It is an interesting story – the
story of a successful young man who turned an admirable social volunteer. While
on a trip out, we met this father of the Youngman. As is typical of Indians to
discuss in detail as to what our children are up to, we ended up asking the
father about his son. Here’s the story:
The son finished Marine
Engineering and joined a shipping company that paid him a handsome three
hundred thousand rupees plus a month. The youngster sailed around the world and
of course made his dough too. One fine day, few years later, he called up dad
to say he is quitting. Dad thought perhaps he has found a better job, the
brilliant son that he was! The next call the son made was from a remote tribal
village off in the wild hills of Eastern Ghats, in the
heart of Tamil Nadu. Son told his father that he now lived with the tribal
children and was happy that he could actually do something to get them
education! He invited his parents to visit him in the wild.
The obviously upset but curious
parents went up the hills to meet their son. It was not just the wilds. They
had to trek many hours to reach the hamlet where he lived. There were just
straw huts, mud tracks and oil wick lamps (only those who could afford it).
Children were half clad, elders barely clothed and the smog of poverty and
illiteracy was palpable. As they approached the hamlet, they found the minor
children of the hamlet rushed up to him calling him by his name. The elder
children and adults of the hamlet came out to greet him with the joyful glee of
someone who found his long-lost kin! The innocent and unadulterated adoration
and affection that they poured on him was infectious. The apprehension and
doubt that had compelled the parents to undertake the journey melted like the morning
mist! Seeing the joy of those innocent children and realizing how much their
son mattered to them, the parents forgot about their worries and indulged.
After staying for a while with him in the hamlet and lending their moral
support to his cause, they returned back to their city home, elated that their
son has done them proud.
As narrated by the father, their
son has now volunteered to work with MSF and is setting up camp in Sudan,
after a stint of training with MSF in Germany!
Each of us takes our call on life
in our own way. Most of the young men that we come across are dialing life
desperately for success in terms of money. Hardly ever you come across a parent
who teaches his child anything but the technique to dial for more money in
their life. And then you come across someone who dials life because he wants to
live it! Not to say that money is unimportant. But such callers perhaps have
realized that money is not everything in life. When one knows how much is good
enough, I suppose he ends up dialing life to seek and indulge in its glory
further. To some such realization comes either pretty late in life; to some,
never at all. But the story of this Youngman convinces me that there are few
who find the call and get connected when young.
The other day my wife was
narrating couple of lines from Sri Ramana Maharishi’s sayings:
“There is no conflict between
work and wisdom”.
“Man’s real nature is happiness.
Happiness is inborn in the true self. His search for happiness is an
unconscious search for his true self. The true self is imperishable; therefore,
when a man finds it, he finds a happiness that does not come to an end”.
Perhaps this young man has begun
on a journey that will demonstrate the work-wisdom connection. The heart will
go where the soul wills it to reach. We were glad that we met such a parent who
understood the inner call his child has taken and turned into a source of
inspiration for him to seek what he must eventually find!
