Last week I was browsing some old telugu magazines which I borrowed from my friend. Reading this story from a "rushipeetham" magazine, I was stuck and wanted to share it here. The location in the story is a village backdrop; you can change the location to the place wherever you are. The essence does not change. Now read it for yourself.
Ladies in the neighborhood gathered near a well to fetch water. Everyone was talking about their family welfare and other happenings in their life. One of the old gentlemen taking care of his work in the backyard of his house extended his ear to hear their conversation.
Natural conversation, common to a mother, was centered around kids. Each one of them was excited to share about their children’s accomplishments. One lady started saying, “My son sings well, everyone likes to listen to his beautiful voice.” Some of the ladies agreed upon that they have also heard. The lady standing next to her commented, “Yeah, he has melodious voice, time just flies the moment he starts singing. He is a gem.”
Another lady praises his son by saying that, “My son's true talent, he can write poems- a rare art form.” Everyone agrees that he must be child prodigy to have such talent at young age and agrees that he is a gem to have.
Listening to this the lady who just walks in declares that her son is a great boxer and none in the neighboring villages can win over him. Nothing else to say all the ladies praised her son, congratulated and agreed upon for having a gem. Everyone had their stories of their children, but for one lady was standing quietly in between them. They all turned to her and pressed to tell about her son. In a low tone she said, “He is an ordinary child, not much educated or talented but a very good child.” Even before the ladies could comment "what a child....", the singer boy was passing by the ladies group singing a song.
The moment he saw his mother, in a cranky tone he said, “Don’t you know I have performance this evening, what is this you are gossiping with the ladies, when will you fetch the water, cook for me and feed?” The mother of the singer felt ashamed and left the place hurriedly with the water pot. After a while the poet boy arrived and in an irritable voice, “What is this mom, you are leisurely chatting with ladies, come home fast and cook dinner for me I am hungry, I need to write a couple of poems and send to the poetry competition for a magazine.” Without a word his mother ran home with the water pot. Mean while the boxer boy seeing his mother near the well, furiously said, “You know I am hungry the moment I come home, if you are still here when are you going to cook for me.” Out of fear his mother left the place with the heavy pot. Pin drop silence surrounded the place.
The normal child was slowly walking towards the ladies near the well. He took the pot from his mother’s hand filled it with water, when his mother was stopping him from doing so he said, “Mom, why do you have to get strained when I am here for you, Do you think I like to see you suffer this way, come we will go home leisurely talking on the way home. Even after going home I will help you, I don’t like you to take all the burden of household work. To help you bring water from the well I hurriedly came home. I don’t want you to carry the heavy water pot.”
The old gentleman who was listening to the ladies conversation, came out of his backyard to tell the mother of the ordinary child, “All the ladies were boasting that their children’ were gems but your son is the “true gem”.” courtesy rushipeetham magazine
Isn’t it true, the talent of children is of no use if they cannot understand the pain their parents go through? The ones who share, help and love their parents are the “true gems”.
"Let parents bequeath to their children not riches, but the spirit of reverence."
- Plato
"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see."
-Mark Twain
