My Wanderings -5

                                           We can not deny the fact that great writers and artists have  indirectly brought  big revolutions  in this world. The French and Russian revolutions are glaring examples of  that.  Their role was not active, but they portrayed the facts of  life having remarkable similarities  with then prevailing society, which made the ordinary people aware of their condition as well as of others living with them. The depiction of  intimate realities of life on the piece of  paper  or canvass  is the essence of good literature or art. If a piece of art or literature is true to the vagaries of  life, it leaves an indelible mark on the minds of readers  to the extent that they rise against all the odds hampering their living conditions and growth. Why these writers rake up the dirt  in society and throw  it  everywhere to make all gloomy and sad. They do it deliberately to awaken the people, who are in deep slumber of ignorance and indifference towards their worst conditions created by few for personal gains.
It is well known fact   that good writers, painters, actors, singers and dancers are  acclaimed by every one, but  I personally feel that all credit should not go to them only and they only should not be  considered as artists. Every profession is contributing to society equally.  A good teacher,  a good engineer or a good accountant  is not also less than an artist. Art is usually attributed to excellence or perfection in any field and not  to any particular  trade or profession. Therefore, trade and profession does not matter, but what matters is excellence in that profession or trade.  Whosoever achieves excellence in his trade is an artist. A good mechanic or a good accountant is also a good artist in his field of occupation.
Even a housewife who is managing her household and children perfectly is also an artist par excellence because her contribution to  manage her home and children with devotion  is devoid of any pecuniary interest or motive of recognition.
                    Therefore, aim of every person should be to achieve excellence, if not perfection, in his profession. A person having aptitude for his trade should follow the technique of trade and try to achieve excellence in it with honesty.  He should not follow money or success. When he will  achieve excellence in his trade, money and success  will automatically follow him.
It is nice to see that good work or good  performance  of our players, Actors or writers is being recognized these days by giving awards to them. Army personal are also awarded decorations for doing some heroic deeds in wars or fighting  against terrorists.  Recognition of good performance of a player, musician or an actor is very important to acknowledge their hard work  and difficulties they faced to achieve the art.
The sacrifices made by our army personal  for Nation at the stake of their lives  can not also be ignored so easily.
Actually  heroism is a basic instinct  present in every  human being, which gets activated at the time of exigency of incident or as per the demand of event.  We have also  seen many incidents of  civilians also doing heroic jobs  by saving  the life of persons  from drowning  or many other accidents at the risk of their own lives. But army personnel  often get opportunity to show their bravery or valour and civilians get it rarely. Every ordinary person gets a chance ,at least once in life,  when the trait of heroism already present in him gets activated and he responds to  the situation with gallantry and great valour. But  how often this trait gets activated depends from person to person.
Once I had also a privilege of helping in  saving the life of a technician who was working at the site of construction of my house. He was engaged in floor work  with a grinder inside  my newly semi built  house. I was supervising the job of some other workers outside the house. In the meantime I heard a wailing shriek of technician and sound of some big object falling on the floor inside. A cold shrill passed through whole of my spine and  with out going inside to look into the matter, I immediately rushed to the switch board outside and switched off  the mains. In the mean time all other workers had reached inside and I followed them to witness a nerve racking scene. The technician was lying unconscious on the ground with the electric shock and the grinding machine was upside down. We immediately applied first aid and rushed for a doctor. The technician regained consciousness after lot of  hassle. His colleagues thanked me for saving his life. But I felt  it was a matter of chance that  a good sense prevailed upon me to act at the nick of time without any heroic impetus as it was not accomplished at the risk of my life.

