In Search Of Shelter

Me & my father were on a holiday outing at a beautiful village in Himachal Pradesh, Shillai. I was in 7th standard at that time. Our hometown Nahan was at a distance of 6 hours from that place which was also in Himachal Pradesh. We had a great time over there as it was marriage ceremony of elder son of a very close friend of my father. 

Since it was a mountain treak, buses used the go very slow. There was a small, beautiful town in the middle, Solan, where we had to board another bus as our current bus was only from Shillai to Solan. It was wintertime and at around 6:00 PM we deboarded the bus. Snow covered mountains all around, slippery road, chilled weather & heavy fog. Everything around was partially visible. Now it is true that during winters & snowfall, hill stations look extremely beautiful but chilling cold is also unbearable. 

We were having our luggage also. Taking our luggage, we searched for hotels everywhere but unfortunately all the hotels were full of tourists. Wherever we went, all of them refused. Weather was becoming colder & we were helpless. My father tried to look for some bus or local taxi that could take us to Nahan but all the drivers refused saying, "Sir, the weather is not good. Travelling is dangerous. We are moving towards our home. Our families will be in worry. We are sorry." My father thought they are right. Safety is also important. But he was tensed in that situation as we desperately needed a shelter in that cold weather. We could do nothing except walking in that weather. Since I was just a small kid, my father was worried about me a lot. Heavy snow was falling & the path was almost invisible.

My father was worried so that I should not fall ill. After walking a long distance, both of us were tired. We prayed to God for help. Suddenly we saw a small hotel at a certain distance from where we were standing. My father said, "It looks like a hotel. Let's go over there. We can stay there." I said, "No dad, it is of no use. Since last 1 hour we are searching for hotels, everyone is refusing. Let's think of some other plan." My father said, "No Son, doesn't matter what the situation is, you should never lose hope. Loosing hope means not trying to come out of bad situation. Let's go over there." I agreed.

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Both of us reached over there. Reaching there we saw it was a hotel. My father rang the bell. A man opened the door. He enquired about us. We told him our story. He said, "I understand how much hardship you have faced. You can stay here tonight." We were happy & highly thankful to that person. He was a kind person. He gave us tea & snacks which gave us a huge relief. Then he said, "I am the owner of the hotel. Due to bad season, no tourist is coming these days. My residence is 5 KM from here. I come here daily. If I don't reach here daily, my hotel will become rusty & full of dirt. I have some reliable people also who help me in maintaining my hotel." He was a jolly man who talked to us a lot & shared his experiences. After discussions it was time for dinner. He served us delicious dinner & than we went to sleep.

Next morning the weather was fine. Sunshine was there. We were happy that the weather was fine. We packed our bags & were about to leave. My father offered some money to the owner, but he refused. My father smiled and said, "Sir, you helped us in need. You are a businessperson. So, what if this is off-season. We enjoyed all the services of your hotel. Please don't deny the charges."

Very politely he said to my father, "Sir, seeing the weather yesterday & the condition in which you reached my hotel, If I take money from you, my own conscience will not allow me to do it. It is true that I am a hotel owner, a businessman. But Sir, sometimes money has really no value. Please take care. Have a nice journey." I smiled, thanked that person heartly & boarded the bus to my home city with my father.

On the way, I asked my father, "Dad, we enjoyed so much at his hotel, but that owner did not take money. We had a good time in the hotel, but the owner earned nothing."

My dad said, "who says he did not earn anything? He earned also & he gave something to us also." Surprisingly I asked, "What, I don't understand." My dad said, "He earned our faith & blessings & he gave us a hope that in this fast-moving money-minded business world, care, compassion & benevolence is still alive."