sanjaygargish

· 26 Feb 2023

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Sometimes letting go is the best course of action.

Yesterday I went for a haircut. Akhtar, my barber for the last twenty years, gave a short smile on seeing me.

"Aadab masterji (teacher). You have come after a while. Hope you're fine." said Akhtar, in his seventies.

"Aadab chacha (uncle). I'm good. I was just waiting for the weather to become pleasant." I said.

He then motioned me to sit on a wooden, cushioned chair underneath an old, majestic "Amaltas" tree.

While he was cutting my hair, I noticed something amiss about his behaviour.

Always a great talker, yesterday he was not chatting at all. I could even perceive sadness in his eyes.

"Chacha, are you fine?" I asked.

"Master ji, I have lost my son to an accident last month." he said and wiped his tears with his shriveled hands.

"Oh! It's really very saddening. How the accident took place?" I inquired.

"My son was walking on the pedestrian path. Suddenly a speeding motorcycle hit him from behind. The motorcyclist fled and my son died on the spot. A passerby noted the motorcycle's number. I reported the matter to the police and gave the details of the culprit, his motorcycle." Chacha sobbed.

"Has the culprit been arrested?" I asked.

"No. I have found that the culprit is son of a high government official so the police is going slow on filing FIR, arresting the culprit. What should I do now master ji?"

"Chacha you have meagre resources. You can never take the culprit to court as his father is a high government official. The entire government machinery will ensure that the spoiled child's skin is saved. You will only waste your energy, money and time. Chacha, sometimes doing nothing is the best course of action. Let the Lord do the justice." I suggested.

"But will Lord do the justice? Does He listen to the poor?" he asked.

"Well, Draupadi tried her best to free herself from the clutches of Dushashan who was hell bent on disrobing her. But she couldn't succeed. It was only when she gave up and surrendered completely to the Lord that Lord Krishna came to her rescue." I said.

"Chacha, Can you see the beautiful yellow flowers of this "Amaltas" tree during winters?" I asked while pointing towards the tree.

"No. "Amaltas" trees bloom only in summers." he said innocently.

"You see, flowers and fruits are seen at due time and they never violate their time. Likewise, the good or bad actions would definitely show their good or bad results at an appropriate time.
Chacha, one must reap the fruits of one's deeds - sooner or later. There is no rescue!" I said and looked at the somewhat calm, wrinkled face of chacha.

~ Sanjay Gargish ~