilities in ‘New Wonderland’ for all the mobile and internet users.
There was one big community hall in ‘New Wonderland’. There was one day get-together held amongst the people of ‘New Wonderland’ once in a week. In that get-together, all the matters of ‘New Wonderland’ were discussed and solved their common problems with one voice.
There was one big stadium for games and sports. In every three month, the event of games and sports were held for the people of ‘New Wonderland’. In that event, all the people of ‘New Wonderland’ participated wholeheartedly. And in the beginning of New Year, there was an organization of grand and colorful festivals.
There were special cars, buses and trucks for the benefit of people in ‘New Wonderland’. So, nobody had to wait for any other means of communication to visit anywhere. Everything was easily available with a snap of fingers.
There were free bicycles and motor bikes also available for visitors and tourists in ‘New Wonderland’. For bicycle, there was no fare. It was free of cost. But for motor bike, one has to pay for Cng. There were petrol and diesel depots also available in ‘New Wonderland’. All the vehicles were allowed to run only on Cng. No vehicle was allowed to burn unwanted smokes like carbon dioxides, carbon monoxides and nitrogen dioxide. It was strictly instructed not to pollute the environment. And if anybody disobeys that instruction, he would be heavily punished and for the same he would be banished from ‘New Wonderland’ forever.
I took free bicycle and went to joyride. I saw large green fields with all the varieties of crops and vegetables. There were big farms of cattle and birds. And there was veterinary center to provide the medical treatments for weak and sick cattle and birds.
There were many big orchards in ‘New Wonderland’, laden with fruits like mangoes, jackfruits, papayas, bananas, plums, pears, and many other fruits. I couldn’t stop the moist saliva of my mouth while seen all these ripen fruits.
I saw many cottage industries and small scale industries there, owned by the people of ‘New Wonderland’. When I asked one of the workers, he informed me that their products were exported in different parts of India and in abroad. And he further informed me that their products were biodegradable and environment friendly.
And then I saw many training centers and institutes for both men and women and the same for both young boys and girls. When I asked the students about their trainings, they told me that they were getting vocational trainings everyday apart from their school, college and University studies. They were trained free of cost, and they were paid whenever they made anything and for giving their services. Everybody in ‘New Wonderland’ earned some money every day. They were trained arts and crafts, tailoring, handlooms and handicrafts, toy makings, fine arts, interior designing, nursing, hospitality management, mobile technology, machineries, instruments, computer hardware and software and all the basic trainings to become self dependent. They were trained to become self-sufficient in their respective fields.
Everything was set-up and organized in discipline manner, there was not an iota of any mess up. Everything was perfectly maintained and managed. Nobody ever believed that everything was maintained by one man, Mr. Sagar Thakur.
When I witnessed all the developments and achievements of ‘New Wonderland’ with my own eyes; I was highly impressed. I had no words to eulogize. I was completely euphoric. And I was eager to meet Mr. Sagar Thakur immediately, the man behind everything in ‘New Wonderland’. I felt like I couldn’t wait for anything.
Every moment was a wonderful memory for me. What things were not available in ‘New Wonderland’? Even in one moment, I thought to call Sujata and settle there forever.
I started hating the crowded and polluted city like Delhi. There was no sight of any pollution in ‘New Wonderland,’ everywhere only neat and clean environment. Wherever one could view his eyes, only get the visuals of greenery and serenity. Green colors of trees and sweet fragrances of flowers. The beauty and serenity of ‘New Wonderland’ stole my heart, mind and soul.
I visited every nook and corners of ‘New Wonderland.’ Those four days were like spending in some beautiful dreamland or in heaven. Really, ‘New Wonderland’ was a heaven on earth.
5
On fifth day, before I was getting ready to meet Thakurji, one of the men of Thakurji came to escort me. He treated me like a Vvip and dropped me with a luxurious car to the grand palace.
“Whose palace is this?” I asked one of the men of Thakurji.
The man smiled. “This is our Thakurji’s house.”
I was dumfounded while seen the grand palace like house of Thakurji.
