M S Nazki
By M S Nazki
-Honestly speaking we got stuck up with these three great words! The problem was how to begin this story! After a tot of brandy with lukewarm water which my wife obliged me with the frozen hands wanted to race ahead of my mind and thus came out this story!
-Obviously I had to seek references but then there are always old friends who bail you out!
-I contacted Nikhat and she gave me this story which as a starter was great! This is a story of sincerity and dedication and it goes something like this!
-There was a young boy who was born on 4th oct 1948 in the small Town of Tura part of West Garohills Districts of Meghalaya. Meghalaya is one of the most beautiful states with many hill stations like Shiilong and Cherapunji, situated in the northeastern part of India. He did his primary schooling at Bengali School of Tura and completed his high school at Gorkha Higher Secondary School in 1962. Later he graduated from Tura Govt college and took admission to Law. But due to a financial crisis he could not complete his Law degree, rather joined a clerical post in the District Commissioner office of his Town. There he served diligently and provided public service to larger communities across Garohills District of Meghalaya. He continued in the same office till 1995. Later he was promoted to LDA and transferred to Commissioner Divisional Office and retired as Superintendent in 2006. During his career, for his outstanding contribution he was recognized and rewarded twice as the Best employee by the Meghalaya Government and he was rewarded by his excellency the Governor of Meghalaya. He retired in 2006 but because of his skills and expertise in public administration and sincerity in duties, he was again offered the Post of Head Accountant in DRDA office of Meghalaya in contractual Mode which he continued till his last days. Nevertheless, life is never a bed of roses. From 2017 onwards he became ill frequently and since he was still on job, he took 15 days leave and came to his elder daughter’s house Bengaluru for treatment. There he was diagnosed with Cancer in Manipal Hospital of Bengaluru. The painful treatment of cancer has started. Despite all the efforts of the family and doctors, his health was deteriorating. During this treatment, there was not a single day where he didn’t mention his job and the commitment that he had in the DRDA office. He kept on expressing his deep desire to make a proper knowledge transfer to his subordinates and groom them so that he can comfortably get a release from his current job. But due to his ongoing treatment, he could not be taken to his home town in between. He was always restless because of his pending responsibilities. Later after 2 months he was taken to his house and then from there the next day immediately was taken to the office by his son. In spite of him being unwell, he remained in the office for a couple of hours and sincerely provided the required knowledge transfer to his junior colleague. Then, despite his poor health, he walked to his desk , wrote his resignation letter with his shaky hands, and personally handed over all confidential files to the respective authority. Post this, he peacefully came back to the hospital again, and exactly after 1 month, he passed away. His demise is not only a great loss for his family but also for the state of Meghalaya which lost a great public servant who served relentlessly for the entire communities of West Garohills through implementing government services for the upliftment of the common masses. He was none other than my Father in Law, late Tan Bahadur chetry . Today after 4 years of his death, I still remember his dedication and sincerity and his worship towards his work. He is an epitome of sincerity and dedication for me. He always inspires and motivates me and I believe many others like me got influenced by him .
This beautiful society that we live in is made of such great souls and many of them pass away without being recognized for their contribution. Hence let us all whole-heartedly and sincerely serve our responsibilities and make our society a better place to live in.
-This one really brought tears to my eyes!
-Now the question was how to look for a story for honesty! My good old childhood mate Geeta Gurung came to my rescue with a comment, ‘why don’t you write a story about yourself?’ But that was in a lighter spirit as she had one for me! In fact she had two of them lined up:
The first was titled ‘The Driving Test’: This is a story about a man in Hungary. He had been practicing for his driving test with his instructor. When he asked his instructor for feedback, days before the test, he told him that he would have to bribe the examiner with 25,000 Hungarian forint. The instructor also told him that he would act as a middle man in that transaction.
The man didn’t know what to do. As the time came closer, he searched the internet for advice. He came across a website which offers support to the victims of corruption in Hungary, approximately 30 minutes before the deadline of paying the bribe. The experts realized that they did not have enough time to involve the police. So, they conducted a sting operation. They recorded the serial number of the notes and taped the transaction on camera. The man was fully reimbursed and he honestly took a driving test.
-The second she related was Lal Bahadur Shastri’s on Honesty: When Lal Bahadur Shastri was serving as the prime minister of India, he went to a textile mill. He requested the owner of the mill to show him some Sarees for his wife. The owner showed him some exquisite sarees. When Shastri ji asked the price, he found them too expensive. He asked for cheaper sarees. The owner showed him cheaper sarees. But, Shastri ji still found them expensive. The owner was surprised and told him that he need not worry about the prices as he was the prime minister of India and it would be his privilege to give the sarees to him as a gift. To this Shastri replied that he could not accept such expensive gifts and he would only take a saree that he could afford.
Obviously the third one I found to be the most difficult! This was about responsibility but by friend Aakash in Indian Army had ab answer to it over a drink:
-The first one he related to me was, ‘Think before you Judge’ and the story went something like this: A doctor entered the hospital in a hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery. He answered the call asap, changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery block. He found the boy’s father pacing in the hall waiting for the doctor. On seeing him, the father yelled, “Why did you take all this time to come? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in danger? Don’t you have any sense of responsibility?” The doctor smiled and said, “I am sorry, I wasn’t in the hospital and I came as fast as I could after receiving the call and now, I wish you’d calm down so that I can do my work”. “Calm down?! What if your son was in this room right now, would you calm down? If your own son dies while waiting for the doctor then what will you do??” said the father angrily. The doctor smiled again and replied, “We will do our best by God’s grace and you should also pray for your son’s healthy life”. “Giving advice when we’re not concerned is so easy” Murmured the father. The surgery took some hours after which the doctor went out happily, “Thank goodness! your son is saved!” And without waiting for the father’s reply he carried on his way running by saying, “If you have any questions, ask the nurse”. “Why is he so arrogant? He couldn’t wait some minutes so I asked about my son’s state” Commented the father when seeing the nurse minutes after the doctor left. The nurse answered, tears coming down her face, “His son died yesterday in a road accident, he was at the burial when we called him for your son’s surgery. And now that he saved your son’s life, he left running to finish his son’s burial.” Moral: Never judge anyone because you never know how their life is and what they’re going through.
-The second one he related was of a ‘The wooden bowl’! The story went like this:
-A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather’s shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about our father,” said the son. “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.” So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner. Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl! When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his day, he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Moral: You reap what you sow. Regardless of your relationship with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. Always Respect, Care for and Love them.
These were some stories we managed to gather that befitted the title of the story! Hope you all liked them!
Author
The Kashmir Dialogues
