True Accomplishment

“Look how famous they are! Such an awesome feeling it must be when everyone asks for your autograph and you find yourself in the hoardings across the city. My identity is known to none.Such a waste, my life is!”,Rohan said, complaining to his own self.He always wished to become a superstar, not because it was his favourite profession, but because one could become famous overnight in that profession,if succeeded. Neither was he a good actor,nor a hardworker. But he wanted to become a superstar to get fame. He tried giving many auditions, applied through various online portals, but in vain. Acting wasn’t his cup of tea. He was striving for something which he knew wasn’t his forte. Yet to make a identity of himself , he was moving in a path where reaching destination wasn’t quite possible for him. But, the biggest asset he had in his life was his golden heart. He was a man who valued people’s sentiments, who would go to any extent to help people. But in the quest of fame, he was losing his original identity. He was trying to transform the original “him”. For every deed of his, he expected appreciation from people. When things didn’t go his way, he would lose interest in life. His family was a wealthy one, with a famous boutique business. He could easily manage it and lead a happy and comfortable life. But he refused to do so.

At the end of his lane, lived a cobbler, named Premji who was a close friend of Rohan. He would converse with Rohan almost everyday.Premji was a man who always had a constant smile on his face. This smile was the driving force for Rohan whenever he felt depressed. People would mistreat Premji ,throw their legs at him for shoe polish , but he would never utter a word to them. He believed in his work.For him, his job was the ultimate one. He had utmost faith in God and believed that it was God, who gifted him that occupation. His dedication towards his job was unwavering.

One day when Rohan was on his way to a audition , he found Premji gloomy. The smile on Premji’s face was nowhere to be seen. Rohan felt worried for him. He went to Premji and questioned, “Premji,I am appalled to see you like this. What’s bothering you?”. To which Premji replied saying, “Dear Rohan, my income has gone down drastically. I don’t get many customers , and I am finding it really difficult to run my family. Usually I would be getting around Rs.100-150 everyday. But now a days, I hardly get Rs.50. Sometimes people give their footwear and never come back. Unlike the people in the earlier years, people now a days buy new ones, once the old one is broken. So there is no future for cobblers like us. Moreover, I have grown old. Starting a new business or learning something different is out of my scope. I want to provide good education to my daughter. Gone are the days when girls would be married off early. I want her to reach greater heights. Even my wife earns a little money by doing household chores,but that will be just enough to maintain our house. I don’t know what to do now”, he said.

“Premji! Don’t worry. Everything will be alright soon”, said Rohan consoling Premji. Premji inspite of all his odds,used to have a contagious smile on his face. But now, that was missing. Rohan could imagine the amount of stress Premji was under. He looked at his own self, his home and the luxuries he had. He had everything in life,but yet wasn’t satisfied. He decided to find a solution to Premji’s problem. He checked his shoerack, grabbed some pairs of slippers and shoes, asked his friends for their torn or old footwears,explaining Premji’s situation. He took those and asked Premji to repair them for him. Premji knew Rohan was doing it to make his life better. But even he was helpless. Weeks passed by, the number of footwears Rohan could collect from people started to decrease. He caught hold of all the people he knew, but still couldn’t collect anymore. Rohan started to worry again. His goal in life had shifted from earning fame to helping Premji. Finally, he took a bold decision and decided to join his father’s business.He decided to sponsor for Premji’s daughter’s education from the income that he would earn.Along with that, he invested in Premji’s shop and put in the shop, various shoes and sandals so that Premji’s income would increase. With this sweet gesture of Rohan, Premji’s happiness knew no bounds. He said, “I have seen many people in my life . Some have bargained with me for a penny, others have treated me badly , but you are probably the only one who showed concern and treated my problem like your own. I don’t know what made you be friends with me, neither am I of your status nor any special famous person. But still, you connected with me, like your own. You have shown to the world what humanity truly is. This is what makes world beautiful. Humanity, whichever form it takes, makes life of everyone beautiful. By deciding to sponsor my daughter’s education, not only have you helped me, but have shaped the future of my daughter, which was blurred. May God bless you.” “Premji, I tell you what keeps you connected to me. Your smile and love. The love you shower on me, the confidence with which you keep that smile on your face, no matter what your condition is, keeps me motivated . It is that confidence, which has helped me in my life. You are a true inspiration for people like me, who was lost,lost in the jungle, in search of fame. You showed me the right path. You brought out the real me. I am indebted to you”, said Rohan falling to Premji’s feet. They exchanged warm hugs.

Hence, Premji’s daughter got good education. Premji never hid about his financial status with his family. Narration of the happenings of the day to his family, was the first thing he would do when he would reach home. So, Premji’s daughter knew, how hard her father had tried to make her study. She didn’t want her father’s efforts to go in vain.

The calendar years changed. With every passing year, her performance kept on improving. Finally, she topped the college in board exams. She was lauded by everyone. She attributed all her success to her dear parents. Rohan would also always find his mention in her speeches. She looked upon him. His true identity was revealed to everyone, in the right way. Hence Rohan got accolades from many people for his exemplary work and his dream to achieve fame was accomplished, in the right way.

But, at one point of time, he felt that he should not have let Premji’s daughter reveal his name. The happiness he initially felt when he got to know that his contribution made her achieve the feat was way beyond the appreciations he got from others.

He discontinued his boutique business and went on to become a social worker to help many such underpriveleged kids get proper education. He eventually realised how wrong he initially was, in choosing the wrong path just to achieve fame. But at the end he was thankful to God for showing him his true accomplishment.