The Hand Kerchief

"Hey...don't touch that chumkey, you idiot!!! That's what makes some five hundred of the total eight hundred rupees!!!", said Sanjai, showing off his new Diwali dress to all his class-mates. The IV-'A' classroom was filled with a sense of jealousy and excitement, of course not in the right proportions, as it was just a fourth grade classroom! Sanjai said, "Hey post-office, post-office... hey postman, have any letters for me??" and the class burst into laughter making Shiva, with his torn old dress, a laughing-stock. Tears burst out of Shiva's eyes and he ran out of the classroom to cover himself from those atrocities.

The school ended without much of goodness to Shiva. Shiva then returned home with great anger that he was not bought and given a new fancy dress for that Diwali, but only to find that his mother was not there at home as usual. She is working as a servant-maid in about five houses to save the house from burning down with hunger and also to pay for Shiva's education; and at times even to pay for Shiva's father, a drunkard, who spends all he earns, and asks more money for drinking liquor...just for his personal pleasures. Analyzing the situation, Shiva understood that it is highly impossible for his mother to buy him a good dress. But his age did not support him to think further and made him remain a bit adamant.

It was around 7.30 in the night and Shiva's mother returned home to see the tears-filled Shiva's face.  Without any query, Shiva burst out with anger and hatred but with a little love too, that he was the only one who didn't wear a new dress at school and demanded that he wanted one immediately. Shiva's mother couldn't control her emotions; went into the bathroom with Shiva following her to see his extremely sobbing mother. He understood about the situation a little (as much as his age allowed him to think) and hugged his mother and said, "Mamma, it's ok...I need no dress now. Don't cry mamma...". She kissed him and her heart felt so light as if it was flying. She then decided that something has to be done about this.

Shiva's mother took an old earthen pot and closed it tightly with a lid using a cloth and made a small hole on the other side. She said to Shiva, "Here is your private account Shiva. I will give one rupee a day for the next one year and so for the next Diwali, you will have collected some three hundred and fifty five rupees, ten days before Diwali, with which I can buy you a dress that will be very beautiful for you. Right?" Shiva's face was as bright as lightening and he asked her, "Can I start the saving process now itself mamma? Please....". The child's enthusiasm could not be detained by his mother and gave him a one rupee coin.

The next whole year was a great fun with eagerness for Shiva. First at the beginning, when he dropped the coin into the pot, he would hear a simple "Thut Thut". After some months, he observed the change in sound which was "Chuck Chuck", the mixing sound of the coins and pot. Shiva used to tell proudly of these sounds to his mother and would get a hug back from her along with the one rupee coin! Then the sound changed to a small "Cling Cling", most of them coming from the whole lot of coins itself.

Three hundred and fifty days have gone by. What else would that little heart want in his favour than waiting for those small five days to go by!? But maybe God had something else in store for him.

"Mamma...I will buy a sky blue shirt with white stripes and a black pant mamma...ok? That would be very good no? Or I will buy a red colour shirt and white pant??? No no...it will be the green colour.....what can I buy mamma???", asked Shiva. "We will go to the shop and you look at all dress there and select the best one you like, ok dear?” replied his mother with a very smiling face; amount of happiness between the two can't be described in words.

"Shiva, Shiva, your father is admitted in Government Hospital... go there immediately", said shockingly, the neighbourhood friend to Shiva and his mother. Both of them rushed to the hospital with Shiva having a very questioning mind of what is happening around him and his mother fearing of what has happened to her husband.

In the hospital, they came to know that he has damaged his liver very much due to excessive drinking. Tears flowed down her cheeks and started praying to all Gods she knew. Just then the doctor came out and said, "Are you the wife of that drunkard? We need to give him an injection immediately. It costs three hundred and fifty rupees. Here is the prescription. Go and buy it immediately".

Shiva's mother felt like dying when she heard this. Where on earth can she go for so much money immediately? Just then she remembered about the money saved by Shiva. "But it is the first ever dream that is going to come true for that little dear boy.  How can I spoil his year-long dream?” sobbed to herself. Just then she heard Shiva calling out to her. "Mamma, here is that three hundred and fifty rupees that I had saved. You break this pot and buy the injection mamma... go and buy mamma, papa is in danger right?” She felt a feeling in heart as if she was flying out of the world. It is her own child who gave her the money she was thinking of...without any regret. She didn't even ask him for. She could see a small genuine smile in his small face.

Shiva's father was discharged and he then stopped drinking after hearing what Shiva has done. But after all these events, both the mother and father were very disappointed but Shiva was not at all! She asked Shiva, "Are you sad that you couldn't get the dress you wanted for this Diwali, my dear?” with tears rolling down. "No mamma, even if I don't get that dress this time, I have started saving one rupee from that day, when you broke the pot, itself. So I will get an additional ten rupees next year with which I can buy a hand-kerchief too. After all, for my next Diwali, I will have a new dress, a new kerchief, and also a non-drunkard papa with me!"