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.”
