Suffering of an orphan

   This is a real life story of an orphan child, who struggled a lot alone to find his way to better life.

This boy was born on 16th Aug’ 1937 in a small village known as Sunamora nearby Distt. Saharanpur province of (Uttar Pradesh), India. The child was named as (Rahuva) in his childhood, whereas after the departure of his loving parents he had been renamed as Mukand Lal.

The child was hardly 4 years old when he lost his parents and no one from his own family was there to take care of him. Also their property had been seized by the relatives. Than a cousin from one of the relatives had taken him along to Shimla (the most beautiful Hill Station) and the former summer capital of The British Empire in India, where he was working as a 4th class employee in Indian Railway.

Since, the cousin was bachelor thus he trained him for domestic activities like cooking, cleaning, mopping, washing of cloths and apart from those activities he had also been instructed to burn the fire chimneys in officers rooms at Railway Station before proceeding to his school every day. The boy washaving no option but to obey those commands irrespective of his physical weakness and minority of age.

Since the boy was good in studies therefore, one of his teacher was always supporting him with old books and used uniform of his son so that he could continue his studies. On special occasions like birthday of his son, the teacher was giving him some good food to eat otherwise most of the times either the boy had starved or passed his time by collecting and cooking rotten potatoes from the waste left over by the railway authorities at the terrace of their storage warehouse. It would be important to describe that the boy was not so lucky always as it was a matter of chance when such left over was spared at the terrace. The child was compelled to lead such a miserable life because the earnings had always been spent by the cousin on his own whims and fancies without caring for basic needs of the child. On the contrary he had always been animalism punished, got kicked out from the house. He lifted heavy luggage of the people, travelled through railway, he did boot polish and performed all sorts of labor activities which were not meant for a minor. While passing through such hardships, he always missed the presence of his Why have you taken away my parents? Why have you left me alone to deal with such a cruel world?

Further, with the passage of time, the boy had passed his 7th standard examination but before entering to the next level he had been forced by the cousin to quit the school and to leave the house as he was about to get Married. He thought, now his own family would be increased and it would be useless to keep the boy along anymore. Now the boy was having no option but to find a regular job for survival. He went to a stranger for the purpose who asked him to perform the duties on his behalf in a hospital and in turn he would provide him one time meal in 24hrs. The boy got agreed as he was having no better option to survive.

One day, the boy had learnt that there was a 4th class job in a hospital in Rampur Bushehar (H.P). The boy had borrowed INR 20/- to go and join there. He had been entitled to a servant quarter but the borrowed money had already been finished and nothing was left to buy the groceries, thus he spent more than 48 hours without the food. When he entered one of his senior’s chamber he was looking bit sad, senior had asked, how was your last night? He said it was fine but during the conversation the senior had realised that the boy was trying to hide the fact that he was hungry. He had taken him along to a grocery shop and asked the shopkeeper to lend him some grocery and he will make the payment on his first salary.

Somehow, a new independent life had started but as usual his bad luck was not ready to leave him alone, thus he had been asked to leave the job after passing of 3 months. He was on the road once again. Now he went to a cobbler nearby to find a job. The cobbler kept him along and taught him the basics of shoe making. Meanwhile he earned some money and sent back the borrowed amount (i.e INR 20/-) to the gentleman from whom it was taken. After spending 2-3 years there, he got a letter from the cousin to get back to Shimla. He thought maybe the cousin had changed and must be repenting on his past deeds therefore, he decided to get back to Shimla.

He went back to Shimla and handed over the entire money, earned during last couple of years to the cousin. Once the entire money was finished he was again kicked out. It was like a heart breaking moment for the young man but somehow he gathered his energy and tried to make a new start thus given an interview for a govt. job in Shimla and got selected as a 4th class job in a hospital in Rampur Bushehar (H.P). The boy had borrowed INR 20/- to go and join there. He had been entitled to a servant quarter but the borrowed money had already been finished and nothing was left to buy the groceries, thus he spent more than 48 hours without the food. When he entered one of his senior’s chamber he was looking bit sad, senior had asked, how was your last night? He said it was fine but during the conversation the senior had realised that the boy was trying to hide the fact that he was hungry. He had taken him along to a grocery shop and asked the shopkeeper to lend him some grocery and he will make the payment on his first salary.

Somehow, a new a new independent life had started but as usual his bad luck was not ready to leave him alone, thus he had been asked to leave the job after passing of 3 months. He was on the road once again. Now he went to a cobbler nearby to find a job. The cobbler kept him along and taught him the basics of shoe making. Meanwhile he earned some money and sent back the borrowed amount (i.e INR 20/-) to the gentleman from whom it was taken. After spending 2-3 years there, he got a letter from the cousin to get back to Shimla. He thought maybe the cousin had changed and  must be repenting on his past deeds therefore, he decided to get back to Shimla.

