The Stern Man with a Soft Heart

Friends, here is a sweet tale for children. Hope you like it. Thanks.

Welcome, darlings.

Meet Geetu and Peetu, two roly-poly kids bursting with the joy of life. Geetu is nine years old, and her brother, Peetu, is seven. Their village, Kusumpur, is high up near the Himalayan hill station of Mussoorie.

Like all of you, they loved to play in the lap of Mother Nature. The kind Mother supplied them with a bounty of fruits: apples, plums and apricots. Plus, it was sheer joy to climb those trees!

One such magnificent plum tree stood right in the village square: the kids called this tree 'Sonu' in affection. The duo would go out every morning and have a gala time climbing its zig-zag branches. Ah! What thrill! A handful of juicy plums used to add to that joy afterwards. This had been their custom for the last three years.

***

This year, alas, they are so sad as the village headman has auctioned off the plums of not only the trees in the village orchards but those of 'Sonu' as well. The buyer was a merchant from Delhi who, in turn, had appointed a guard named Gabru Singh to oversee the trees.

Now, this Gabru was a big, fierce-looking ex-army man with an awe-inspiring moustache. It added even more sternness to his brawny face. So, he was the man who now stood between the kids and their beloved 'Sonu.'

Every morning found Gabru pacing in and around the village for his 6 am to 6 pm duty, carrying a big stick in his hand. As he walked, his military moustache bristled.

"Hmm," he would call out in a loud voice, "I won't hesitate using my stick against any trespasser."

One month passed, and Gabru discharged his responsibility seriously. After all, he prided himself on his sincerity.

But psst! Want to know a secret? Under such awe-inspiring exteriors, nestled a soft heart. This, however, was known only to his wife, Beena and six-year-old son, Pintu.

***

Initially, the two village kids were afraid to come within even a mile of Gabru.

One morning, however, Geetu gathered courage and managed to squeak out a few words in a small voice: "Uncle, can you please allow us to climb our beloved tree just for once?"

Unable to continue any further, she then broke down in sobs. To her dismay, even her tearful cajoling could not make Gabru budge.

From that point on, all they could do was stand and look at 'Sonu' with sad eyes. What sorrow descended like dark clouds upon them!

***

Now, Gabru's family stayed in Mussoorie because Pintu was studying there. His heart ached for them, however and so, he video-chatted with Beena and Pintu every night. Pintu had so many things to share with his dad then. He was at the sweet age when you find everything new and hence, joyful. Aha! Those lovely days of childhood: they are blissful indeed!

One night, however, things were different.

When Gabru called, Beena glumly informed him, "Pintu won't talk to anyone today, not even you. He is so upset!"

"Why?"

"It is over a decision of his school principal, Mr Sharma."

"What has this principal done now?"

"As you know, our Pintu is fun-loving: every day, during his lunch break, he and his buddies go to a strawberry tree at the corner of their school compound. They get so much excitement in climbing it and plucking its semi-ripe fruits."

"But Mr Sharma," continued Beena, "fearing that a child may get hurt, has imposed an immediate ban on anyone climbing that tree - already work has started, so Pintu informs me, to put a barbed fence around it."

She sounded troubled for Pintu had always been a joyful child. He loved everything to do with Mother Nature: sky, trees, flowers, birds, butterflies…everything. And Nature reciprocated that love in ample measure as well. But now he faced this huge barrier to his happiness. Neither the mother nor the son knew what to do.

***

As Gabru listened to Beena, he could visualize the sad eyes of Pintu staring at his beloved Strawberry tree from outside the wire fencing.

Wait, whose eyes were these? Pintu's eyes were black, but this pair of eyes seemed to have a tint of brown in them. "My goodness," exclaimed Gabru, "They belong to that small village boy, Peetu!" He had to disconnect the call…couldn't bear to talk any more. Already, he could begin to see how heartless he had been!

"No, enough is enough," decided the remorseful Dad, "I'm going to allow Geetu and Peetu to climb their tree from tomorrow itself."
Plus, even if they picked a few plums, it won't make much difference to the Delhi merchant, who owned several fruit orchards of his own. And if the village headman reported Gabru's breach of contract to him, well, this burly security guard could always find a new job: his army background would ensure that.

Gabru further decided to bring Pintu to Kusumpur for a short stay with him during the latter's summer holidays, just a week away. "I am sure Geetu and Peetu would like to have him as their friend, for all three love Nature so much!" he mused. What fun the trio would have in climbing 'Sonu' and resuming their happy adventures once more!

The more Gabru thought about his plan, the more he liked it. Soon, a smile began playing on his lips. A stern face and a bewitching smile: what a contrast, I tell you!

In this happy mood, he called Beena again and conveyed his decision, and the relieved mother relayed it to Pintu.

***

Ah! What joy was there all around! It all happened because a stern man with a soft heart dared to take off that mask of sternness and reveal instead the underlying core of his loving softness.

Now, Geetu and Peetu are happy again! The sun of happiness is shining on their lives once more. Pintu, too, is counting days for his summer vacation to begin and pestering his mummy every day as to when and how soon he can dash off to Kusumpur!

So dear children, what did we learn here?

We came to know that even if disappointments face you in life, never give up hope. For God loves you, and your dreams will surely get fulfilled sooner or later.

See you soon.

Goodbye and God bless.