“I’m the unluckiest female in the whole world.”Rani repeated a hundred times each day.
In the morning when it was time to go to school she hated climbing on to the cycle-rickshaw which her mother had arranged for.
“Why not an auto or the school-bus instead?”she argued.”It’s so awful wheeling down the roads in that open , roofless rut.The entire town keeps gaping at me—the poor unlucky girl!”
“There’s no point arguing with you”her mother sighed helplessly.”You know we don’t have money to throw about and…….”
“And what?”Rani raged.”I’m not asking you for the sky.No money! No money! When will we ever get rich like others!”
“We are rich within our limits.”her mother clarified.”Now stop these silly accusations and get going to school.”
Rani stomped around, created a scene,before climbing on to the cycle-rickshaw, in reluctance.She pulled a long face all along the way to school and as she neared, she asked the rickshawala to stop a certain distance away from the gate so that her friends who came in chauffer driven cars didn’t spot her.
“How lucky they are?” she mumbled, gaping in awe at the posh cars that came one after the other down the road.”It’s just that God is unfair.I’ll never thank him again.”
Cycle-rickshaw on one side, worse still was the weekend scooter ride.
Rani loathed the idea of their family of four zooming down the streets of the city, packed over one ramshackle of a scooter.It had been her father’s favourite vehicle for ages and he never thought of buying anything better.
“But he has to buy himself a car now.”Rani argued with her mother.”If he doesn’t I’m not going out with you people again.”
“But Rani, cars don’t come cheap.”her mother tried to reason with a pinch in her throat.”And you very well know that your father can’t afford to buy one now.”
“But everybody has a car these days.”Rani angered.”Except us.”
“But there are many who don’t even have a scooter,have you noticed that?”her mother retorted firmly.”We must be happy for what we have rather than crib about what we don’t.”
“You might be happy, but I’m not.”Rani blurted out.”Other than a rich name you people have given me nothing.Rani—the Queen, hunh!”
Her mother shook her head in desperation.Feeling lost, she quietly prayed God for a solution.Her prayers were more or less heard the following week-end when her husband decided to take the family to the beach.
“Get ready everybody!” he announced as soon as he came back from his office.”Let’s go to the beach and have fun.”
“I want to buy balloons!”his three year old son demanded.”And swing on the Merry-Go-Round.”
“Okay.wish granted.”father said with a smile as he lifted the cheerful boy.”Papa has some money today which he intends to spend on the family.”
“So, Rani, tell me what would you like to buy?”he asked turning to his daughter.”I know you love bhelpuri but you can buy the other chats, icecreams, whatever you wish to.Today it’s your day.”
“Hunnh!”Rani snorted.to herself ”My Day! Have I ever eaten anywhere else other than the streets and beach-side?” and then in a louder tone she announced.”I don’t want to go.I’m down with a head-ache.”
“A stroll over the beach will do a lot of good for your head-ache.”her mother almost dragged her out.”Don’t make a fuss and just get on to the scooter
Without a choice left, grumpily,Rani placed one leg over the pedal and lifted the other across the seat so that she was positioned right behind her Dad.Her mother sat next, sandwiched between her and the stephny.Her little brother stood at the front like a flag post and off went the family of four zooming down the busy streets on their week-end outing.
The more Rani tried to hide her face from public, the more she found herself being stared at—especially at the traffic signals.Her father’s scooter was one of it’s kind amongst a stream of polished cars wherein girls of her age were dressed up in skirts and high heels,stretching their buttery bodies in the coolness of the A.C. She could spot them glancing at her and pitying probably as they continued to sip tall glasses of chilled coke.
“Lucky they!”Rani gasped.”Even their dogs are lucky.See the way they are pampered inside those Opels and Esteems and Hondas.Only if we lucky enough! Only if we also had a car….!”
“My Scooter is better anytime.”her father cut her off with reason.”Don’t you think we are lucky enough to be much more closer to Nature, riding in a open vehicle with so much fresh air around us?.”
“Lucky, hunh…Rani grumbled and mumbled and the more she complained, the more she sulked and the more she sulked, the more she became dejected.
In one of these miserable moods, she reached the beach and as the family alighted from the trotting two-wheeler, Rani walked a certain distance away to be to herself for a while.It was then that she happened to spot a beautiful face peeping out of a brand new Mercedes Benz parked close by.The girl’s parents had got down and were searching for something inside the dickie.
Rani gazed intently at the girl and began envying her.
