The Little Angels of Uncle Shyam

His name was uncle Shyam. All children of the town were his friends.  He was a wonderful man who would love to spend his time with children like you. He had a flute and a beautiful garden around his villa. The garden had all the beautiful flowers and the most luscious fruits hanging from almost all branches. All types of berries ripened there. The green cover of grass with varieties of tiny flowers gave an uncommon beauty to the garden. The garden was meant only for the children. It was a playground for both the town’s children and for many colourful butterflies. The children would make all types of playful noises in the garden while enjoying their playtime.

It was a garden of innocence, pure joy and child-like simplicity.

Every morning uncle Shyam would spend his time in gardening and watering the plants. Every afternoon he would play beautiful tunes on his flute sitting amidst the joyous children. The children would circle around him. They would clap merrily while hopping and jumping to the tune. Some children would wander around the garden looking at the beautiful butterflies and the tiny birds. In short, the garden was like a heaven for the children. Although Uncle Shyam had none in his family, he never felt alone because all the children of his locality had coloured his life with their brilliant smiles and warm friendship.

It is a truth that children are like tender green plants which shine with immense possibilities. They make the world jubilant with new hopes. If the world is a big garden, then children are the most colourfully winged butterflies in it.

But one day Uncle Shyam became sad because some plants looked withered and dry in the garden. Now uncle Shyam was too old to take care of the garden as before. He loved the company of the children so much that he wanted to keep the beauty of the garden intact anyway for his lovely friends. But his advanced age had made him weak and he felt himself defeated. That day he also discovered that while playing the flute suddenly a spasm of coughing interrupted him and he could not play the tune anymore. For a moment all the children around him became silent and looked at each other. Little Bunty held the hand of uncle Shyam and led him to his villa. Little Bunty authoritatively told uncle Shyam to lie on bed and take rest. Uncle Shyam smiled at him and closed his eyes.

Next day when uncle Shyam opened his eyes the sun was winking at him through the glass window. He did not feel yesterday’s weakness. He heard a tune on flute and the playful noises of the children. He knew that it was not the time of the children to come to his place. He came out eagerly and discovered that Babli was playing uncle Shyam’s flute and some children were watering the plants in the garden, some other were sweeping and cleaning the fallen leaves. Everywhere he saw smiling children, smiling flowers, smiling trees, smiling birds and a happy garden. All the children came running to him and told “Uncle, we will make your garden more beautiful.” Uncle Shyam looked at the children and told, “This is not my garden. This belongs to you. The garden is just the beginning and together you can also make this earth beautiful. I bless you all my children.”

The sun was shining in the sky and the beautiful garden was beaming with happiness. A little bird in a tree asked its mother, “Can the little children really make the earth beautiful?” The mother bird told her little one, “Dear child, whoever comes ahead with a desire to help and love gets the infinite strength of God’s Angel.”