THE STORY OF A REAL HUMAN BEING(SUITABLE TO DISCUSSTOPICS LIKE THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE ,VALUES IN LIFE,WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.)
I COLLECTED THE STORY FROM A WHATSAPP POST IN MALAYALAM
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മനുഷ്യത്വം ജനിക്കുന്നിടത്താണ് ഒരു യഥാർത്ഥ മനുഷ്യന്റെ ജനനം..!"-
ഇൻഫോസിസ് ഫൗണ്ടേഷൻ ചെയർപേഴ്സൺ സുധാ മൂർത്തിയുടെ the day I stopped drinking milk എന്ന പുസ്തകത്തിൽ നിന്നും..!
മുംബൈയിൽ നിന്ന് ബാംഗ്ലൂരിലേക്ക് പോകുന്ന ട്രെയിൻ..! ടിക്കറ്റ് പരിശോധനയ്ക്കു ടി ടി ഇ നടന്നടുക്കുന്നു..! ടിക്കറ്റ് ഇല്ലാതെ സീറ്റിന്റെ മൂലയ്ക്ക് വിൻഡോയോട് ചേർന്നിരുന്ന ആ പതിമൂന്ന് / പതിനാല് വയസുകാരിയോടായി ചെക്കർ ചോദിച്ചു..!
"ടിക്കറ്റ് എവിടെ..?"
"ടിക്കറ്റ്..! ടിക്കറ്റ് ഇല്ല സർ"
പേടിയോടും ചെറിയൊരു വിറയലോടുംകൂടി അവൾ പറഞ്ഞു...
"ടിക്കറ്റ് ഇല്ലെങ്കിൽ ട്രെയിനിൽ നിന്നിറങ്ങുക..! അല്ലെങ്കിൽ പിഴയുൾപ്പെടെയുള്ള ടിക്കറ്റ് ചാർജ് നൽകുക..!"
ഒന്നും പറയാനാവാതെ വിറങ്ങലിച്ചു നിന്ന അവളെ നോക്കി കർക്കശമായ രീതിയിൽ ചെക്കർ പറഞ്ഞു..!
"ഇറക്കി വിടണ്ട..! ടിക്കറ്റ് എടുത്തുകൊള്ളാം......" പിൻ സീറ്റിൽ നിന്നും ഉച്ചത്തിൽ ഉഷ ഭട്ടാചാര്യ വിളിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു..!
"കുട്ടിക്ക് എവിടെയാ പോവേണ്ടത്..?" അവർ അടുത്തേക്കുവന്നു പേടിച്ചു വിറച്ചിരുന്ന അവളുടെ കൈകളിൽ പിടിച്ചുകൊണ്ടു ചോദിച്ചു..!
"അറിയില്ല!"
തലകുനിച്ചു നിന്ന് അവൾ പറഞ്ഞു..!
"എന്താ കുട്ടിയുടെ പേര്..?"
"ചിത്ര"
മുഖമൊന്നുയർത്തി നിറകണ്ണുകളോടെ അവൾ പറഞ്ഞു..!
"കുട്ടി എന്നോടൊപ്പം ബാംഗ്ലൂരിലേക്ക് വരൂ!"
തിരിച്ചു ഒന്ന് ചോദിക്കാതെ ഉഷ അവളോടായി പറഞ്ഞു..!
ബാംഗ്ലൂരിലെത്തിയ അവർ ചിത്രയുടെ ജീവിതത്തെ ഒരു സന്നദ്ധ സംഘടനയ്ക്ക് കൈമാറി.അവളെ ഒരു നല്ല സ്കൂളിൽ ചേർത്തു. താമസിയാതെ ഉഷക്ക് ദില്ലിയിലേക്ക് മാറേണ്ടിവന്നു, അതിനാൽ ചിത്രയുമായുള്ള ബന്ധം നഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടു, വല്ലപ്പോഴും ഫോണിൽ മാത്രമായി സംസാരം..! പിന്നീട് അതും ഇല്ലാതായി..!