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My Wanderings - 47. Short Story No. 29. Old Crazy Lad and his Gramaphone

It was month of October in year 1984 and  Autumn  in Kashmir  was full in swing. The  earth was profusely  covered with crimson coloured withered Chinar leaves which made crunchy noise when trampled under the feet. The mild rays of sun were playing hide and seek through the tree tops which were in a striping  mode and  constantly shedding their  veil of leaves . In that serene atmosphere   I came across a strange person, who left an indelible mark on my mind for so many years to come . I was sitting on the  verandah of my friends house  While enjoying the mild sun rays caressing my body,  I could observe a person of average stature, listening to his Grama phone placed in front of him , sitting on the verandah of opposite  house and stealing glances towards me with a whimsical smile. I could not control my curiosity and enquired about him from my friend.  My friend with out making any reply to my query  stood up and asked me to accompany him. I followed my friend with out any questions. He took me near the person with Grama phone  and introduced him to me.
"He is Baitoth, my neighbour and  he has recently retired  from Public works Department as Head clerk." . Baitoth greeted me warmly and made us sit on the two  vacant chairs in front of him. 
After exchanging pleasantries with both of us, Baitoth pointed towards Grama phone playing in front of him and directly addressed  to me, " Do you recognise the voice". I shook  my head in confutation. 
"It is Manna dey's father singing. I have a huge collection of old songs lying inside my room"
I came to know first time  that Manna dey's father was also a famous  singer.  The Grama phone lying there was working manually. He had to wind the key of Grama phone  many times for listening songs. The each winding lasted for playing hardly  a single song . Then he had to rewind it again to listen another.
"I sometimes steal some  time from my daily schedule to listen these songs to satisfy my hobby, but usually I remain  busy with studies and cooking", said Baitoth. I thought he must be interested in reading novels etc.  After listening few songs , I took leave of Baitoth along with my friend.
Then my friend told me that he also does not know his real name. He is usually addressed as "Baitoth" by every one in the neighbourhood . Actually his wife died after the marriage of his only  daughter few years back and his daughter is now settled somewhere  in states with her family.  He   had to stop his education only after completing Matriculation due to untimely death of his father and look out for a job to sustain his mother and younger siblings. Now after retirement he is persuing   his studies. I was amazed to learn that he has  continued his studies after a long gap and that too  at this age.
Later on  I also came to know that his neighbours were making fun of him and used to call him by names like "old crazy  Lad" etc. in  his absence . But he used to visit  students around his neighbourhood who were also appearing for  the same exam  to exchange  notes and books with them. On the exam day he would  sit whole night preparing for his exam ,sometimes,  along with other nearby  students. I once noticed him carrying an  inkpot and few pens  in his hand while on his way to exam centre. He would always give a mischievous smile whenever  confronted by some acquaintance. Knowing fully well that most of people were making fun of him,  he never deterred  from his mission. His friends were mostly young boys and students of neighbourhood, who usually visited him for discussing exam strategies. After sometime I totally lost touch with him as my friend shifted from there to newly constructed house in   some other colony.
Many years later,  once I met Baitoth in Jammu after migration of our community from Srinagar. He apperead to me much younger and agile. He recognised me at once  and greeted me with the same mischievous smile. He told me that he is living in   rented  room near by. After talking  with him for some time  it transpired that he has completed his Master's degree at Srinagar.  Further  he confided to me that  it was a wish of his father that I  should complete my education .But he died much earlier when I was still a young Boy. Therefore I could not realise the wish of my father at right time. Sooner or later I was bound to realise the wish of my father. Now he was teaching migrant children at Muthi  camp free of cost. Some children of the community residing near by visited him at his rented accommodation also for private tuition, but he was not charging any fees for his services. The company of children and young students was a big reward for him in this lonely and forlorn life. He loved  their company  very much and considered them a great gift bestowed to him by almighty.
Now it was only few years back I came to know that Baitoth  had  finally visited  his daughter in  USA. His daughter was very happy to see her father after a long time. She was very much eager to show her father all the worth seeing places in states. She wanted to buy many gifts for him. But her father was not so particular to make any purchases there.  Once they entered an antique shop and his attention was attracted towards many old Grama phones lying there in a corner. He was thrilled to recognise his own Grama Phone which was also one among them.  He recognised his Gramaphone by his own initials  M.L.D. which he had himself engraved upon it. He was happy to see his Gramaphone again, which he had left  in his home  at Kashmir with his other belongings , while leaving his birthplace for good in the begining of 1990. He enquired about his Gramaphone from Shopkeeper,  but how his Gramaphone has reached from his home at Kashmir to this Antique shop in US remained a mystery for him. Now he wanted to repurchase his Gramaphone at any cost .He was enthusiastic like a child  when taken to a toy  shop. His daughter could   well understand   the emotional attachment of her father with his Grama phone.  She purchased the  Gramaphone  for her father at very exorbitant price. His father rejoiced to get his Gramaphone back.
Then after a lapse of  very short time  "Baitoth" while strolling  in the neighbour hood of his daughters House  stopped near another house  to look at the children playing there. But the landlord of the house got suspicious and  called for  the police,  who bullied "Baitoth" and roughed up with him so intensely  that he finally landed at Hospital and passed his last breath there.