I waited at the gate. The gatekeeper signaled me to get inside.
“You can go inside, sir,” the gatekeeper said.
I nodded with a gentle smile.
I got inside the grand palace like house of Thakurji.
“You’re welcome, sir,” one of the servants of Thakurji said courteously.
“Thank you.”
The servant of Thakurji took me inside the majestic guest room. The servants of Thakurji were not looked like any ordinary servants, but they were looked like the waiters of any five star hotels.
“Be seated, sir. Thakurji is busy with the outstation guests.”
“Okay.”
“Outstation guests!” I got surprised.
“Sir, do you want to have something?”
I was very confused to ask for anything.
“Tea? Coffee?”
“Coffee, please.”
And within a second, a cup of coffee was served for me. I couldn’t flip the first page of the ‘Time’ magazine.
When I flipped the first page of the ‘Time’ magazine, I saw the same picture of Mr. Sagar Thakur with the same picture of ‘New Wonderland.’
He is the man who changed a barren hard rock like land into a ‘New Wonderland’. His name is Mr. Sagar Thakur. His own people called him ‘Thakurji.’
I read the first article on the ‘Time’ magazine. While reading, I was perplexed.
Just then Mr. Sagar Thakur came out from the room with many people of foreign origins. They were smiling and laughing. They were giving their final adieu to Mr. Sagar Thakur.
“Thank you so much, Thakurji, for giving us your valuable time.” The visiting foreigners said.
“You’re always welcome, gentlemen,” Mr. Sagar Thakur said humbly. “It’s my great pleasure to meeting with you people.”
Then all the visiting foreigners were off.
I stood up before Mr. Sagar Thakur turn to me.
Mr. Sagar Thakur turned to me with the most pleasant smile. And he forwarded his hands to shake with me.
“Hello!”
“Hello, sir.”
We shook our hands. Mr. Sagar Thakur welcomed me warmly.
“So, you’re Mr. Arun, right?”
“Y-Yes, sir….” I was fumbling for the first time.
Mr. Sagar Thakur smiled.
In returned I too smiled.
“Please, be seated.”
“Thank you, Thakurji.” I addressed what the people of ‘New Wonderland’ called to Mr. Sagar Thakur.
Mr. Sagar Thakur smiled.
“Did you get something to have?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay.”
I was feeling very nervous and tongue tied. I didn’t know how to start my interview.
“So, Arun, you’re a journalist, right?” Mr. Sagar Thakur initiated.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good, you’re doing a good profession. You show the actual image of our society.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“So, how can I help you, Arun?”
“Actually, sir, I want to do your interview for our newspaper.”
“Hmm…Okay.”
I felt relaxed when Mr. Sagar Thakur agreed.
I took out my notepad to take the interview of Mr. Sagar Thakur. But I was very puzzled. I didn’t know how I could start my interview. I started searching for proper words to initiate. For the first time in my journalist career, I was feeling nervous. I was feeling like I was going to appear the toughest exam of my life.
“What happened, Arun?” Mr. Sagar Thakur asked me.
“Oh, sorry, sir,” I replied with quivering voice.
I started boasting my inner confidence. “Buck up, man! Buck up, man!” I started counting in my mind-three-two-one-gooo……
“Sir, what is your full name?” I asked the first question. Actually, that was not the first question in my mind. But it was shot before I choose the best question I had prepared for my interview. I felt like dim-witted.
Mr. Sagar Thakur smiled.
“My full name is Sagar Singh Rajput alias ‘Thakurji’.”
“Why ‘Thakurji’ in the end of your name, sir?” I shot the next question.
He smiled once again.
“Actually, my people loved to address me in that way.”
“O, I see.”
After shooting two quick questions, I felt little confident and relaxed. Then I proceed to the most important question to Thakurji.
“Sir, can you tell me in details, how this ‘New Wonderland’ came?”
“Yes….”
Then Mr. Sagar Singh Rajput, alias ‘Thakurji,’ started narrating about the entire story of his ‘New Wonderland’.
Continue…..
