Hope

"What did you tell her the last time you spoke to her?" I could hear Priya's husband asking Priya.

"Beats me.. I don't remember saying anything that could influence her to take such a quick decision to buy our product"

Priya was at my house to sell her special learning packages. The packages though good were extremely expensive and were not something that I would have normally bought. But something about Priya had touched me.

I will not forget that day.

We had just shifted back from the US and were still settling down. Some of our stuff had come to the Bangalore flat and we were expecting another shipment in a week. Our house was filled with unopened cartons lying around. The climate change and the excessive traffic was getting on to us. But the thing that we found most difficult was getting admission for our 13 year old daughter.

Even though Ria was getting called for the admission tests in all the good schools, she was finding it difficult to pass the exams because of the change in US and India syllabus. Since she was about to get into high school, it was really important for us that she got into a good institute.

That day yet another school informed us that Ria had not cleared the admission test. I was getting a little desperate and worried, when I heard my phone ring.

"Hi! your reference was given to me by Amit", the lady on the other side of the line who identified herself as Priya informed me. Amit was my brother who lived in Bangalore. "We sell some educational kits for teenagers. And Amit thought you would like it."

An educational kit was the last thing on my mind that day. And I told her so. I also told her that we had just relocated to Bangalore and it was more important for me that Ria got admission in a good school.

"Oh..! I am so sorry! Can you send me Ria's details? I would like to help," she said. We spent the next half an hour on the phone, talking about the various contacts that she had in the numerous schools.

From then on, she called me once a week to check on the progress of Ria's admission. 

I was surprised and touched. Priya's presence in my life, changed my mind from despair to hope. I did not know Priya before that call and I wondered why she went out of the way to help me.  With new found energy I continued applying for schools and eventually, Ria got into a school that could identify Ria's potential beyond the difference in  syllabus taught in the US and India schools. The school was also one of the best known schools in the city and very few children got admission to it. We all were ecstatic.

Earlier, I had also contacted the two schools that Priya had referred me to - though Ria did not get selected in those schools.

I had promised myself, that once Ria got into a good school, I would call Priya in for the demo of the product she had initially called me for. 

So as soon as Ria got in, I called Priya for a demo. The day Priya came in, I did not think much and told Priya that I would buy her product. My quick decision must have surprised Priya's husband. Which was why he asked her the question "What did you tell her the last time you spoke to her?"

But then for me, it was not about the product. It was about Priya. No money could ever buy the hope that Priya had placed in my heart that day. 

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Prerna

"My husband is a investment banker in the US," said my friend on the chat. I smiled. I had suspected that she was wealthy by looking at her pictures in front of their two-storied well designed house in upscale NewYork city. The clothes that she wore were also expensive.



I remembered the time we were girls. Those days most students went for tutions during their high school. The tution teachers were generally professors in the local university. They were acknowledged experts in their subjects and had several published papers in renowned forums to their credit. Needless to say, the quality of teaching in these tution classes was much higher than the quality delivered in the schools. Mysore, being a university town, was especially known for its teachers and the tution classes were much sought after by students like us.



Prerna and me went together for most of the tutions, including the Trigonometry tution. The Trigonometry tution teacher, besides being an subject matter expert, was also an excellent communicator. She was able to connect to the students very well and also had a good sense of humour. However sometimes she would be inappropriate.



Prerna's father was a middle level officer in the near by textiles factory. The cost of the multiple tutions was always a strain on the family every month. But the family managed - managed with pride. Prerna was always taken into confidence whenever there was a financial strain in the family and I never noticed her feeling small or guilty when she was short of cash.



That month, the family had got a new car. A car was a necessity for the family of five- two adults, two grown up children and Prerna's grandmother. Hence the cash flow that month was a little tight. During the month end, when it was the time to pay for the tution fees, Prerna, very innocently told the teacher, in front of the class, that her father wouldnt be able to pay that month and she would pay the complete amount the next month. Maybe she should have been discreet, but childhood is not discreet. A child trusts unconditionally. Which was why we, her fellow classmates, understood what she was saying.



The teacher did not. None of us were prepared for our teacher's reaction.



"If your family is short of cash are you not buying any groceries this month? If you are, how come you cannot pay the fees? Next month if you cant pay, maybe you should discontinue the tutions," she said. The class suddenly became silent. If someone dropped a pin at that moment, we all would have heard it.