He went back to Shimla and handed over the entire money, earned during last couple of years to the cousin. Once the entire money was finished he was again kicked out. It was like a heart breaking moment for the young man but somehow he gathered his energy and tried to make a new start thus given an interview for a govt. job in Shimla and got selected as a 4th class employee on a payroll of INR 50/- per month. The cousin had got the information that the young man had again started earning thus he approached him once again and made him pursued to live together but it was the height as he was keeping the entire salary and the young man was struggling even for basic requirements. He thought, it was the time to say a final goodbye to the cousin before starting independent living.

While leaving independently he earned and saved a sum of INR 1100/- and got married to a poor girl named as Mrs. Mohindro Devi in 1960. Since the girl was from a BPL family thus she was having a sense of understanding as how pathetic her husband’s life was? As we know that perfect matches are always made up in heaven thus they could be considered a similar kind of match. Now the young man was no longer alone as there was someone to take care and support him. After passing of 5 years married life they had blessed with their first child.

The young man had started thinking that he got no property, no social status. He had always been treated like an underdog by the society and if he would do nothing to change that status than it would be for sure that his progeny would have to go through the same life pattern or even more pathetic. He planned to fight against those circumstances by gaining higher studies.

He had realised that it was almost 16 years, when he had taken his last education, he equally analysed his family condition and finally the time left for the final board examination which was not more than 2 month.

Further,to get the moral support he had shared the vital thought with his wife and she had given an expected answer. She said don’t worry about me and the infant, I will get back to my parental home but to feed the baby and myself I will do some labor job as I do not want to depend on them, you just concentrate on your goal. Through this magical support the young man had decided to go for the studies. He went to a scrape dealer and bought used syllabus books on economical rates and also arranged board examination fee (including late fee charges) and made his first step to success. He worked harder, managed his 24 hours in such a way so that he could utilise the maximum part of the same for studies. He had forgotten everything to do excel in studies and finally passed his 8th standard examination with 2nd division, it was special for him because it was achieved after a long gap of 16 years.

The young man had lost in studies and the gentle lady was doing hard labor so as to enable her husband to pursue his studies. To make a little justice to the struggle made by the gentle lady, below portrait from all time favorite movie from Indian cinema would be quite enough. She served as a maid in several houses; she delivered clay at construction sites by doing wages with donkey. She worked in sugarcane fields in short she had also made maximum usage of her 24 hours as she was committed to provide good life to her three children including 2 Sons (born in 1965 and 1969 respectively) and 1 Daughter (born in 1971).

The parallel struggle at both ends was going on, husband was making full efforts to earn good education year after the year thus completed his secondary education with 1st position and thereafter moved towards higher studies. He finally achieved topper position in Prabhakar (the higher education of that time) resulting which he had been promoted as a clerk at the office of Block Education Officer, Ponta Sahib (H.P). He had spent almost 3 years in that office and tried to get a job in his dream office (H.P. Secretariat, Shimla) as it was the place where he had been humiliated like anything by the superiors. During the course of time H.P. Secretariat had called some interview for departmental candidates. The young man had appeared for the interview and got selected to work in his dream office.

Now it was his turn to take the revenge for the humiliation faced during previous tenure but as a part of his strong values he had found his own way to take the revenge. He approached to a best draper of the town and told him that he needs a stylish suit which could raise his achievements as a gentleman. Now he made the entrance to the office with full style and elegance which suits to an achiever and the former superiors had got the answer automatically and it was proved once again that “success is the best revenge”.

Now the deprived family had made its position in the society by defeating all the hurdles, imposed by the time. The last quarter of the calendar year 1974 was about to start when the couple had blessed with their final child (The author of this story and the founder of this common platform). After serving through different internal departments the gentleman had retired from the post of Superintend in 1995 and received a grand ceremonial welcome arranged by the family and accompanied by the well wishers.

As a father he settled the career of his children and now they are enjoying a very good married and social life. The family tree of an orphan has become huge in size now which includes his spouse, 3 sons, 3 daughter-in laws, 1 daughter, 1 son-in law, 8 grand sons, 2 grand- daughters and 1 grand-son-in-law.

Crux of the story: - “No matter, how alone you are, how less resources you have and how many times, you had been ignored? Just follow your heart, keep your eyes on the goal and you will find a way to the success of your choice”.