“Monster within”
Real Estate business can really be exciting and most rewarding profession. I have grown as a successful financial business magnet and I have created an empire at this very young age.
It was tough taking down my rival who has been in this profession for several years and like many say, all good things must come to an end and his reign of power had to end. Being shrewd, cunning is part of being a successful person and there is no shame in that.
I recently had to travel to a remote place called Vattalawadi, about 85 K.M from Chennai. I am going to complete this land deal for a foreign client and if the news spread across town the selling rate for this place will sour in no time. I had to come to this place and talk to the sellers personally to keep the deal as discreet as possible.
At around 5 am, I noticed a small boy selling milk in his cycle. It was still dark and he bumped into my rear end of the car and spilled all the milk from the can he was carrying. I immediately rushed to him and checked if he was all right. Apart from the minor lacerations on his knee he was perfectly fine and he started wailing like a new born. I was absolutely clueless to help him out when he was crying so loud and he was drawing attention to me. I used the best trick that I could think of – I offered him 100 rs. Well I was happy that he stopped crying but he refused to take the money.
That young boy had the determination and had the courage to tell me that he didn’t deserve the money and it was his fault that he spilt the milk. I pitied him and he was right to decline the offer. I desperately wanted to help him out and he told me that I could have a haircut in the saloon where he works and I can pay him then.
I had no intention of getting my hair cut in a cheap dingy place but the boy had given me no choice. I reluctantly agreed to him and told him that I will be meeting him in another few hours.
A Street of dilapidated tenements was all I could see from my car and I had not expected anything better. As soon as I entered the barber shop, I heard the owner of the shop abusing the boy and slapping him hard on his cheek over and over again.
I never like to involve myself into others business but the boy looked under nourished and I could not stand a hefty looking man beating the hell out of the boy.
I asked the owner to stop this cruelty and asked him the reason for his ill temper. He told me about the boy’s mother was not paying the mortgage loan for some time and demanded his child to go to a school.
I called the boy outside the shop and asked him to tell me the reasons for these miserable conditions his parents have got him into.
I learnt that his name is Gautham and his father passed away when he was very small. He had two younger brothers and his mother works at the incense stick factory. I was about to listen to the most painful story I ever heard and for some strange reasons I felt that I needed to hear his story.
Gautham’s dad was a spendthrift and spent all his savings extravagantly before he found himself amongst, a group of people threatening him and his family and demanding their money which he had borrowed several months back. He resorted to suicide and he left a note to his family saying that “Be brave like you father”. It was sad to hear that the government had denied the family, the relief fund which they normally offer to the family in case of the accidents.
Gautham’s mother had to sell their house and jewellery to pay the loan and found themselves in a difficult situation as both their families refused to help them out.
Gautham was 13 yrs old and his siblings were six years and three years old. His mother worked as a maid from morning 6 to 10 am and then went to the factory from 1030 to 7 pm. Their everyday problem had escalated to new levels and she had several mouths to feed but did not have income to run a family. The eldest being Gautham had to drop out of school to start working and the mother made it a habit to skip breakfast and dinner to feed the kids.
There were several men who tried to take advantage of her and had offered handsome money for her being their mistress. She was a brave woman and she constantly fought with all those insensitive people.
I was surprised to learn that the small boy had to endure such harshness of the world and yet tried to live as an honest human being. Every person has a threshold limit and I sincerely hope the mother doesn’t succumb to her harsh realities and deny the children of the true values to grow up to be a better person.
The world is changing every day. We appreciate the civilization, the modern age’s benefit and the science making progress in a day to day life for the betterment of the human lives. But we fail to see that the present generation is disabled in body, perverted in mind, bloodied in intellect, their irresponsible off springs carrying forward the wrong values.
School is a place where good values and education is imparted to everyone without being bias but sad part is that several children like Gautham, never make it to schools to gain wisdom and never learn to take their life in their own hands. They don’t even try becoming rich because not only their fathers but also their grandfathers leave them a pile of debt and never really free them from the bondage.
The schools are running like a corporate office where financial gains are on the priority list. Government schools and colleges have enormous funding and best minds are invested to nurture the young minds but there aren’t teachers to teach the kids and they make profit in selling the kids uniforms and mid day meals to earn their living.
Hospitals are another business organisation where there is treatment for almost all the disease if you happen to be rich.
Government hospitals find themselves to be deserted almost every single day. Unless there is an inspection by a higher officials not many turn up to treat the sick.
We are religiously celebrating our freedom year after year but the real bond is never broken. All of us are tied to the iron chains and find the blood oozing out from the wounds created by these chains.
We are smart enough to question the role of government and never care to realise it is we who have created the monster.
It is predicted that an average age of people in India is 29 in the year 2020 and it is the youth’s responsibility to make this country a developed nation. I do not believe in brain drain and lack of opportunity. After all it is you who is ultimately responsible for your family and your country.
Corruption and poverty are not the nation’s pride and treasure.
We embrace science and technology and I only urge to include good values as well.