How lucky !”she muttered, her regular statement.”So much to boast!And what’s that?Looks like diamonds punched into her earlobes and there’s one twinkling over her neck too.!Looks like she’s the only daughter. Pampered probably.Spoilt . Treated like a princess.Hunh! Some people have everything under the sun, not like me.” and she cursed as she threw a glance at her meager family advancing towards a reduced Chat-Stall.
She was about to turn her back in desperation and follow her family, when she spotted the back-seat door of the silver Benz open suddenly.The parents of the girl who were near the dickie, came rushing over in a sort of panic.Probably the beautiful girl had jammed her heels or something.Rani walked a few steps closer and what she saw there next, transfixed her entire self for sometime.
The pretty lucky girl rolling in diamonds was being carefully lifted up by four tender hands , as they placed her on to a wheel-chair taken out of the dickie, and after having strapped her tilting head and arms to keep them in position , the agonized parents walked down the silver sands, wheeling their special child towards Nature’s temperament.
Rani stood rooted to the spot, gaping at what she had just witnessed.
“How foolish I’ve been so far!” she told herself.”I kept running after a mirage which never existed and in doing so I forgot to notice the little stream flowing next to me.I have been blessed with so many boons and yet I kept thinking I was unlucky all the time!”
She turned to where her family was stationed and ran towards them.
“Hey chat wallah!” she hailed to the rundown chap.”Get me a bhel puri, A sev papdi, A pav bhaji, A channa masala, and and…everything that you have in your stall.I feel like a glutton today.Afterall it’s my day, isn’t it Papa?” and she turned to her father with a genuine smile.
The more Rani tried to hide her face from public, the more she found herself being stared at—especially at the traffic signals.Her father’s scooter was one of it’s kind amongst a stream of polished cars wherein girls of her age were dressed up in skirts and high heels,stretching their buttery bodies in the coolness of the A.C. She could spot them glancing at her and pitying probably as they continued to sip tall glasses of chilled coke.
“Lucky they!”Rani gasped.”Even their dogs are lucky.See the way they are pampered inside those Opels and Esteems and Hondas.Only if we lucky enough! Only if we also had a car….!”
“My Scooter is better anytime.”her father cut her off with reason.”Don’t you think we are lucky enough to be much more closer to Nature, riding in a open vehicle with so much fresh air around us?.”
“Lucky, hunh…Rani grumbled and mumbled and the more she complained, the more she sulked and the more she sulked, the more she became dejected.
In one of these miserable moods, she reached the beach and as the family alighted from the trotting two-wheeler, Rani walked a certain distance away to be to herself for a while.It was then that she happened to spot a beautiful face peeping out of a brand new Mercedes Benz parked close by.The girl’s parents had got down and were searching for something inside the dickie.
Rani gazed intently at the girl and began envying her.
How lucky !”she muttered, her regular statement.”So much to boast!And what’s that?Looks like diamonds punched into her earlobes and there’s one twinkling over her neck too.!Looks like she’s the only daughter. Pampered probably.Spoilt . Treated like a princess.Hunh! Some people have everything under the sun, not like me.” and she cursed as she threw a glance at her meager family advancing towards a reduced Chat-Stall.
She was about to turn her back in desperation and follow her family, when she spotted the back-seat door of the silver Benz open suddenly.The parents of the girl who were near the dickie, came rushing over in a sort of panic.Probably the beautiful girl had jammed her heels or something.Rani walked a few steps closer and what she saw there next, transfixed her entire self for sometime.
The pretty lucky girl rolling in diamonds was being carefully lifted up by four tender hands , as they placed her on to a wheel-chair taken out of the dickie, and after having strapped her tilting head and arms to keep them in position , the agonized parents walked down the silver sands, wheeling their special child towards Nature’s temperament.
Rani stood rooted to the spot, gaping at what she had just witnessed.
“How foolish I’ve been so far!” she told herself.”I kept running after a mirage which never existed and in doing so I forgot to notice the little stream flowing next to me.I have been blessed with so many boons and yet I kept thinking I was unlucky all the time!”
She turned to where her family was stationed and ran towards them.
“Hey chat wallah!” she hailed to the rundown chap.”Get me a bhel puri, A sev papdi, A pav bhaji, A channa masala, and and…everything that you have in your stall.I feel like a glutton today.Afterall it’s my day, isn’t it Papa?” and she turned to her father with a genuine smile.
Just like Rani realised her folly and welcomed destiny with a smile, let's also count our blessings and be happy forever. So, till my next post, keep smiling.
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