Endless tenacity
Teeja made her three-year-old son sit under the tree and was busy breaking the stones. She was thinking…. So now it’s a matter of few days, then I will go to the city with Mahaveer.Mahaveer holds an LLB degree. His one year practice is also nearing completion and after that he can start his own practice. Now,little time is left.Now,the days are going to change for me. I will admit my son in the city’s best school. I will do this and do that for Mahaveer. He will become the boss.
Then she began to remember her struggle. She was eighteen years old when she got married and came to Mahaveer’s house. She studied till fifth standard. Mahaveer had just done his B.A.There was acute poverty in the house. In the conversation, Mahaveer said “Teeja, I want to study law,but the grains that my father grows in the field is just enough to feed the family”.
“You don’t worry,I will work hard. I will raise the money by breaking stones to pay for your education.” Teeja firmly assured Mahaveer.
Just then, her sleepiness was broken by a taxi’s pom pom sound. She saw Mahaveer coming out from the taxi. She went running to him, but was startled to see a woman in the car. She asked “who is this lady?”
“Teeja I have finished studying law. She is practicing law with me.”
“Now, are you taking me with you to the city?”
“Teeja, you will not be able to come to terms with life in the city. I’ll keep coming here.”
Hearing those words, Teeja turned her back to him.
Mahaveer shouted “Where are you going Teeja?”
Teeja pointed towards the son and said “Right now,I have to educate one more man”
Then she started hitting large stones quickly with sledge hammer. The large stones broke into several pieces with crackling sounds.
The Real Kalam
On the last day of the three day training program for bank employees, entertainment and solo-acting programs were arranged after lunch. The organizer of the program introducing a young guy dressed in Jeans and a T-Shirt said “This is Mr. Naveen, one of the famous theatre artists in this city. In a few moments, he will perform a solo act “I want to become a Kalam”. At the corner of the stage, there is a donation box. At the end of the play, you can drop your donations in that box.”
After a few minutes, Naveen came on the stage wearing a multi coloured rag torn short and a torn Pyjama. Naveen’s play showed a poor and intelligent kid who loses his father but struggles to continue his studies while working. All the employees were moved by the amazing performance.
After the performance, the organizer of the play dropped an Rs. 100 note in the donation box and this had now become a standard for others. Others started donating similar amounts in the box. Naveen collected almost Rs. 10,000 and went away in his car. On the way, he found a boy dressed like Naveen in the play. He was trying to sell candies at the traffic junction to the bank officers and was requesting them to open their car windows. But no one was sympathetic to the boy’s plight. In this process of selling the candies, the boy fell on the footpath.
Naveen helped the kid and asked him “How much are these candies?”
“Each one costs Rs5. But If you buy 3 of them, I will give them for Rs. 10.”
“How much will you sell all the candies for?”
“Why are you joking sir? But if you take all of them, I will sell for Rs. 200.”
“Here, take Rs. 500.”
“But Sir, I don’t have…”
“Keep the money. Even if it was for an act, I just lived like you for a few minutes. I can understand your difficulties. But since you do not know acting, a real Kalam can earn only this much in this world!”
