The Silly Rainfall

Ramesh was a first-year student in an engineering college who used to get very irritated by rainfall. He never loved rainfall. He always used to say, "Silly rainfall! It always spoils all my beautiful clothes. The moment you leave your house for some crucial task, God knows from where this rainfall comes suddenly and spoils all the creative plans that we have in our minds. Silly rainfall!" 

One day, he was on his way back home from his college when, once again, heavy rainfall started. Ramesh got extremely irritated and started complaining to God for bringing rain. He said, "My beautiful clothes, I iron them early in the morning so that I can look smart and professional in my college. But this unwanted silly rain spoils everything. God knows when this rainy season will be over."

Ramesh was walking on the road. His house was not far from his college; it was within walking distance, but it still took time because of traffic and other such hurdles. As Ramesh was slowly moving ahead in the direction of his house, the rainfall became heavier. He ran fast to protect himself under the shed of a tea stall. The tea seller was preparing tea. In front of that tea stall, some bridge construction work was going on. Ramesh started observing the bridge construction process very closely as he was also a student of civil engineering. Ramesh could very well identify from the large group who were workers and who were civil engineers, as he was from the same field.

To his surprise, neither the workers nor the civil engineers stopped their work for a single second. His eyes got strictly focused on the hardworking people in front of him. Some of them were measuring the dimensions of some pillars, others were digging holes, and some other people were looking at a big sheet of paper with full concentration. Ramesh immediately realized that it was the layout of the bridge they were constructing, often prepared by civil engineers. For a few seconds, a feeling of pride and honor filled Ramesh's heart as he was also a student of civil engineering. He was so taken by their hard work that he forgot the particular hard work was happening in the same heavy rainfall which he hated a lot.

Suddenly, a man with a bag in his hand sat beside Ramesh and started having a cup of tea from that same tea seller. He looked at Ramesh and smiled. Ramesh also smiled in return as a courtesy. Ramesh said, "Sir, don't you think this rain spoils our whole day and our entire work schedule? Just look at these people who are involved in constructing this bridge. The sudden rainfall has spoiled their hard work. I have been observing them for the last half hour. They are such hardworking people, but just see this unexpected rainfall." The stranger also started observing those people. He said to Ramesh, "Don't you think that these people who are constructing the bridge over here are working in the same unexpected rainfall? When they started their work, they planned everything with the expectation that the work would go on smoothly. But they did not know that sudden rainfall would come. Just look at their commitment and dedication. They know they have to finish today's work only today because tomorrow there will be a different deadline. Even in this heavy rainfall, they did not stop their work. Rain cannot be an excuse for stopping the work."

After saying these words, the man opened his bag and took out the cap of a civil engineer. He wore the cap on his head and shouted, "Ok boys, today's responsibilities are over. Please enjoy yourselves and go back home safely. We will meet again tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. Goodbye to all of you. Thank you very much for your commitment and dedication." He looked at Ramesh and said, "Goodbye sir, have a great day."

Ramesh was shocked by what he just saw. He rushed toward one of the construction workers and asked, "Excuse me, sir, who is that man?" The construction worker said, "Oh, that gentleman? He is our chief civil engineer, a very knowledgeable person, and very polite and friendly." That was the moment which changed Ramesh's mentality forever. He could not take his eyes off that civil engineer. He smiled, came out of the shed, opened his arms, looked at the sky with open eyes, and started feeling the droplets of water on his face. For a few seconds, he stood like that. The construction workers and civil engineers started observing this unusual act of his. After a few moments, he looked at them, saluted them, smiled, and rushed towards his home.

Throughout his way back home, Ramesh was thanking that civil engineer for showing him the right direction in life. He never knew that one day the same rainfall he always hated would change his life.