My Wanderings - 46. Short Story No. 28 Little Lord with a Pince Nez

Neelkanth Safaya was virtually a man with English tastes. He was influenced by English language and culture to a great extent. After completing his graduation  in pre -partition days, he joined  as clerk in an English firm located at Residency Road Srinagar but became its Manager within a short span of time by the dint of his hard work and command over English language . Neelkanth was actually a man of short stature with a  fair complexion. He was also a man of attire and attitudes. In earlier days of his career he used to wear a  long English frock coat and breeches, which mismatched his personality and made him a laughing stock in the market. But with the change of fashion , he started wearing a three piece suit, which suited his personality very much. Moreover his dress accessories comprised of an English hat, a contrast coloured neck tie or a bow tie and a golden rimmed pince nez  loosely fitted on his eyes wth the support of his nose alongwith a small cane with a golden head engaging  fingers of his  small right hand.
He used to come  daily at sharp half past nine from some obscure lane, in the above-said  attire, to  reach near an  open space beyond  Habba kadal chowk to drive his small car which was parked there due to shortage of parking space at his residence. Moreover lane heading towards his residence was very narrow to afford the passage of even a small car. No body could question about a small or big car and even make of car, as mere possession of a car was a mark of affaulance  those days.
However, Neelkanth was a man of principles and highly disciplinarian . He could never afford to take lightly any type of indiscipline   especially  at the  place of his  work. Once calling the explanation of one of his subordinates , he gave him in writing that his attitude smacks of insubordination and impertinence, with a copy to Head office , which cost dearly to the later and after much persuasion he could save his job.
In addition to his job Neelkanth was a voracious  reader. He was having Intrest in subjects like literature , philosophy and psychology. He had made a small library in the balcony of the  upper story of his house, which he called study in English style. Latter on he developed Intrest in Homeopathy and started practising Homeopathy from his study. He helped many chronic patients by his treatment. He was also interested in Astronomy. He could be seen looking towards stars for hours together through his imported telescope installed in his study. He also listened to news through his ear phone Radio and read newspapers to remain conversant with the day to day affairs. Sometimes he favoured the authority and sometimes he flouted it as per his choice and ideology.
Most of the people used to visit him for writing  their drafts and applications. He used to oblige them free of cost. While making the drafts he used to murmur , people write 'Indian English' but I write 'English English'. Once listening to a speech of English man, Neelkanth objected to his speech and told  him directly, "Don't try to conceal facts by  impressing  me by your knowledge of English vacabulary, I know enough of it ".It was to the amusement of audience and amazement of the orator.
He used to visit hotels and cinemas with his family frequently which was not much in vouge those days.
Inspite of all his virtues , he was having only one vice that was his dominating personality. The victim of this
Trait of his personality was his wife and elder son. He used to take all their decisions himself. He never let them grow independently . They were dependent on his decisions . He always  nourished a dream to visit his much cherished country Britain. As he was much occupied in his job, he wanted to realise his dream through his son. He sent his son to Britain for studying medicine  to the much reluctance of the later. But his son had never learned to disobey his father, he was left with no other alternative but to realise the wish of his father. Neelkanth was much interested to see his son as a thorough English gentleman rather than a Doctor. His son got established as a Doctor in London and married an English lady there. He never returned back to India as he did not want to remain under the dominance of his father again.
After so many years , Neelkanth also got a chance to visit his son at London. He was shocked to see that concept  of English gentry, which he had cherished  through out his life, has  vanished altogether. The Indians were also as good as English men. Moreover his son looked  more traditional Indian wearing Dhoti and Kurta in London and his English daughter in-law was clad in an Indian sari. He and his wife had joined Hare Rama , Hare Krishna mission established at London. They were much satisfied with eastern culture and rituals that Neelkanth could not believe his eyes and remained in bewilderment to witness the topsy turvy of his much cherished ideology.

