The Gift

This is a mere story which is based on a video shared to me by a social media friend. Characters and places everything is completely imaginary.

Muzu is waiting for the rice. Uncle Biru has asked him to have his meal in his house. It’s nearly three days Muzu could not have a grain of rice. He had to take the bread of corn and with a bit pickles. Muzu is now alone, completely alone in the world. His father died a week back. He has no brother,no sister and his mother sacrificed her life to bring him on the earth. Muzu has not crossed eight winters till now, but none is there to take care of him.

Radhika, the wife of uncle of Biru, brought a full plate of hot rice and to his astonishment, Muzu saw a large baked potato is there. Aunt Radhika warmly brushed his rough hairs with her finger and affectionately asked Muzu  -Muzu, come here and sit, I will feed you the rice in my own hand. After a week of his father’s death, Muzu suddenly felt that for the first time his tears are rolling down his cheeks. Radhika brought him nearer to her and hugged him warmly-Don’t cry Muzu I’m with you.  Today in the morning Muzu started walking aimlessly. He doesn’t know where to go but becoming breathless to stay in his thatched hut. At night the oldest man of his hamlet Bumra comes to accompany Muzu and for a long time, he laments for Muzu’s father, about the dark future of Muzu until the opium he is habituated to take brings sleep and lie down beside Muzu. Every day he says – Be a man as quickly as possible. I cannot come every night to guard you. Muzu doesn’t know how to be a man so fast. Every one of the hamlets of the valley which is surrounded by hillocks is very poor and somehow manages their living. Though they have pity for poor Muzu but helpless they are to rear him up. So Muzu started walking. He once heard from his father that far away is a railway station that leads to a town, a very big town if anyone can reach there somehow, he can get a lot of foods as there everyone has a way to earn.

So Muzu keeps on walking but he doesn’t realise how far he is to reach the railway station, suddenly he heard someone is calling Muzu …. Muzu …… So Muzu stopped and saw uncle Biru, coming down from a shortcut path through the bushes of the hillock. –Where are you going Muzu? Muzu himself doesn’t know where he is going. He looked vacantly and remained silent.

Muzu starts living with Uncle Biru, Aunt Radhika and their little daughter Munni. But uncle also has to toil hard to earn food for all. So Muzu starts working as much as he can. He every day in the morning goes out with the goats of the uncle Biru to graze in the jungle and field nearby. Radhika repeatedly asks him not to go far. But Muzu never minds and let the goats roam as they will. He loves jungle he finds freedom in nature and  little Muzu loss himself in an unknown world. He watches minutely the jungle, nature, he feels them in his heart. Sometimes he feels the sky, the land, the jungle everything is calling him. But he can’t understand what they like to say.

One day being tired he falls asleep under a tree but suddenly wakes up and saw an unknown man beside him who is asking something in an unknown language that he was not at all legible to him. He never saw such a people before. The man understood that the boy could not read what he was saying to him, so he tried his best to speak in Muzu’s language which Muzu somehow understood that the man was asking for shelter here for the night. Muzu told him to follow him and thought uncle-Biru knows a lot, so he can help the man. That day Muzu came far off the uncle Biru’s house to graze the goats. He gathered all the goats and started to return hurriedly. ‘Aunt Radhika is sure will be anxious for me as it will be late to reach home’- Muzu felt ashamed. He knows very well that aunty loves him like her son.

Uncle Biru is talking with the man. He feels that the man has no uneasiness in such a situation and talking with uncle Biru as if he knows him for a long time. Muzu felt very tired and his eyes became heavy with deep sleep. Next day when he woke up he could not see that man and uncle Biru too.  Early in the morning, they went away.  He does not know what the man discussed with uncle Biru but when after two days uncle Biru returned realized that the man acquired a place in his heart. Uncle Biru called Muzu –Muzu, come to me. Do you like to go to town and join a school? You will get a chance to be a real man, you will be able to read, write and no one will be able to deceive you.” Muzu realized the pain of uncle Biru. The landlord has deceived him and snatched his land as Biru could not check the paper what was written there where he was putting his thumb impression. Muzu suddenly felt the jungle, the sky everything is whispering something in his ears which he cannot understand.

Muzu is returning home. He has just completed his training and got the license of a pilot. Uncle Biru is a now an old man and proud of his son Muzu. Up to the farthest area of the remote village of Biru, no one has gone up to this level of education what Muzu has proved. It still is a dream to Muzu. God sent that man and he is sure the man came that day to meet Muzu only and to change his life. Otherwise, the man, a very rich man from the West and who was living a lavish life why would get call of Lord Buddha and lost the way to reach the monastery where he aimed to reach and by chance met Muzu who was then asleep under a tree! Everything was like a story. The man adopted Buddhism and vowed to work for the betterment of the people of the nearby area of the monastery. He built schools, health centres and so many things. The man did not forget uncle Biru as he helped to reach the monastery where he was determined to go. At best Muzu saw the man four to five times so far. He never tried to speak with him but the man whenever came met him- though spoke very few words but always assured him to be by his side. Every moment he feels that what he is now – all the credits go to Uncle Biru and his family and the God sent man Mr Mathias. This time Muzu determined to take Uncle Biru and aunty with him and to live the remaining days of their lives with him.

Muzu was ready to take off, he was talking with the co-pilot Morris who accompanied him many times. He was checking the passenger list. Suddenly he stuck to a name -Mathias. He asked the flight attendant to ask him personally if he actually of the city Bergen of Norway. The attendant did as he was asked to do by the captain of the flight. Muzu then took the microphone of the passenger addressing system and announced – Good evening I’m captain Muzu, soon we are taking off but before that, I like to share and celebrate one great moment of my life with you. I’m honoured and feel the great moment of my life as Mr Mathias is travelling with us on the flight where I’m the captain. And it is he who changed the life of an orphan who lived in a hamlet and made him a successful pilot. His guidance -his care and his teachings are the most precious blessings of my life. I like to express my gratitude to him and like to present him a bouquet on behalf of me and my colleagues. I request you for a  standing ovation and a big hand for him.

Immediately after that, Muzu came out of the cokpit and the senior flight attendant accompanied him. Everyone stood up and applauded whenMuzu handed him the bouquet and hugged him warmly. Mr Mathias could not stop his tears to roll down and grabbed the bouquet.