Friday 15 September 2017

Short Story 2017 Longlist Vikas Sharma

Art of Living

Those days I was working in a school as a teacher. There was transport  facility for students and teachers of school. Once I came back from school in another bus because I had some work on the route of that bus .In bus, I saw one of the lady teacher of our school was talking to a student of sixth class.She was shaking hands with boy saying and asking him that they were friends means that lady teacher and the boy.The boy gave a nod with a smile. He was happy in that company.

Other teachers and students also had fun talking to him. They were asking their own names from the boy in fun. She told the boy pointing towards me that I was also Dass (a caste). The boy looked at me and asked if I was.I replied in some funny way because I was not Dass actually.Then she asked the boy to sing a song for me as she told him that I was Dass like the boy.The boy sang a Bengali song 'Ekla chalo re, Ekla chalo re'. All these moments were entertaining for us.But somewhere I was feeling bad for the boy though the boy had a smiling face.

Later on, when bus started  she told me that the boy is Bengali and also simple minded since birth.She was doing all this with the boy so that behaviour of other students making a fun of him don't hurt him.On the way,bus dropped him at his bus stop. He waved a good bye to all with smiling face.

The teacher also told us one more poignant incident of her one student who was in primary class.That boy had lost his mother few years back.She talked him with affection and the boy also met and wished her happily.Once in bus he asked about her birthday.She told the date of her birthday,taking it as usual.On her birthday the boy came and gave a gift to her.The teacher got emotional and asked him why he spent money for the gift and how he came to know about her birthday.The boy said, ''Once I asked you about it in the bus and later on I thought to give you a gift on your birthday,'' I remembered the same. Please accept it. She accepted it and thanked  the boy. The boy left from there.

 She burst into tears and also everyone who listened this incident from her .The boy got attached with teacher and somewhere he found  her like his mother. Human is a beautiful creature of  the God.He made us  to spread love,affection and every good thing which we can share with others.But in today's time everybody is in a hurry. We do not  have time for such things even to think about. Still we have people like the teacher in the above incidents who know this art of  living though they also live in same society and face the similar problems as others are facing .If we can not give happiness to others then at least we can do one thing not to create problems for others.

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