കാലങ്ങൾ ഒരുപാട് കഴിഞ്ഞുപോയി വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് ശേഷം സാൻ ഫ്രാൻസിസ്കോയിലേക്കുള്ള (യുഎസ്എ) ഒരു യാത്രയിൽ ഹോട്ടൽ ബിൽ അടയ്ക്കാൻ റിസപ്ഷനിൽ എത്തിയ ഉഷയോട് സുന്ദരമായ ചെറു പുഞ്ചിരിയോടുകൂടി തന്നെ നോക്കി തൊട്ടടുത്ത് നിൽക്കുന്ന ദമ്പതികൾക്ക് നേരെ കൈ ചൂണ്ടിക്കൊണ്ട് അവർ ബില്ലടച്ചതായി റിസെപ്ഷനിസ്റ്റ് അറിയിച്ചു...!
"നിങ്ങൾ എന്തിനാണ് എന്റെ ബിൽ അടച്ചത്?"
വളരെ അതിശയത്തോടെ അവർ ചോദിച്ചു..!
"മാഡം, ഇത് മുംബൈയിൽ നിന്നും ബാംഗ്ലൂരിലേക്കുള്ള ട്രെയിൻ ടിക്കറ്റിന് മുന്നിൽ ഒന്നുമല്ല...!"
"ഹേ ചിത്ര!"
നിറ കണ്ണുകളോടെ ചിത്ര അവരെ കെട്ടിപിടിച്ചു..!
ഇൻഫോസിസ് ഫൗണ്ടേഷൻ ചെയർപേഴ്സൺ സുധാ മൂർത്തിയുടെ "ദി ഡേ ഐ സ്റ്റോപ്പ് ഡ്രിങ്ക് മിൽക്ക്" എന്ന പുസ്തകത്തിൽ നിന്നും..!
ചിലപ്പോൾ നമ്മൾ നൽകുന്ന ചെറിയ സഹായം മറ്റൊരാളുടെ ജീവിതത്തെത്തന്നെ മാറ്റിമറിച്ചേക്കാം... "മനുഷ്യർ എല്ലാ വീട്ടിലും ജനിക്കുന്നു, പക്ഷെ മനുഷ്യത്വം ജനിക്കുന്നിടത്താണ് ഒരു യഥാർത്ഥ മനുഷ്യന്റെ ജനനം..!"
" നമ്മുടെ ചില കൊച്ചു സഹായങ്ങൾ
വലിയ നന്മകളായി
നമുക്കുമുന്നിൽ വന്നു നിൽക്കും
നാമറിയാതെത്തന്നെ..!"
FORWARDED BY RAJENDRAN ,WHATSAPP GROUP "FAMILY FRIENDS" 22/09/2019
കടപ്പാട്
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THEN I SEARCHED IN THE INTERNET TO GET A COPY OF THE STORY IN ENGLISH.HERE IT IS .......
Sudha Murty, chairperson, Infosys Foundation and author, is known
for her ability to glean interesting stories from the lives of ordinary
people and weave these narratives into a unique blend of anecdote
and fable.
Her latest collection of stories, 'The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk',
features a fascinating cast of characters, each of whom made an
indelible impression on the author.
Extracted here is a nugget from
'Bombay to Bangalore', one of the most heartwarming stories in this
collection:
It was the beginning of summer. I was boarding Udyan Express at
Gulbarga railway station. My destination was Bangalore. As I boarded
the train, I saw that the second-class reserved compartment was jampacked with people. I sat down and was pushed to the corner of the
berth. Though it was meant for three people, there were already six
of us sitting on it...
The ticket collector came in and started checking people's tickets and
reservations.
. Suddenly, he looked in my direction and asked, 'What
about your ticket?' 'I have already shown my ticket to you,' I said.
'Not you, madam, the girl hiding below your berth. Hey, come out,
where is your ticket?' I realized that someone was sitting below my
berth. When the collector yelled at her, the girl came out of hiding.
She was thin, dark, scared and looked like she had been crying
profusely. She must have been about thirteen or fourteen years
old.She had uncombed hair and was dressed in a torn skirt and
blouse. She was trembling and folded both her hands.. The collector
started forcibly pulling her out from the compartment. Suddenly, I
had a strange feeling. I stood up and called out to the collector. 'Sir, I
will pay for her ticket,' I said.
