It is said that childhood is the best phase of our life, yet not for everyone. But throughout time, we learn how to live with every emptiness in life.
So, there were three friends: John, Leena and Farah. Not best friends, but they were normal school friends at the age of 10 in 5th standard in a private school. While Leena enjoyed every luxury of life, John, even at the tender age of 10 or ever since he was born, learned how to live with misery and poverty yet he smiled. Farah, the different of them all, with normal life in a normal middle-class family.
John’s father finds it very difficult to send his son to a good school as farming does not provide him good money every month to meet the needs of the family yet the father does everything to get his son a good education for a better future.
”Dad!” said John staring at the leaking ceiling of his small house on a rainy morning. ”I can study at a government school as well, the fee is really low, we can at least renovate our house with the savings”.
”What?” His dad said while fixing the ceiling with some clay, ”It’s done, it will not leak anymore, we can protect the house for more days now. I am not going to compromise with your studies”. They went to school by holding a torn umbrella, trying to save his son as much as he can but he was not protecting himself from rains. Love of a dad, towards his child could be seen and felt through the heart. He was wearing old flip flops and his son was fully clad in shoes with a tie and school formals. They used to commute to school on foot or sometimes through dad’s old cycle.
Leena, a businessman’s daughter, a girl with all the luxuries, happiness, money and perfect life. A loving family and a cute pet dog were her lifelines. Enjoying holidays in exotic destinations with family, bringing tasty food to school and wearing expensive dresses were normal for her, so was her friend circle. Even at the age of 10, she knew which people to interact with, quite clever.
She often commuted to school with his father on his Honda city car, while her dad left for office. Life is like a fairytale.
Farah, a decent middle-class girl with big dreams and a sharp mind, good at studies and sports.She was the favourite of every teacher in the school. Life was as normal for her as we all middle-class people have since childhood.
”Farah, come fast, we are getting late for school”, her mother shouted while waiting for her outside the house on the scooty to escort her to school. ”The belt of the shoes are just so broken mom, please buy me new shoes, this is not getting fixed”. ”Okay I will buy you new shoes this Sunday, now come on, let’s go”, her mother told her.
The later phase :
Months and years passed by and they cleared the 12th standard board exams. It was time to test the capabilities of the future of the nation – young students.
While Leena went to London to pursue her college studies, John got a scholarship from the government to study engineering in a very good college. Time and situation had taught John how to survive and how to be tough, he proved that poverty cannot stop him from getting the success that he needs, he topped the school in boards.
It was a tough time for Farah, as she did not get as much percentage as she wanted to get in a government college. Also, her family income did not allow her to take any financial aid from the government. Finally, her dad took down all the family savings for the educationof his daughter in a good private college. It was a testing time for the whole family.
John’s father was really proud of his son, as his struggle with life actually found out to be fruitful. John topped the scholarship test and the board exam as well, what else will make a father happy and a mother proud.
”Mom, do not put so much of eatables in the bag, it will become heavy”. John told to his mom while she was putting the essentials and food for him.
”You are going out of the hometown, you should have these things with you, you will feel hungry any time and spend money wisely”. John’s mom said to him.
”He is our son, he knows what is good and what is bad, please do not worry”, a proud father said. In the same manner, they used to leave for school, today John’s father is taking him to the railway station.
”I have a couple of fixed deposits in the bank and I am going to use it for Farah’s college admission fees”, Farah’s father told her mother. ‘’Don’t worry, we are doing fine. We will find a way for the future, just use this money where it exactly should be used’’, her mother said.
While Farah was listening to this conversation from behind the doors, countless emotions ran from her heart to her face. In grief, she was at that time and made a vow to herself that she will study even harder and get a decent job and keep her parents happy.
King’s College London, Leena’s destination after school, but honestly, things have been so easy for her because of her well to do family. She wants to become an international model now and had started dieting and photoshoots when she was in 10thstandard. Every door is opened to her with luck standing firmly expanding its hands.
The final phase :
The final year of college, hustle and bustle everywhere. Placements, parties, last visits were on their peek.
While John bagged a placement package of 20 Lakhs per annum in a leading multinational, Leena became even prettier and started debuting in top magazine’s cover photos.
Directionless in life, Farah got no placements in the entire final year of the college. Her grades were not even better because family pressure and financial difficulty made her sad and miserable. The pressure was built upon a young heart and she cursed herself for spending too much of her family’s money on studies. She spent so less on her daily needs and other things, she felt, the only way to curb this issue is getting a good job.
The whole final year of college was bringing bad luck for her. Back to back, she got rejections from placement drives, she lost the self-confidence she had. Yet she was strong enough to fight for herself and after so many rejections, she got work at an international BPO. It was not easy to accept but this was the only way she had to survive in a city far away from home.
The moral is :
The poor is patient, hard-working, has straight priorities, government support and a lot of confidence. The rich have always been rich.
The middle class has gone through every up and down, highs and lows of life. We are hard-working but things are not easy. We give up our dreams to fulfil the needs of family and tend to spend as less as we can.
