Promise?
Posted December 1, 2008
on:- In: Fiction | Food for thought | Friendship | Kids | Life | Love | Relationship
- 55 Comments
My wife called, ‘How long will you be with that newspaper? Will you come here and make your darling daughter eat her food?
I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter, Sindu, looked frightened; tears were welling up in her eyes. In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with curd rice. Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age.
I cleared my throat and picked up the bowl. ‘Sindu, darling, why don’t you take a few mouthful of this curd rice? Just for Dad’s sake, dear?’
Sindu softened a bit and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. ‘Ok, Dad. I will eat – not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this. But, you should…’ Sindu hesitated. ‘Dad, if I eat this entire curd Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?’
‘Promise’. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal. Now I became a bit anxious. ‘Sindu, dear, you shouldn’t insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. Ok?’
‘No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive’. Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child to eat something that she detested.
After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation.. All our attention was on her.
‘Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!’ was her demand.
‘Atrocious!’ shouted my wife, ‘A girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!’
‘Never in our family!’ My mother rasped. ‘She has been watching too much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!’
‘Sindu, darling, why don’t you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.’
‘Please, Sindu, why don’t you try to understand our feelings?’ I tried to plead with her.
‘Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice’. Sindu was in tears.
‘And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honor our promises no matter what?’
It was time for me to call the shots. ‘Our promise must be kept.’
‘Are you out of your mind?’ chorused my mother and wife.
‘No. If we go back on ourpromises, she will never learn to honour her own.. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.’
With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked big and beautiful.
On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She turned around and waved. I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and shouted, ‘Sinduja, please wait for me!’ What struck me was the hairless head of that boy.
‘May be, that is the in-stuff’, I thought.
‘Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!’ Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, ‘that boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is suffering from… leukemia’. She paused to muffle her sobs. ‘Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates. Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take care of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.’
I stood transfixed and then, I wept. ‘My little Angel, you are teaching me how selfless real love is!’
P.S. This is not my creation. But sadly I don’t know who the author is, so am unable to give the credit. I loved the story and my eyes welled up while reading it! I wanted to share it with you guys, hope you like it too!
55 Responses to "Promise?"
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Wow .. Wonderful story !! ..
Children are always innocent and they always show selfless, undemanding love .. It’s us adults who are selfish and want something somewhere and that’s why we show love and affections .. Once we are grown up, whatever we do is intentional !! ..
By the way, that Richa from siliconIndia is back again to spam the comment section !! 😉
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Ya I have seen this story before and its a wonderful one….Touching and true…noble i can say….
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I remember reading this one before, in one of chain mail forwards.
A good story. Thanks for re-brushing my EQ.
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That is one touching story…
Sometimes kids teach us such wonderful lessons of selflessness ki we feel ashamed….
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Wonderful story, Sakhi!! Often children teach us a lot!
And ya, I was planning to do your tag after that “Bolt” review..but you know, that unfortunate Mumbai incident happened and I wanted to write on that. Would do it as my next post 🙂
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That is a very very beautiful story. There is so much we can learn from the pure feelings of children.
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You have been awarded and tagged :
http://vimalsparadise.blogspot.com/2008/12/couldnt-come-up-with-title.html
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This is the first time Im coming across this story. Whoever the real author is, he is blessed. I felt so touched reading it. Thanks for posting it here Sakhi.
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I had received this as a fwd email. Very touching indeed. Reminds that one should be giving at times.
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A sweet little thing waits for you out here
http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/2008/12/when-its-khiccdi-post.html
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Interview Request
Hello Dear and Respected,
I hope you are fine and carrying on the great work you have been doing for the Internet surfers. I am Ghazala Khan from The Pakistani Spectator (TPS), We at TPS throw a candid look on everything happening in and for Pakistan in the world. We are trying to contribute our humble share in the webosphere. Our aim is to foster peace, progress and harmony with passion.
We at TPS are carrying out a new series of interviews with the notable passionate bloggers, writers, and webmasters. In that regard, we would like to interview you, if you don’t mind. Please send us your approval for your interview at my email address “ghazala.khi at gmail.com”, so that I could send you the Interview questions. We would be extremely grateful.
regards.
Ghazala Khan
The Pakistani Spectator
http://www.pakspectator.com
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hey tears welled up in my eyes too as i reachd da end.. its really vry touching..
Sakhi: yeah, i felt that way too!
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Hey that was awsome story..
i just couldn stop my tears flowing.
Indeed very touchy n Act of selfless love 🙂
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1 | Sharad Bapat
December 1, 2008 at 3:57 pm
I had read this one before
A touching story indeed, selfless love , so rare to see.
Wish one could carry on the selfless love of childhood to adulthood too.
Hats off to Sindhu!!
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