Then he looked at me and said, 'Madam, if you give her ten rupees,
she will be much happier with that than with the ticket.'
I did not listen to him. I told the collector to give me a ticket to the
last destination, Bangalore, so that the girl could get down wherever
she wanted.
Slowly, she started talking. She told me that her name was Chitra.
She lived in a village near Bidar. Her father was a coolie and she had
lost her mother at birth. Her father had remarried and had two sons
with her stepmother. But a few months ago, her father had died. Her
stepmother started beating her often and did not give her food. She
was tired of that life. She did not have anybody to support her so she
left home in search of something better.
By this time, the train had reached Bangalore. I said goodbye to
Chitra and got down from the train.
My driver came and picked up my
bags. I felt someone watching me. When I turned back, Chitra was
standing there and looking at me with sad eyes. But there was
nothing more that I could do. I had paid her ticket out of compassion
but I had never thought that she was going to be my responsibility!...
I told her to get into my car. My driver looked at the girl curiously. I
told him to take us to my friend Ram's place. Ram ran separate
shelter homes for boys and girls. We at the Infosys Foundation
supported him financially. I thought Chitra could stay there for some
time and we could talk about her future after I came back from my
tours.
I was not sure if Chitra would even be there. But to my surprise, I saw
Chitra looking much happier than before. Ram suggested that Chitra
could go to a high school nearby. I immediately agreed and said that I
would sponsor her expenses as long as she continued to study. I left
the shelter knowing that Chitra had found a home and a new direction
in her life.
I got busier and my visits to the shelter reduced to once a year. But I
always enquired about Chitra's well-being over the phone. I knew that
she was studying well and that her progress was good.. I offered to
sponsor her college studies if she wanted to continue studying. But
she said, 'No, Akka. I have talked to my friends and made up my
mind. I would like to do my diploma in computer science so that I can
immediately get a job after three years.' She wanted to become
economically independent as soon as possible..
Chitra obtained her
diploma with flying colours. She also got a job in a software company
as an assistant testing engineer. When she got her first salary, she
came to my office with a sari and a box of sweets.
One day, when I was in Delhi, I got a call from Chitra. She was very
happy. 'Akka, my company is sending me to USA! I wanted to meet
you and take your blessings but you are not here in Bangalore.'.
Years passed. Occasionally, I received an e-mail from Chitra. She was
doing very well in her career. She was posted across several cities in
USA and was enjoying life. I silently prayed that she should always be
happy wherever she was.
Years later, I was invited to deliver a lecture in San Francisco for
Kannada Koota, an organization where families who speak Kannada
meet and organize events. The lecture was in a convention hall of a
hotel and I decided to stay at the same hotel.
After the lecture, I was
planning to leave for the airport. When I checked out of the hotel
room and went to the reception counter to pay the bill, the
receptionist said, 'Ma'am, you don't need to pay us anything. The lady
over there has already settled your bill. She must know you pretty
well.' I turned around and found Chitra there.
She was standing with a young white man and wore a beautiful sari.
She was looking very pretty with short hair. Her dark eyes were
beaming with happiness and pride. As soon as she saw me, she gave
me a brilliant smile, hugged me and touched my feet. I was
overwhelmed with joy and did not know what to say. I was very happy
to see the way things had turned out for Chitra.
But I came back to
my original question. 'Chitra, why did you pay my hotel bill? That is
not right.' suddenly sobbing, she hugged me and said,
'Because you paid for my ticket from Bombay to Bangalore!'
(
Excerpted from Sudha
Murty's 'The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories From Here and
There')
CREDITS TO https://kupdf.net/
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DEAR FRIENDS ,
THIS STORY CAN BE USED IN AN ENGLISH CLASS WITH THE LAST QUESTION HIDDEN.
YOU CAN ASK THE CLASS TO GUESS THE QUESTION AND PRESENT IT IN THE CLASS.YOU CAN CONTINUE THE DISCUSSION WITH REFERENCE TO TOPICS LIKE THE CHALLENGES OF LIFE ,VALUES IN LIFE,WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.
-WITH BEST WISHES,CKR.22/09/2019
