Charity and empathy..

          I had run away from my boarding school thrice- once each during class 6,class 7 and class 12 . Except for the class 6th effort, the other two were successful. During  the class 6^th escape , a kind-hearted gentlemen got suspicious about my uniform , and on knowing about my escape plan he dropped  me back to school on his bicycle. My issue was that I was a home-sick child, who stammered , and I missed my family so much. But my father was hell-bent that I should complete my schooling from the army school.

                 This is the story of my second escape during class 7. I planned it on a rainy sunday afternoon along with a close friend. To avoid detection, both of us trekked along the agricultural fields for about 8 kilometers to the nearest state highway. Then we boarded separate buses to reach our respective homes. I reached a railway station at night time to board a train to my home-town. While I was waiting for the midnight train, I came across a family which seemed to be that of labourers.

            Seeing a lonely child at a small railway station at night time , they became concerned and enquired about me. I made up a story that I had come for a picnic along with my friends to the nearby tourist place, but was somehow left back alone while they returned. I was feeling scared, so I sat close to that family on the dimly lit pavement. Having had nothing to eat since last many hours , I was very hungry.  It was dinner-time for the family. Each family member was given some  chapattis and mango pickle. They shared their food with me. I could feel  some dust particles as I was chewing the dry chapatti, but it felt so tasty as I was very hungry. I finally boarded the train to my home-town at midnight. That night, the kind family demonstrated to me the meaning of charity and empathy .