LIFE, VISION AND MISSION.

There was an article titled “Veer’s grandson found begging” in the Deccan Herald dated 14th January 2007.

Here Veer is referred to great freedom fighter Veer Savarkar. His grandson Praful was found begging near Pune. The interesting thing is Praful is an IIT graduate and had worked in an Indo-German company at Thailand and also in Aditya Birla Group Company.

Praful’s misery started when he met with an accident and got burnt while handling some instrument and was in hospital for 6 years. He had another powerful blow of fate in 2002 when his wife and son were killed in an accident. Though he survived the accident, trauma had taken over him completely.
However after recovering from the great trauma, he was able to recollect the past. He had even worked as a night watchman in a shop and later lost that job as well forcing him onto the street to beg for a living. Maharashtra Nava Nirman Sena is currently helping to rehabilitate him.

What inference we can draw from this incident?

Legacy of parentage will not help much. Normally we crib that our parents should have done this or that so that we would be having better life. Look what happened to Praful. Being a grandson of a famous personality did not make his life bed of roses.
Educational qualifications alone may also be of not much worth.
Now the counter view -point may suggest that Praful was identified and rehabilitated only because of his heritage. But many destitute children are being rehabilitated by Madonna. Do they have great heritage?
Then coming to education – what about Thomas Alva Edison and Abraham Lincoln. Consider the recent example of Bill Gates, Dhirubhai Ambani and yes even Lalu Prasad Yadav. Till the other day he was the butt of many jokes. Now even IIM and Harvard educated people listen to him attentively.

So the whole crux of the issue is “What I am doing and what I have to do” will only decide how I live my life and nothing else. Definitely not what ‘others’ did or doing. The ‘others’ include parents, spouse, siblings, neighbours, teachers, friends and relatives.

Interestingly all these people referred to as others will extend help and nurture the person who is very clear about ‘what he is doing and what he has to do’.

So, clear vision of self is the greater mission of life.
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