We know the boy for a few years. He has been working on a small salary in a job that could get terminated at short notice. Millions of our country's youths are in the same state of uncertainty. Some turn to bad habits as an escape from the nagging tension; a few turn to God and keep working, on the hope that there would be sunshine soon.
The boy, known to us, belongs to the latter category. He is the only son of his father and, at 25, thinks he should have been more helpful to his ageing father. The father lives in his village with his wife and his old mother and earns his livelihood as the priest of the Radha Krushna Temple of the village and, as such, tills the temple land and enjoys the harvest. This arrangement, however, does not give him enough. He looks after his own farmland as well, which is not large enough. His village has only eighty families and the small village does not offer many opportunities of religious ceremonies like weddings, or rituals connected with new births. He has been looking after two other Temples as well, in two nearby villages. The villagers pay him annual fee and the householder keeps his family going.
The son realises that life day by day is getting harsher for his father who cycles thirtyfive kilometers everyday to take care of the three temples. He has been a victim of lymphatic filariasis, with associated swelling and thickening of one of his feet. He has now the added responsibility of repayment of the large loan incurred for the marriage of the daughter. For some more income, he has taken some land on temporary lease from a farmer of his village and has raised cabbages and cauliflowers. After a month, the crops would be sold in the nearby market. The son is worried on this account. His father won't be able to carry the harvest to the market in a bicycle nor would he be able to pay for hired vehicle.
The son has, therefore, decided to gift a Bike to his father and, for this, has saved money worth 40% of the cost. The rest of the amount he would borrow and repay the loan on monthly instalments. "What will you do if you lose your job before you have cleared the loan?" I asked. He had no answer. My wife volunteered and paid him the amount and asked him to get the scooter today. I liked her gesture but wanted the boy to be responsible as well. I told him to repay to her as much as he can afford, every month, without interest, so long he was on his job. He readily agreed.
He is a happy man today. He has forgotten his cold and fever and is eager to go to the showroom and bring the Bike by the afternoon. " When will you send it to your village?" I asked. He smiled and said, " Let me have the pleasure of riding it for a fortnight. I shall send it thereafter. In any case, the cabbages would be ready for harvest only after four weeks,"
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8th October, 2017
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