My Wanderings - 45 Short Story No. 27. How People Live by

Manmohan Nath Dhar and Preduman Krishen Warikoo hereinafter referred as  MM and PK  respectively were good old friends and neighbours living together since many generations in two separate houses sharing a common compound   and a  single small  gate opening beneath the house of MM called pilav in Kashmiri  . It was most congested area near   Purshyar   Habbakadal locality Srinagar. Both MM and PK had same schooling and they  graduated through same college in Srinagar in year 1963. But MM joined AG's office and PK joined some scheduled  Bank. They were  even married in the same year. They had very good family relations and had shared all the ethos and pathos of life characterising spirit of culture and era as manifested in  community aspirations ,cheerfulness and gloom  with each other . At the time of mass migration of community from Srinagar both friends had not finished  their domestic obligations fully. Pk had married only one of his daughter and Mm had not married any of his children comprising of a son and a daughter . In the early months of Year 1990, they decided to leave Srinagar for Jammu in view of ongoing turmoil in the valley. After reaching Jammu and remaining there as tenents for some time , both friends had to  separate  as Mm was transferred to Jaipur and Pk to Chandigarh. In the mean time both the friends settled themselves at respective places,  retired and married their children. Therefore, they were not able to  meet each other for a quarter of  a century.
It was quite recently Pk visited Jaipur to meet his old friend Mm who had become bed ridden because of orthopaedic and other health related problems. After exchanging pleasantries  and greeting each other they started reminiscing about the college days.
"Pk, do you remember Sheela  our class mate", said Mm
"Yes why not, she was so beautiful that you were drawn towards  her from head to heals", replied Pk. "Do you  remember,   once our Biology teacher defined   Protoplasm as the physical basis of life ". said Mm.
Yes absolutely , and how teacher reprimanded you when you added  Love to it. You defined Protoplasm as the physical basis of life as well as love, retorted back Pk.
"Those were really the days of fun and frolic even though our families were not so economically well off. We were living from hand to mouth.but now we are living from mouth to the end of alimentary canal. As we are very much precarious about our food habits and suffer from chronic constipation.", said Mm
Not only constipation, blood pressure blood sugar and prostrates is so rampant in this age, replied Pk.
Mm had become virtually immobile due to health problems which had perhaps developed because he was living  with his son,  who was caring his father and whole of family.Mm had left all the responsibilities on his son. His son would take him to Doctor, if required. Some times his son would  help his father in taking  a bath. Perhaps nature conspired against Mm by  giving  him  diseases keeping in mind that there was somebody to look after him.
On the other hand Pk was living all alone with his wife as his daughters were living in respective homes. Pk had full responsibility of a  householder. He could not afford to skip the duty as a housekeeper  and looking after his wife. He was always on move. Sometimes he had to drive himself to take his wife to a Doctor.There was no one other than himself in his home,  who could shoulder his responsibilities . Therefore, Pk was bestowed with a good health by nature.
Either a person can remain fit and healthy in this world by involving himself into various jobs or it is the work of nature that takes care of How people live by in this world.

