Social Issue Short Story – The Unrecognized Father
Photo credit: rachjose from morguefile.com
On that occasion I was watching the fire coming from the burning dead body and was reminding the past history of the person.
Mr. Rabiranjan Singh, a man of principal and dignity is no more but had lead a life with positivity and cheerfulness, keeping a lot of grief in his heart , he always shows a smile on his face which becomes his identification even after his death.
At the age of 16 his father died and all the responsibilities of the house came on his solder but he never regrets. He has two sisters to get married and a small farm to work upon. He had struggled in his life started working hard in his farm, ignoring every situation or weather condition, day and night, winter, summer or rainy season. Then he started progressing due to his efforts and opens a fertilizer shop in nearby market.
He married his two sisters in a rich family more than his status and after that he married a girl Suchitra. Due to the family responsibilities he was unable to carry studies so he was an illiterate and in future this thing becomes the regret of his life.
They visited temples and worship for a child and 3 years after the marriage they got a very beautiful child Gaurav. Gaurav started to grow and also grows the happiness of the Mother Suchitra and Father Rabiranjan.
The son Gaurav was admitted to the best English Medium School of the town, Suchitra gives advice to his husband Rabiranjan to admit his son to a local school as he cannot afford that much fees and charges. Mr. Rabiranjan told his wife, I don’t want to save anything, Gaurav will be only and best asset of my life and I will invest everything for his future growth.
Gaurav was intelligent and he progresses day by day and regularly stood first in the District, then Gaurav was interested in UPSC , so for cost of preparing him for UPSC exam he has sold his shop and started working in his own shop. The Gaurav competes in the UPSC exam and was appointed as an IAS officer.
He gets a Bunglow, Car and Servants in the Main City of the State and was married to a Girl who was a daughter of District Judge and started being counted as most civilised family of the town but Rabiranjan refuses to live with him in his Bunglow because he love his village and the people around village. He still work in the same shop but use to visit his son once a week and bring a lot of village items like pickles, butter, milk sweets etc. for his son and his family.
One day he heard news that he had a Grandson he distributed sweets all over the village, and packed sweets, butter etc and goes to Bunglow to meet his son and grandson. Inside the bunglow some functions were going on and various highly qualified and ranked people was sitting around.
Mr. Rabiranjan Singh wearing a Dhoti, Kurta, holding a Cane filled of butter and a Pot filled of sweets just entered infront of his son and said “Son I am very happy hearing the news and brought a lot of things for you. Where is my grandson?”
Suddenly a person nearby to Gaurav asked who this old man is.
Gaurav replied to him “He is my servant from village”.
The person asked he is calling you son. Gaurav replied “He is working for me since my childhood”.
Rabiranjan was shocked like he had come across an 440 volt electric current, speechless, just watching towards his son’s face as he understood the body language of his son and had heard the word servant earlier.
The son for whom he had sacrificed his whole life, whole investments, whole assets, and even work in his own shop has addressed him as a servant because he fears to introduce his illiterate father to their highly qualified colleagues. He has thought that the son will be the asset for him but the son proves his father as a burden of his life.
Rabiranjan just kept the canes and pots on the spot and left the bunglow for his village. He wrote a letter to his son –
“Be happy as you are and let us be happy as we are – never try to meet us because we both did not want to see your face and if you reach village, people will kick you out form here.
I am donating all my farms and rest of my earnings to build a school for the village children that at least there must not be a father in a village who will be addressed as a servant to his son’s colleague.
Your Childhood Servant – Rabiranjan”.
He worked in his entire life, but never goes on the door of his son and died in his own village and I am his neighbour who was his companion in his old age. A school is in the village by him and now named as “Rabiranjan Memorial Secondary School”.
“We must give value to our children but keeping in mind that we are also the valuable child of God and we must value our own life also.”
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