TIRUKKURAL STORY 4

पयन थूक्कार सेइद उदवी नयन थूक्किन

नन्मै कडलिर पेरिदु - तिरुक्कुरल १०३

Payan thookkar seida udavi nayan thookkin

nanmai kadalir peridu - Tirukkural 103

The value of help rendered by one who has not counted the cost, or the likely recompense, when assessed, is greater in magnitude than the oceans.

Karnavati express from Mumbai to Ahmedabad just stopped at Vadodara station. Jignesh and Payal were in A/C chair car with their 4 year old daughter Shital sitting next to them.

A porter entered the coach and lifted the luggage from the luggage carrier. The moment Payal saw him, she got up from her seat, lifter her child on her hands and moved towards the porter.

“Rameshbhai, kem cho? See this is my daughter”. Immediately the porter, Rameshbhai said “sister, I will come back within five minutes”. When he went back Payal came back to her seat. But Jignesh was looking serious and angry.

“What was the need to go to a porter and call him bhai and talk so closely”.

Payal started saying “you know dear, it took ten years of our married life to have this little girl. You know what was our position when she was born. We had just moved out to Mumbai and with great difficulty eking out our life”.

She was in her advanced stage of pregnancy. She and her mother were traveling from Mumbai to Ahmedabad by a non A/C coach. She was expected to deliver in another 3 days. The time was about four in the morning. And she developed severe pain. And the train touched Vadodara station.

The mother and daughter thought that it was better to get down. And Rameshbhai was the first to help. His hut was just on the other side of the railway track. He took them carefully there and the child was delivered in his hut.

By the time Payal reminded Jignesh about this incident, he was feeling quite uncomfortable. He said “We cannot always think about the past and such petty things. Forget it. I told you right from the beginning that we shall go by flight. Because of you, I had to travel by this bloody train”.

By then Rameshbhai came inside and close to their seats. Jignesh took ten rupees from his purse and handed over to Rameshbhai. He hesitated to take the money. Jignesh pressed it into his hand.

He immediately left saying “I will be back in a minute”.
Soon he came back with a biscuit pocket, costing fourteen rupees, gave it to Shital and said “your mama never got anything for you in the last four years”.

By then the train was about to leave, he said “goodbye” and got down. Payal felt “Never in my life, I will forget him. What he did for me is worth more than all the oceans put together”.

Jignesh took the biscuit pocket from his daughter and was keenly looking at the brand and manufacturing date. But he could find no problem.