Self - Made

Suresh looked at the setting sun from the window of his house as the huge red ball slowly melted in an envelope of the black cloud! He was turning forty and had noticed his hairline receding and the tuft of hair turning steel colored. He was running a small business and doing reasonably well. His eyes were moist! He had travelled a road not many would have dared!

His mind drifted back in time as he remembered his childhood. He had an elder brother who was very bright in studies. His father worked in a factory and his mother was a home maker. Their house had just one room where the family made a living. Suresh was very honest and a simpleton and could barely pass in the school. His elder brother had joined engineering after finishing the school and earned a scholarship! The parents adored him, whereas Suresh at times felt neglected. After finishing the school Suresh went out in search of making a living. Days passed and he sulked back home empty handed each day. One day he came across a factory and found a board hanging outside, that they were hiring.

His eyes gleamed and he walked inside where a stern looking supervisor called him to his room. He was interviewed and Shekhar, the supervisor liked him. He took him to the manger and told him about his suitability for the job of an operator of photocopy machine.  Suresh did not know how to express his joy, when he returned home to break the news. His parents heaved a sigh of relief that instead of leading a life of a vagabond, he had finally become another earning hand in the family.

Each day Suresh would work diligently and soon earned the trust of his manager. One evening, the manager got the news that a machine supplied by their factory had broken down and needed a spare part which could only be sent by hand. Suresh was assigned to carry the item, where Shekhar was working. The repair took two days while Suresh assisted Shekhar to fix the problem. Shekhar was impressed by Suresh’s diligence and recommended management that he is allowed to undergo a short training on the machine being produced in the factory. The break opened a new gateway for Suresh who immersed himself and learnt all the technicalities and his visibility was soon acknowledged. One day The Managing Director of the firm broke the news that a small team would soon leave for United States to be trained on a new venture involving transfer of technology. Shekhar was the leader, and he decided to include Suresh in the team.  

Suresh continued with the hard work and perseverance. He saved every single cent he could by living in a shared accommodation, subsisting on bread and butter and corn and gram. Even on the weekends he studied and spent mornings in taking long walks in the beach town. The time flew and by the time he returned home he had accumulated enough from the hard earned savings to buy a small flat for his family.  He handed over a small packet of sweets to Shekhar and broke the news while bowing to him. Shekhar hugged him and suggested that they become partners in a new venture that he was planning.

Suresh looked at the picture of Suresh in the newspaper wiping the tears from his eyes that had broken the news that Shekhar had become a victim of sectarian violence!

PS : Picture kind courtesy Google