Empty pocket, full heart

Empty pocket, full heart

It was a winter night. The fog was dense, as if the whole world was hidden in a white sheet. On the side of the road, a ten-year-old boy, Raju, was shivering with cold in tattered clothes. His feet were bare, lips were dry, and there was such a pain of hunger in his eyes, which was difficult to describe in words.

His stomach was empty since morning. Even after begging the whole day, he did not get anything to eat. Some people would scold him in anger, while some would laugh and move on. But no one was able to see his hunger.

He saw a shop on the side of the road, where hot samosas were being fried. The fragrance was increasing the fire in his stomach. He slowly went near the shop and started staring at the samosas.

"Hey! Why are you staring?" The shopkeeper stared at him.

"I am hungry..." Raju's voice was trembling.

"Get away from here! You have come to give away freebies!" said the shopkeeper and pushed him away.

Raju stumbled but did not say anything. Tears welled up in his eyes. He sat quietly on the pavement and held his stomach tightly with his hands. Hunger had now turned into pain.

After some time, a young boy passed by. He did not seem to be from a rich family, but there was a sense of belonging on his face. He looked at Raju and thought something and came and sat beside him.

"Are you hungry?" asked the boy softly.

Raju nodded but did not say anything.

The boy took out a packet from his bag and took out hot roti and sabzi from it and offered it to Raju.

Raju's eyes sparkled. He quickly grabbed the roti and started eating. He was so hungry that he did not even care who the person was and why he was helping him.

After eating, Raju looked at the boy carefully for the first time.

"Who are you?"

The boy smiled, "My name is Aman. I used to sleep on the footpath like you. But now I am better."

Raju was surprised. "You also used to sleep hungry?"

Aman nodded. "Yes, but then someone helped me and got me admitted to school. I studied, and now I work in a hotel."

For Raju, this was nothing less than a dream.

"Can I also study?" he asked hopefully.

Aman smiled and caressed his head. "If you work hard, then definitely!"

Aman decided to take Raju with him. He spoke to the hotel owner and got Raju a small cleaning job there. In return, he got two meals a day and a small hut.

Now Raju's life was not the same as before. He would work in the hotel in the morning and study from Aman at night. Aman taught him to recognize letters, teach him to write numbers.

Gradually, Raju started understanding words. He was good at studies. After a few years, Aman got him admitted in a school.

Raju was growing up now. He had understood that if a person works hard and gets support from someone, then life can change.

Time passed. Raju completed his studies and became a waiter in a hotel. Now he also started earning money.

One day, when he was working in the hotel, he saw a small child outside, who was sitting on the roadside and shivering with hunger.

Raju remembered his childhood. Without thinking, he put his hand in his pocket, but there were only a few coins in it. Still, he brought two rotis from the hotel and put them in the child's hand.

The child looked at him with tearful eyes and asked, "Who are you?"

Raju smiled and said, "A hungry person, who has understood the pain of hunger."

"Be rich not by wealth, but by heart. If someone is hungry, give him food. Many lamps can be lit from one spark.”