The teacher and her family stayed in a huge bungalow and were quite well off. Her husband was a director in a company.Her response was totally uncalled for.



I dont know what Prerna felt that day. But I was shaken. That day as we walked back home, I told her, "If I ever become a teacher when I grow up, I will give tutions for free." I consulted my parents in the evening, and offered to pay her fees, but Prerna declined. She paid up the whole amount the next week.



Prerna was a very beautiful, graceful and well mannered girl. Other than the financial crisis the family faced, I did not find her lacking in anything. We were the best of friends for 3-4 years more. But eventually we lost touch with each other.



Therefore one fine day last year, when I got a friend request from her on facebook, I was more than glad to accept. I saw the pictures of her various Europe vacations and I was very happy for her. I could see that she was doing well in life. I knew she was not working, so I was curious about had caused the wheels of fortune to turn for her. Which is why I asked her where her husband worked.



And when I saw her reply, I couldn't help smiling.



"God ultimately levels everybody's life" I thought.`

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Note: Some parts of this post has been fictionalized to protect privacy of the people involved. 

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Two conversations

There was a new Skoda Octavia in the neighbourhood. It was blue in colour and had all the latest functionalities. Our neighbour uncle, a sixty year old retired banker, threw a party when he bought the new car. We were given "just one turn" to ride it around and uncle seemed to beam with pride when people told him how smooth the ride was. His half concealed embarrassed smile showed how much he enjoyed the "wow!what a car!" We enjoyed the attention too - it was as if there was a new member into our community.

That night, after all the excitement, when we all sat together to have a quiet dinner, uncle confessed, "Let me enjoy life at this stage. What will I do with my money if I don't enjoy with it now?" We all agreed heartily!

Another favourite uncle of mine, a distant relative, was also due for a car change. I loved this uncle for his practical, down to earth tastes, simplicity and friendliness. The Zen that he drove though functional had become old with use and had started incurring a lot of maintenance costs. Uncle kept talking about buying a new car. All of us who knew him asked him to buy a big car, now that he was done with the small one. He definitely would be able to afford it. He would just laugh our request off.

One day, on a silent Sunday afternoon, as we sat drinking a hot cup of tea sitting in the veranda of his house, I asked him jokingly which car was he thinking of buying. He thought for a while and looked at me in the eye and said with a smile, " Innovaa" Wow! I thought and teased him.. "Innovaaa...!!" “Down-to-earth tastes, uh!” I thought, smiling to myself.

"Yes.. " he said.. "If I buy a new car, I might as well buy something that can take the whole family in. At-least we can all go out together on rides. "

I couldn’t say anything after that.

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Notes

Last weekend I went to the bank to draw some cash. I was waiting at the cash counter and watching the various activities around. There was a young couple, pleasant looking and chirpy waiting to talk to the manager. Perhaps they were there to take a house loan I thought. And there was an old lady from the lower middle class background. The pallu of her faded parrot green saree fell loosely on her shoulder across a worn-out red blouse. Her curly hair had shades of white and grey and her dark face was beginning to show wrinkles. She was there with her young son who was probably in his early twenties. Maybe they were there for a loan. I looked around a little more. There were a few people waiting for their turn to access the locker.

My gaze fell on the cashier. Someone had deposited a huge sum of cash. The cashier had placed the bundles of 1000s, 500s, 100s and 50s on his table. He was sitting in a glass enclosed cabin and his complete concentration was on the cash at hand. He rebuked the peon who peeked in once or twice with some question that the peon had. His alert, all enveloping demeanor told all of us standing on the other side of the counter that he was not to be disturbed. He took each bundle, straightened the notes and tediously counted each bundle. I looked at the 1000, 500, 100, 50 bundles and looked back at the over protective stance of the cashier. I couldn’t stop myself from thinking ‘bundles of notes - paper after all - each with a different design and each of a different size.’

That evening, I was sitting and reading a book. My wallet was lying on the coffee table. My daughter as usual was running around. She squealed in glee as she spotted my wallet. She ran to the wallet and started exploring it. To her surprise she found multiple cards of her interest. A few cards even had her mummy's picture on it. "Mummy!!!" she cried in delight as she spotted me on the host of various identity cards. Then her gaze turned to the main portion of the wallet. She spotted the 100, 20 and ten rupee notes. She pulled each one of them out and squealed as she threw them up in the air. I smiled as I saw her rejoice.

