Ranjan climbed up to the wall of the terrace of his fifty storey apartment building in Navi Mumbai. The images of his life flashed before him like a cinema movie film. He began recollecting his life with tears in his eyes. Ranjan was a small town boy who lived with his parents, grand parents and six siblings. His father worked as a peon in the post office. He struggled to make their ends meet as he had a large family to support.
However he did his best to provide the best education to all his children. Ranjan was brilliant in his studies from the very beginning. He secured top ranks in his class always. Gradually he climbed up the success ladder and got admission in IIT Delhi, one of the premier institutes of our country. As expected he graduated with flying colors. Ranjan got job offer in a multinational company in Mumbai. He joined there as an employee. Ranjan was young, dynamic and very good looking. Apart from his intellectual qualities, he was also a very good human being, who helped everyone and anyone in need! All these things made the young and beautiful daughter of the company, to fall in love with him.
The boss of the company was initially sceptical about their relationship, but gradually he realized that it is hard to find a good match like Ranjan for his daughter. Though Ranjan had no money, he was rich in all the other qualities that a good match should have. So finally he gave his consent. After his marriage, Ranjan was made the director of the company. He however was not carried away by his luck and worked sincerely and took his business forward. Things went on quite smoothly till twenty years passed. Now Ranjan was a middle aged man with two children-one son and a daughter. His business had also increased by leaps and bounds.
However during this time tragedy struck. The sudden demise of his mother left him heart broken. He had not even revived from this loss that tragedy struck again. A business strategy backfired and he was turned overnight into a bankrupt! Since two years there had been constant arguments with his wife as Ranjan was not able to devote time to her and their children due to the increase in his work. He never attended the school and college parents teachers meetings of their children and never went to any parties. His social life was totally zero. All these made Ranjan a sad and dejected person and the once jovial man now always wore a gloomy morose look!
Day-by-day his situations went on becoming more grave. He tried to find solace in spiritual teachings ; however a person who is in debt from his head to toe, seldom finds peace even if he is with God himself! Therefore one must always try to avoid loans as they take the life out of a person if the person is unable to repay back the amount on time! With each day becoming a burden to live on in this material world, Ranjan finally took out his purse and kissed his family picture in which his parents and wife and children, all were present and he always kept it in his purse.
Then the man who once was so strong mentally that he could have never contemplated suicide, was today standing on the outer walks of his building’s terrace. And then he took his last steps, forward!!
By: Sidhartha Mishra
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