My Special Friend

My Special Friend

One cold winter night, covered in old dirty rags in bare foot holding his mother’s pallu came my little special friend for alms to my door. This was the first time we met. He was hardly five then. As soon as I asked his name he buried his face in his mother’s pallu and gave me a naïve smile moving his hand over his curled greasy hair. I asked his mom about his name and found it to be Chotu. It was very cold that night and I couldn’t see the child suffer in that harsh weather so I went inside and brought a shawl and wrapped it around his little shoulders. His eyes sparkled and he gave me a smile that was so pure and un plastic. After this incident we didn’t meet for many days.

My Second Meeting:

I was returning home from college and I suddenly felt like someone calling me Akka.. I turned back and found my friend. I was very happy seeing him after days. He took my hand and gave me a flower...I was surprised and asked me why he gave me the flower he said he likes me, I felt so happy. I asked him to come to my home as I have something to give him. He said he will come with his mother and left.

He came along with his mother that night and I gave him a box and asked him to open it, as he opened he found a new pair shoes and he was surprised. He wore it and ran on the street in joy shouting loud that Akka got me new shoes. After this we became good friends. Since, then every evening he used to come with his mother and I used to give him chocolates, clothes etc. etc.

One Diwali day, he came alone and when asked about his mother he said that she’s sick and is in the hospital. I gave him Pulihora. He said that he’s very hungry and asked me to put it in his mouth. I hesitated a little bit but I understood the child’s hunger and did like he said. After finishing the entire bowl of Pulihora he gave me a smile and said as his mother was not there he asked me to do like her. He said that he misses his mother so much and his mother is sick because of his abusive father. Tears rolled down my cheeks, I felt like hugging him and saying that “I’ll take you away from this extreme poverty and give you all love in this world-let the family, society say whatever they want, but I’ll not leave you.”

That was the last time he came to me, that was our last meeting. I waited for him for so many evenings but he never returned. Later, I found from someone that the boy’s mother died that Diwali night and his father took the kid with him to some other place. I was very sad and even cried a lot holding my sister remembering our friendship, that smile, that innocence and my inability to help him.

Even today whenever I visit my hometown memories of Chotu flash before my eyes. I still remember that smile it was so true and made me understand the true meaning of happiness. Even today when someone asks me the meaning of happiness I say it as the joy, the spark that we find in someone’s eyes when we make them happy by helping them.

I dedicate this snippet for my special friend.

Thank You!!

 

Thank you Mistt. I am so happy.

 

Dear Satchi Mam,
Thank You for your feedback!! I wish i could meet him someday...Even my mom tells me the same that we both had some karma bandhana.

 

Thank You Mam!