My Wanderings - 44 Short Story No. 26. Penance unrealised

Kalpana was feeling depressed  as her Daughter in law had left her home alongwith her belongings after having a fight with her husband. It was not for the first time that she had left her  home, but several other times also  she had indulged in the same gimmicks since Kalpana had arrived to live with her only son after her retirement from the service .  Earlier two times  kalpana had  send her son  to bring her  daughter in law back home  from  her parents house. But this time her daughter in law had given her ultimatum that she will not return back and Kalpana was not also in a  humour of sending her son to bring her back.
While still in gloom , Kalpana's attention was attracted towards a Hindi film song being played on her  audio device , which was still on without  her knowledge.
"Mai jab bee akeli hoti hnoo, beete din yaad ajate hai'
Whenever I am alone, I feel  nostalgiac.
In the reverie of melodious film song she could reminisce the days of her youth, when she was a student of law at university of Kashmir. Those were really her golden days. She was actually  a spectacle of grace and beauty blended together with a freshness of youth. She was intelligent and bold. She used to take active part in games, dramas  and debates whenever held in the university  campus. Moreover, she was offered important  roles  in  dramas and telefilms  being played by  Radio and TV stations of Srinagar respectively. But she was not able to accept all the roles due to the constraint of time. Many male students of university were intrested in her. But she began to take Intrest in one of her class fellows's who was equally intelligent and charming like her . Actually they came much closer while participating in extra curricular activities at university. But they got married only after completing their studies and getting good jobs and that too with the mutual consent of their parents. Her husband Ashok was really a gem of a person who loved Kalpana to the hilt and never let her feel the separation from  her  parents. But Kalpana never got swayed away  by the wind of love and affection shown by her husband. She was aware of all her family traditions and values. Therefore, she proved most humble and obedient daughter in-law and a wife. After few years of her marriage she gave birth to a lovely and charming male baby. She felt very proud of being a mother and left no stone unturned to nurture him nicely.
The life was going on like a fairy tale with  Cinderella
and her Prince charming living in a dream house with their little cutie pie, when tregedy struck their dream house like a thunderstorm. Ashok husband of Kalpana died in a road accident. It was just like a bolt from the blue for the entire family. She could not bear the separation of her husband. She lost all Intrest in life. But she was advised by her well-wishers that she has to live for her son and move ahead in her life. In the mean time she was transferred to Pune after migration of our community from Srinagar. In a mad rush of forming nuclear families after migration , Kalpana did not lost touch with her in law's. Her in laws visited her mostly and remained with her for months together. She remained in touch with her brother's in law and sister's in law and their families constantly. Her main  aim in life was to look after her  son, which she did brilliantly. It was the result of  her perseverance and a complete penance that her son became a thorough gentleman and a person of  high character with traditional  values . After completing his studies he got a very good job at Mumbai. Later on he was married to an educated girl who was also the only child of her parents.  
After retirement, Kalpana left her place of posting and joined her Son and daughter in law  at Bombay to live with them for the rest of her life. She also offered them her life's savings and superannuation benefits so that they can purchase a flat in their name. The flat was purchased in the name of her son and daughter in law
after availing bank loan and utilising almost all the savings of Kalpana as margin money.
It was only few months after entering the new house , daughter in law of Kalpana began to  show signs of dissidence and de satisfaction  with her in-laws and started living with her parents.
Kalpana spent her whole life  craving for a relation, but her daughter in law was abandoning a relation for the sake of her  ego.

