Shyam, a successful farmer, owned acres of land where he cultivated various crops and raised livestock. He was well-respected by the farmers who worked for him, as he provided them with good incentives and often laboured alongside them in the fields. Shyam was married to Sitara, and they had two daughters and a son. They valued education and had enrolled their children in a school located in a neighbouring town.
Shyam was known for his devout nature and would celebrate religious festivals with great enthusiasm, with the villagers joining in the ceremonies. He occasionally traveled to nearby towns for work-related meetings. On one such occasion, he was persuaded by a friend to have a drink, despite his usual refusal. This initial experiment with alcohol gradually turned into a habit, accompanied by a growing interest in small-time gambling. Unfortunately, Shyam’s gambling ventures did not yield significant winnings, and he ended up spending a substantial amount of money on alcohol and gambling.
Sitara, aware of the negative impact of Shyam’s habits, tried her best to dissuade him, but her efforts proved futile. Shyam’s addiction led to financial troubles, forcing him to mortgage his house and sell part of his land to sustain his lifestyle and pay off his debts. The family was deeply affected by his behaviour, and the children’s academic performance suffered as a result. Sitara decided to relocate near the school, hoping it would provide a more conducive environment for the children and shield them from Shyam’s negative influence.
Despite the consequences, Shyam continued down his destructive path, accumulating more debts. In a desperate attempt to recover his losses, he learned about a new lottery with a grand prize of fifty lakhs. With hope in his heart, he purchased a lottery ticket, believing it would solve his financial woes. On his way home, he encountered a palmist who predicted a significant increase in his wealth.
Overjoyed by the palmist’s prediction, Shyam took on more debt, assuming he would repay it once he claimed his prize money. He shared the news with Sitara. On the day the lottery results were to be announced, Shyam woke up early, determined to give up his drinking habit after this final celebration. He indulged in alcohol, requesting his neighbour to fetch the newspaper from the shop as he was in no condition to go himself.
The neighbour brought the newspaper and placed it on the table, informing Shyam about its arrival. In a hazy state, Shyam picked up the paper and checked the lottery numbers. To his astonishment, most of the sequence matched the numbers printed in the paper, except for the last two digits. Although he hadn’t won the full amount, he believed he had still secured a substantial prize.
The next morning, Shyam hurried to the lottery ticket vendor to claim his winnings. However, after verifying the ticket, the vendor burst into uncontrollable laughter, informing Shyam that he had mistakenly matched the numbers with the previous day’s newspaper. Thus, Shyam was not eligible for the prize money.
Devastated, Shyam rechecked the paper and realised his mistake. In despair, he sat outside the ticket outlet, grieving over his loss.
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Nice one 👏
Thank you 🙂
Valuable moral, worth reading… Thank u for the beautiful story Akshatha
Thank You Rajeshwari 🙂