Carton Of Memories

The twilight has given an indication to birds to get back to their dwelling; the sky turned its tint from bright white to pale yellow. Envisaging the golden color as a symbol of pure love I walked near the sea shore, suddenly a piece of paper came flying towards me, I pepped into it with curiosity, there I could find words which were pretty shaky in appearance, seeing them I could make out that they were hand written by an elderly person. I could slowly grasp the essence of it. It was a letter to god it goes in this way

“To my best friend of my life-The Almighty, I had completed all the tasks that you assigned me in my lifetime now want to meet you, I m just starting from here please receive me when I reach your home”. I was shocked seeing this sentences, I was in a state of confusion whether it is a suicide note. Then with more anxiety I went further into the letter, but it was already half wet and the ink spread through out the paper making it illegible. I folded it and kept in my sack. Something was disturbing my sight on the seashore, a white image moving fast towards the sea. I ran towards it with a great pace and could find an old man marching towards the sea, I pushed him back and asked him why he wanted to move away from the world. He smiled at me and patted me on my back assuring me nothing happened and left away. I was totally confused about what all had happened. The next day I came to the same place expecting that the old man would again appear there, but he didn’t, when I was returning back home I saw this man with a small girl crossing the road, at first sight I thought he was taking the help of the small gal to cross the road, but I was wrong. The truth is, the small gal was blind and also was physically challenged; he was indeed helping her cross the road.

Slowly I followed him; he took the small gal to a building where I could find these words “Swami Vivekananda Trust”. I moved into it and found many such physically and mentally challenged children playing and studying. A dumb and abnormal boy who was about 12 years came to me smiling and was pointing to something. I couldn’t get what he was saying, then suddenly from my back a voice came saying “ He is asking you to take the blessings of lord Krishna’s idol back of you as u are new to this place”. I turned back and noticed a woman with flowers in her hand, she gave the flowers to me and said to visit the lord’s idol before I enter the building, I did it as she said, then I asked her who started this organization and all the whereabouts of it. She said, This is the organization started by “Prashanth dev tagoore” pointing to the man I followed until then, I was astonished when I knew that, a man who wanted to commit suicide is indeed a founder of such a huge charity trust. I briskly walked to the old man and asked him “Sir I m really grateful to meet you can I know the reason for your suicide attempt the other day near the sea?”. He smiled at me saying what all I thought was wrong. He continued “ The other day I didn’t attempt for a suicide as u thought, every Thursday I come to the sea shore with a half written letter and a hand kerchief with me”. I knew something about that letter but what is this handkerchief, was curious in finding that. He started to explain me the story.

He was a businessman in his youth, he used to bring pieces of foreign cloth from countries like Burma, China, and Philippines, and used to make extensive garments from them and sold it at profit. One day he encountered a huge loss in his business and in due course his mills were sealed forever, he was just left with a handkerchief that he brought from China. He decided not to live anymore because the humility he was facing from the society was unbearable, he started writing a letter to god saying he cant live anymore and before he could complete the letter he threw it on the seashore and ran towards the sea to move away from the world forever. But a hand pushed him towards the shore saying u have no right to kill yourself, “god is the one who brought you into this world and god only has the right to kill you”.when he turned back he could see a young girl who was physically challenged and was pointing out to herself and was saying” Sir I m totally deprived of everything have no hands to catch articles no proper legs to run and chase my targets if I know the reason of living why cant you sir”. Tears rolled out from him he then decided to set up a new industry and compensate his losses and there by also started the organization in the name of “Swami Vivekananda Trust” where in helping the physically and mentally challenged was the prime motive of the trust. So from then on every Thursday he writes the same letter which he did years ago and would throw it and leave a handkerchief in the sea to make him remember the incident which changed his life.

Listening to all this I decided one thing in my life, one statement registered in my life forever “ Life is not to just live and let live it’s a wonderful boon given to us by god to know its true meaning and help others know what it means in the real sense”. Incidents just cant be thrown apart as memories but should be taken as instances of our moral and ethical development, the incident which I encountered is the best example of learning morals from it. Thanks to that instance of my life, which made me a complete human being by knowing the true meaning of living.