Moral Stories

Have we failed in bringing up.our ‘modern’ kids?

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A very distressed neighbour shared that he had driven home after a long day at work. As he entered, he saw his wife in bed with fever. She had laid out his dinner on a tray.

Everything was there just as he wanted it. The dal, vegetables, salad, green chutney, papad and pickles… ”How caring,” he thought, “Even when she is unwell, she finds the strength to do everything for me.”

As he sat down to eat, he realised that something was missing. He looked up at his grown up daughter who was watching TV and said, ”Beta (child), can you get me my medicine and a glass of water, please?”

She rolled up her eyeballs to show her displeasure at being disturbed, but did the favour nevertheless.

A minute later he realised that salt was missing in the dal.

He said, ”Sorry beta, can you please get me some salt?”

She said, ”Ufff!” and got the salt but her stomping shoes made it clear that she did not appreciate the disruption.

A few minutes later he said, ”Beta …”

She banged the TV remote on the table and said, ”What is it now Dad? How many times will you make me get up? I too am tired; I had a long day at work!”

The man said, ”I’m so sorry beta…”
Silence prevailed.

The man got up and placed the dishes in the kitchen sink and quietly wiped the tear escaping his eye.

My heart wept… I often wonder; Why is it that the youngsters of the so called modern world behave like this? Have we given them too much freedom to express? Have we failed to discipline and give them the right values?

Is it right to treat children as friends? Think of it this way, they have lots of friends. But they have only one set of parents. If they don’t do ‘parenting’, who will?

Today the ‘self-esteem’ of even a new born or an infant is being talked about; but what about the self-esteem of the parents? Are they supposed to just fan the egos of their children, while the children don’t care two hoots about theirs?

Often parents say, “Aajkal ke bachhe sunte kahaan hain (Where will you find obedient children in these times)?” Why?

The other day, we were at a dinner party. All the seats were occupied except for one bean bag. One of our fifty-something friends told his teenaged daughter to move to the bean bag, so that he could sit on the high back chair she occupied.

She said, ”Why can’t you sit on the bean bag?”

I was zapped; we all knew that the father had a back ailment, and even otherwise… Well!

Later as everyone was taking leave of the host, the same guy realised that he had left his car keys inside. He asked his daughter to go and get them.

“Why can’t you go and get them yourself? I am not your maid!”

I looked away in disgust and disbelief. The poor guy had no option but to make light of the situation saying, ”Ya, Ya, but Daddy is your eternal servant my princess!”

He went inside to fetch the car keys. This is what our social behaviour has become! Why?

If we need to teach children about self-respect, self-esteem and self-confidence, we also need to tell them that howsoever big and rich and famous they may be, their parents shall always be their parents… children can never be their equals, let alone be their bosses!

Remember to Pay-

RENT – Respect, Empathy, Niceness, and Time!

I ALWAYS ADVISE PARENTS TO BE PARENTS AND NOT FRIENDS. Your kids can have n number of friends but have only ONE set of parents.

So don’t be afraid to set rules and make the children obey them
….
By:- Narayan Murty
CEO INFOSYS

https://citytoday.media/2019/04/06/have-we-failed-in-bringing-up-our-modern-kids-narayan-murty-ceo-infosys/amp/

A SADHU under the instruction of his Guru built for himself a small shed, thatched with leaves at a distance from the haunts of men. He began his devotional exercises in this hut. Now, every morning after ablution he would hang his wet cloth and the kaupina (loin-cloth) on a tree close to the hut, to dry them. One day on his return from the neighbouring village, which he would visit to beg for his daily food, he found that the rats had cut holes in his kaupina. So the next day he was obliged to go to the village for a fresh one.A few days later, the sadhu spread his loin-cloth on the roof of his hut to dry it and then went to the village to beg as usual. On his return he found that the rats had torn it into shreds. He felt much annoyed and thought within himself "Where shall I go again to beg for a rag? Whom shall I ask for one?" All the same he saw the villagers the next day and re-presented to them the mischief done by the rats. Having heard all he had to say, the villagers said, "Who will keep you supplied with cloth every day? Just do one thing—keep a cat; it will keep away the rats." The sadhu forthwith secured a kitten in the village and carried it to his hut. From that day the rats ceased to trouble him and there was no end to his joy. The sadhu now began to tend the useful little creature with great care and feed it on the milk begged from the village. After some days, a villager said to him: "Sadhuji, you require milk every day; you can supply your want for a few days at most by begging; who will supply you with milk all the year round? Just do one thing—keep a cow. You can satisfy your own creature comforts by drinking its milk and you can also give some to your cat." In a few days the sadhu procured a milch cow and had no occasion to beg for milk any more.
By and by, the sadhu found it necessary to beg for straw for his cow. He had to visit the neighbouring villages for the purpose, but the villagers said, "There are lots of uncultivated lands close to your hut; just cultivate the land and you shall not have to beg for straw for your cow." Guided by their advice, the sadhu took to tilling the land. Gradually he had to engage some labourers and later on found it necessary to build barns to store the crop in. Thus he became, in course of time, a sort of landlord.
And, at last he had to take a wife to look after his big household. He now passed his days just like a busy householder. After some time, his Guru came to see him. Finding himself surrounded by goods and chattles, the Guru felt puzzled and enquired of a servant, "An ascetic used to live here in a hut; can you tell me where he has removed himself?" The servant did not know what to say in reply. So the Guru ventured to enter into the house, where he met his disciple. The Guru said to him, "My son, what is all this?" The disciple, in great shame fell at the feet of his Guru and said, "My Lord, all for a single piece of loin-cloth!"