My Wanderings - 43. Short story No. 25. Signs of Life

To  day Brij Mohan was feeling so exhilarated and thrilled . He could feel his heart beats very eloquent  and fast ,which was most unbecoming of him at the advanced age of seventy three years,  that   he was about to cross. Once in his adolescent age also his heart used to beat  so loudly often, that he became  skeptical about it  and had to consult a Doctor. Doctor after checking him thoroughly advised him not to worry about it as heart beats which he is skeptical about are actually signs of life. If God forbid heartbeats stop, there will be no life anymore . But today's  beating of heart was not with out any reason. To day he  had an encounter with his first love of life in the common room of Old Age Home at Jammu which he had recently joined after undergoing   prolonged miseries   and forlornness  during his stay at USA in general and  after the death of his wife thereat in particular.
Both the daughters of BrijMohan were actually settled in USA. He after his retirement from  a public sector job, wanted to settle himself at Jammu alongwith his wife. He had already purchased a house at jammu as he wanted to remain in touch with his relatives and community members. At the insistence of his wife, Brijmohan used to  visit his children in USA once in two three years. But after the birth of their grandchildren Brijmohan  was compelled by his daughters  to join them permanently  in USA. After spending some years in USA with his grandchildren, Brijmohan began to feel homesick. He was fed up with the monotonous and aimless life there.  He could feel his pulse very low and even missed  a beat sometimes. But Doctors advised him that all his clinical tests were o.k.and he was not suffering from any heart ailment .  He wanted to return to his roots but his wife appeared very satisfied  with children and never agreed with the proposal of her husband. Then only after death of his wife due to cancer , Brijmohan decided to  return to his native land and leave USA for ever. He remained in his house at jammu for some time. But on the advise of his well-wishers , he hired a room in Old Age Home at jammu, so that he will be looked after better  by the attendants and Doctors available there.
Yes she was Veena, his first love when they were studying in college together. It was very difficult to recognise her. No body could beleive, except Brijmohan that a simple old woman could have been once a paragon of beauty. She could not recognise Brijmohan at the first instance,  but it was he who  introduced himself to her. After a long deliberation she could recognise him, which was evident  by her greeting him with a smile and a familiar blush occuring on her wrinkled face. She told Brijmohan that after the death of her husband, she was compelled to come here as she had no  children to look after her. Her only daughter died very young when she had to deliver her first baby. The baby also could not survive.Then It became a daily schedule for Brijmohan to spend some time with Veena and look after her necessities . It was neither sentimental involvement of adolescent age nor even platonic love but a feeling of joy to meet an old acquaintance or a companion with a streak of nostalgia. It was perhaps to fulfil their psychological urge of mutual understanding and companionship which in simple terms can be called  friendship.
It was not only Veena but he came across with several other acquaintances  by and large . They all were his friends relatives or colleugues .One day he discovered that one of his own cousin Bushan Lal was also living in the same dwelling. They were having some ancestral property dispute  case lying pending in the court of Law at Srinagar for long ,which got resolved automatically when they had to sell their house after migration  of Hindu community from Kashmir  through mutual attorney. He also met one of his colleagues Chaman Lal , who had many times taken credit of his good work and conspired against him to his disadvantage in office. Both of them were feeling apologetic towards Brijmohan. But Brijmohan accepted them with an open heart  and never let them feel embarrassed. Moreover, it was Brijmohan who took the lead in greeting and exchanging  pleasantries with them. If someone remains confined to himself and will not go to people voluntarily, no body is bothered to go after him even if  he is a celebrity . When a person wants to maintain relations he has voluntarily to come forward to engage others.
Slowly Brijmohan won the heart of all the inmates of old age home as he began to take Intrest in their lives and helping them in their problems. He initiated in arranging cultural programmes and picnics at Old Age Home.  Brijmohan found a purpose in life. He was successful in wiping the tears from the gloomy faces of some of the  inmates. He inculcated a sense of comradeship and unity in them. They were always ready to help each other. They learnt not  to consider  others as obstruction or intrusion in their way but an opportunity for  providing  a space in their lives  to accommodate them. All the inmates of house could  now feel their heart beats prominently.  Brijmohan recently celebrated his 80th birthday. He is Hale and hearty. He has a proper schedule in life. He goes for long walks early in the morning with other inmates of old age home. He exercises daily and reading and writing has become his passion. He spends evenings in the company of his friends. He is constantly in touch with his daughters in USA through internet and telephone. Whenever his daughters visit India, he shifts to his own house at Jammu and lives with them for a month or so. But whenever her daughters insist him on  visiting America, his heart starts beating slowly and even sometimes he misses a beat.

