Reward For Asking Money

I have gone through many ups and downs in my life. I have seen people change with time. Yesterday's beggars are now rich kings. All this happens when suddenly you acquire a lot of wealth. Yes, friends, money is a very important thing in life. People say health is important but I think money is also important. For this let me narrate to you a small incident of my childhood.

I was in school. Those days we used to go to school by rickshaw. Yes rickshaw, because only the rich could afford a two-wheeler and if others had cycles they were lucky. We were five of us who used to go in a rickshaw. Our rickshaw wala was a very poor man, whose only income was the money we gave him, which was fifteen rupees. Among five of us, two were from a rich family belonging to a minister. You can imagine their standard of living. They even had a car at that time. But both sisters used to go with us in a rickshaw.

When it was his time for getting money, we saw something very different every month. Our rickshaw wala 'Bala', yes his name was Bala. Whenever it was time to get his money, he used to get it on time from the three is us. But whenever he used to ask for his money from the Minister's house, he never got money instead they used foul language and abused and even threatened him, that if he asked for money the result will be very bad. He also said you just do your job of taking and bringing them from school. This scene was repeated every month and Bala would beg for his money. I felt very bad. He used to take us to school on time and bring us back safely. But his hard work was nothing for them. Even the sisters used to tell their father to please pay his money but they too were given rude responses.

One afternoon we could hear shouts coming from the minister's house. We all came out to see what was the matter. We saw a lot of crowds in front of the house. When we went near and what we saw was horrible. We saw Bala lying on the ground. He was thrashed by that cruel man. Bala had gone to ask for his hard-earned money and this was the reward given to him. That man, a friend's father was shouting 'Take him out of my sight. And if he comes again I will not spare him.'Then some people took Bala to his home. My heart pained seeing all this. There were many questions in my mind. Why was the gap between rich and poor? Why is money so important in life? Some get money easily and some have to beg for it. Bala had to go through all this only to get his hard-earned money. 

After this incident, Bala never came to take us to school. I was sent in another rickshaw by our parents. I never saw Bala after that day. I felt very sad for him.