-- Tales and Parables of Sri Ramakrishna

DD Podhigai telecast an interview with Mr P M Nair, (retired IAS officer, who was the Secretary to Dr. Abdul Kalam Sir when he was the President.)

I summarise the points he spoke in a voice choked with emotion.

 Mr Nair authored a book titled "Kalam Effect"

1. Dr Kalam used to receive costly gifts whenever he went abroad as it is customary for many nations to give gifts to the visiting Heads of State. 

Refusing the gift would become an insult to the nation and an embarrassment for India. 

So, he received them and on his return, Dr Kalam asked the gifts to be photographed and then catalogued and handed over to the archives. 

Afterwards, he never even looked at them. He did not take even a pencil from the gifts received when he left Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

2.  In 2002, the year Dr Kalam took over, the Ramadan month came in July-August. 

It was a regular practice for the President to host an iftar party. 

Dr Kalam asked Mr Nair why he should host a party to people who are already well fed and asked him to find out how much would be the cost. 

Mr Nair told it would cost around Rs. 22 lakhs. 

Dr Kalam asked him to donate that amount to a few selected orphanages in the form of food, dresses and blankets. 

The selection of orphanages was left to a team in Rashtrapathi Bhavan and Dr Kalam had no role in it. 

After the selection was made, Dr Kalam asked Mr Nair to come inside his room and gave him a cheque for Rs 1 lakh. 

He said that he was giving some amount from his personal savings and this should not be informed to anyone.

 Mr Nair was so shocked that he said "Sir, I will go outside and tell everyone . People should know that here is a man who not only donated what he should have spent but he is giving his own money also". 

Dr Kalam though he was a devout Muslim did not have Iftar parties in the years in which he was the President. 

3. Dr Kalam did not like "Yes Sir" type of people. 

Once when the Chief Justice of India had come and on some point Dr Kalam expressed his view and asked Mr Nair,
"Do you agree?" Mr Nair said "

No Sir, I do not agree with you". 
The Chief Justice was shocked and could not believe his ears. 

It was impossible for a civil servant to disagree with the President and that too so openly. 

Mr Nair told him that the President would question him afterwards why he disagreed and if the reason was logical 99% he would change his mind.

4. Dr Kalam invited 50 of his relatives to come to Delhi and they all stayed in Rashtrapathi Bhavan.

 He organised a bus for them to go around the city which was paid for by him. 

No official car was used. All their stay and food was calculated as per the instructions of Dr Kalam and the bill came to Rs 2 lakhs which he paid. 

In the history of this country no one has done it. 

Now, wait for the climax, Dr Kalam's elder brother stayed with him in his room for the entire one week as Dr Kalam wanted his brother to stay with him. 

When they left, Dr Kalam wanted to pay rent for that room also. 

Imagine the President of a country paying rent for the room in which he is staying.

 This was any way not agreed to by the staff who thought the honesty was getting too much to handle!!!.

5.  When Kalam Sir was to leave Rashtrapathi Bhavan at the end of his tenure, every staff member went and met him and paid their respects. 

Mr Nair went to him alone as his wife had fractured her leg and was confined to bed. Dr Kalam asked why his wife did not come. He replied that she was in bed due to an accident. 

Next day, Mr.Nair saw lot of policemen around his house and asked what had happened. 

They said that the President of India was coming to visit him in his house. He came and met his wife and chatted for some time. 

Mr Nair says that no president of any country would visit a civil servant's house and that too on such a simple pretext.

I thought I should give the details as many of you may not have seen the telecast and so it may be useful.

The younger brother of APJ Abdul Kalam runs an umbrella repairing shop. 

When Mr. Nair met him during Kalam’s funeral,  he touched his feet, in token of respect for both Mr. Nair and Brother.

Such information should be widely shared on social media as mainstream media will not show this because it doesn't carry the so-called GB TRP 

The property left behind by Dr.A.P.J.Abdul Kalam was estimated.
_
He owned
6 pants(2 DRDO uniforms)
4 shirts(2 DRDO uniforms)
3 suits (1 western, 2 Indian)
2500 books
1 flat (which he has donated)
1 Padmashri
1 Padmabhushan
1 Bharat Ratna
16 doctorates
1 website
1 twitter account
1 email id

He didn't have any TV, AC, car, jewellery, shares, land or bank balance.

He had even donated the last 8 years' pension towards the development of his village.

He was a real patriot and true Indian

India will for ever be grateful to you, sir.

Make sure all your friends and dear ones read this without fail

Please read and forward this instead of forwarding some useless things.