She then kept the wallet aside as a ten rupee note fascinated her. She played with the yellow orange colour note for some time. She turned it and twisted it and finally held it high with both her hands. Her eyes were all bright and her face was lit up. Just as I was watching her, she held the note tight on both the ends, tore the note apart into two pieces and giggled merrily as she played with the two pieces.

I did not know what to say.

It took me a few seconds to recover. When I did, I couldn’t help thinking with a smile ‘Notes - pieces of paper after all’.

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The thousand rupee note

"The management committee in our Netaji Subhash Chandra Government School, has decided to give a special prize this year. It is called "Special award" and will reward a extraordinary act done by a child. This year the award goes to eight year old Ananya. I would like to call Ananya's teacher to relate to you all what was the special act done by her," said our beautiful short motherly principal madam on the annual day function of our school. Of all the teachers in our school, the principal madam was the kindest.

"I am very happy to share Ananya's story with all of you," said Alka madam, our young, fair, tall class teacher, with a beatific smile on her face. Alka madam was wearing my favorite stiff white saree which had a blue lace on its border and small blue flowers on it. Her straight long hair reached her waist and was neatly combed and tied into a pony with a flowery clip. She looked taller and prettier than usual. She continued, "One fine afternoon Ananya returned from the playground, where she had gone in the Physical education period and came running up to me. She had a shining pink coloured pencil in one of her hands and  a "thousand rupee note" in the other.”

She paused for a second before she continued, “She gave me the note saying, she did not want it to be trampled by students walking and running over it. I was so proud of her honesty. I immediately nominated her for this award."

Alka madam then searched for me in the crowd and once she spotted me gave me a big smile. I smiled back. 

"Ananya's parents - Can you please come on the stage with Ananya?" 

I heard the thunderous applause as I went up the stage with my parents. I definitely seemed to have done something right.

After the function were the snacks. Rasgollas, pasteries and sandwiches lured me from various counters. It was my day. Ma and Babuji were ready to give me anything I asked. All the uncles, aunties and teachers looked at me with amazement as I walked and ran across the school campus. Ma was a sweeper in one of those big IT companies near our house and Babuji, a mechanic.

I looked for Bhaiyya who was eight years elder to me and studied in the twelfth standard. Bhaiyya was my friend, philosopher and guide. He was always cleanly dressed and the silent humility in his nature brought an extra glow on his face. He was the wise one in our house and supported and comforted our parents whenever they were in difficulty. When he was not at school, he was with my dad at his mechanic shop oiling or tinkering a few machines. He was my window into the world I did not understand. When I was not playing with friends, I tagged along with Bhaiyya on his old bicycle.

On some Sundays, Bhaiyya would take me on long rides on his bicycle. Together we would go into the unexplored areas of our city. We would go to the hidden lakes and unexplored forest areas behind our house. On our way back, we would always have a plate of ‘pani puri’.

"Anu! Anu!!" the familiar call of my brother snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned and rushed into my brother's open arms. My brother hugged me a congratulations. And then we made our way back home.

I sat on the pillion seat of Bhaiyya's bicycle as usual. That day Bhaiyya was walking with the bicycle instead of riding it. We were passing through a small road in a small residential area, when he turned towards me and said with a voice chocked with pride, "I am so proud of you Anu...” I continued licking the icecream which we had bought just a minute back.

When he did not hear a response from me, he turned a little more to face me directly and with eyes full of love said, “I am talking about the thousand rupee note incident..."

So many people had wished me by now. And now Bhaiyya too…I did not understand how to react...

So I asked him...."But Bhaiyya...I don't know what is all the excitement about..."

"I did not want a child to get scolded for losing a thousand rupee note the way mom scolded me last time when I lost a hundred rupee note.That was why I returned the note to madam." I paused for a while and lowered my voice and said,

"Honestly if it had been a twenty rupees, I might have taken Sahira with me and bought the both of us a huge bar of Dairy Milk Chocolate."

"What use is a thousand rupee note to me?"


And then I got back to licking my icecream. After I had gulped in a huge lump, I asked Bhaiyya to stop walking.I then turned him with one of my free hands and looked at him curiously and asked,

"Tell me Bhaiyya, what can I do with a thousand rupee note?"

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