The first day, the children asked, 'Ajji, how do you know so many stories?'
Ajji smiled and answered, 'My grandmother told me many stories. Some I
read in books. A few I learnt from youngsters like you, and the rest from your
Ajja.' Then Ajji paused and said, 'I see all of you have grown a lot since the
last time I saw you. So before I start telling any stories, I want to know what
each of you want to be when you grow up.'
Raghu, who was eleven years old, and the oldest of all, said immediately, 'I
want to be an environment scientist.' Meenu, who was nine, said, 'I have not
decided, maybe a computer person like my dad.' Anand, who was ten, said, 'I
want to be an astronaut,' and his twin sister Krishna firmly said, 'I want to
become a fashion designer.' Ajji smiled. 'I am glad all of you have thought
about this. We should always have some aim in life which we must try to
achieve while being of help to others. Now let me tell you a story of a person
who learnt just such a lesson.'
Shall we, too, join Ajji and her gang of young friends and hear the story?
On a blazing hot summer afternoon, an old man came walking down a narrow
village path. He was tired and thirsty. Right by the road, he spotted a tiny
grocery store. It had a tin roof and mud walls. The shopkeeper sat inside
fanning himself and shooing away the flies that were buzzing around in the
stifling heat. There was a little bench in front of the store where the villagers
met when evening came and the land had cooled down. The old man flopped down on the bench. He was so tired that for a while he could not speak.
Finally, he opened his mouth and uttered one word, 'Water!'