Once Upon a Time…

Once upon a time, there lived a poor family in a slum region. The family comprised of a mother, a father and their son. The son’s father was a cobbler and mother a rag picker. They used to work very hard and had to struggle to meet the expense of 2 square meals a day.

The boy understood their family’s financial condition and never troubled his parents to admit him into a school. One day, he asked his parents to purchase him some second-hand books. The parents denied the young boy’s request since they desired their son to continue his father’s cobbling and not waste their money in books. But the juvenile had big visions in his mind. He had seen many pupils going to school every day and a secret longing had developed in him to gain knowledge. He wanted to earn cash and become the supportive shoulder of his family. In short he aimed to change his family’s realm of living.

Driven by the impulse to study, he clandestinely picked up rags, sold them and earned ample money to buy himself some second-hand books. The boy started studying and his interest started snowballing day by day. One day he was caught studying and his parents were cross at him. They burned his books and said him that he had to accede to his father’s occupation and become a cobbler. The boy sat under a tree and started crying. A school master saw him crying and questioned him about his problem. The boy said the master the whole story. The master asked the boy some questions and, awe-struck by the answers given by the boy, he offered to admit him into a school with his money. That was the day when the boy’s life had changed.

The boy went home happily and declared to his parents that he would start rag picking from the next day. His parents were happy that their son’s mind had unfocussed from the mad interest of acquiring education. The boy started going to school every day and the master gave him some money so that he might give it to his parents as the evidence of his rag picking. The boy stood first in the order of excellence from his school that year. Guaranteed of his talent, the school master continued compensating his school charges and after school even got him admitted into a college.

One day the boy emerged as a software engineer.

The boy started studying various software’s and noted down the improvements which could have been made in them. He worked day and night and invented a new software which he showed it to the school master. The master sent his papers and ideas to an international university. His papers were accepted and software released in a few months and he received a basic release bonus of 50000 dollars. The boy told his whole career story to his parents who were both surprised as well as profusely pleased with their son. The son had accomplished his dream.

MORAL: Always pursue your dreams. Never let them go. Hardships and hitches are the tests in which you have to show your courage and confidence.

This story was contributed by Umair Qadri from India.