My Wanderings - 42. Short Story No. 24. The Secret of Madhsudan's Success

Those were the best of times. Those were the worst of times. The best of times because of the existence of human values , Love , faith and mutual respect  in the society. The worst of times in the sense that poverty and helplessness alongwith dearth and scarcity was rampant everywhere and even  ruled the roost.
Madhsudan Raina a small boy of twelve years then,  lost his father. He  had just completed his primary education and was dreaming of entering a  High school, when the tregedy befell on the family. His mother was desperate with grief. His other siblings a younger brother and a sister were too young to comprehend the gravity of   loss. His father was a titular employee in some Govt. Department, living from hand to mouth   in a small dilapidated ancestral house at Habbakadal and had not left anything for unforeseen contingencies of such nature. The people were not aware of terms like life insurance and compensation those days.
Hardly  after completing the days of mourning, Madhsudan was left with no other alternative but to leave the studies and look out for a job. One of his distant relatives helped him and got him appointed as a cleaner cum conductor  in a local Bus stand. His job was multifaceted. He had to leave his home early in the morning and reach transport yard and clean the buses in company of other small urchins of his age. Then after Drivers arrival he had to collect passengers for near by destinations, wherever the bus was scheduled to travel. He had to yell the name of destination several times  loudly to attract  passengers untill the bus was overloaded. Then he had to issue tickets and collect money from passengers. He had also to help the Driver in case of wheel puncture or any other fault developed in vehicle. In addition to this, he had also to work as personal attendant of Driver. He had to arrange for Drivers  food and booze. The  vehicle was plied  several times on the same route and in the evening, Madhsudan  had to handover all cash to the driver. The Driver used to give him a paltry sum of money on daily basis with which Madhsudan could feed his family. He would generally reach his home very late in the evening. Moreover, Drivers abuse and thrashing on filmsy issues had become a normal course of his life.
One night Driver abused  and beat little Madhsudan for no fault of later in a fit of frenzy after taking booze in excess and forgot to pay him his daily wages. Madhsudan felt very forlorn and desperate. While travelling towards his home on foot from Amirakadal  he entered Ganpatyar temple and sat in a corner with his head resting on his folded arms and began to weep intensely . After sometime he felt that somebody's heavy  hand on his head. He instantly looked upwards and was surprised to see an elderly man draped in a long 'firan' the bottom of which was touching  his ankles and wearing  a white turban on his head as headgear . The forehead of gentleman was pasted with vermilon and he was looking very affectionately towards Madhsudan. He sat besides Madhsudan and enquired about his whereabouts. Madhsudan told him everything about himself and ended his speech saying
Sir, I feel very dejected and desperate and sometimes I feel like ending my life
Old man said, " My dear son listen. These are the phases of life. If this is the bad phase of your life , good phase can not be far behind. Have patience,  leave negativity and have positive attitude  towards life. Self pity is the most damaging feeling in a person. If a person falls down in his own eyes, no one can help him to come out of it. You should be grateful to the nature for  whatever little he has provided to you and express gratitude for it. Start dreaming for yourself and your family. Nature will help you to realise your dreams. Nature has bestowed this universe with fortunes for every indudival born. But unfortunately most of the persons shut the windows and doors of their minds and fortunes after knocking their doors return back. If you  keep a positive attitude towards life  and express  gratitude for whatever little you have, Nature will bestow you with all the riches and fortunes of universe.
But sir, I don't want to become rich. Rich people are very wicked like my boss, retorted back Madhsudan. " No my Son you are mistaken" said the old man, "All the rich men are not wicked, exceptions may ofcourse be there, but most of the rich men have got the fortunes by keeping open the doors of their mind with positivity.
After saying this  old man took leave of Madhsudan and advised him to go home.
Madhsudan pondered over the advise of old man for days together but could not understand it fully. Then he wrote it down on a piece of paper and got it framed and kept it in his room. Whenever , he felt dejected with life, he would read the sagacious words of old man and try to find out its meaning. After some years, the life of Madhsudan began to show many positive changes. He himself became a Driver and  got married. He educated his siblings and also married them off.Then he purchased a Bus and constructed a new house for his family. Time passed and he became a Transporter,  owning a fleet of buses and trucks which were  plying on national highway from Srinagar to Jammu and vice versa . He also became the President of Kashmir Motor Drivers Association and  was a well known personality in political circles.
Though Madhsudan was not highly educated, but he was very intelligent and his suggestion always carried a weight. He was a personification of confidence and positivity blended together.