Morning Muse 63 : Every Bend Is a New Beginning
He once fed his children with discarded chapatis while he and his wife went hungry. Today, he drives an auto, sends his kids to an English-medium school, and dreams bigger. True strength is not in muscles, but in a heart that refuses to give up.
9/3/20251 min read
On a quiet morning, I boarded an auto at my hometown’s stand. The driver — an educated, well-spoken man in his late 30s — greeted me warmly. As we rode, his story unfolded.
He had graduated with a B.A. in 1993. His first job paid ₹500 a month. Then ₹1,000. Then ₹3,000 as a clerk — until fate struck and he lost everything.
He spoke of days when he collected discarded chapatis from neighbours, softened them in water, and reshaped them into rotis for his children, while he and his wife went hungry.
One day, an opportunity appeared — delivering gas cylinders. Three at a time, twice a day, earning ₹20 each. Slowly, he saved enough to buy an auto.
“Driving this,” he admitted, “hurts my pride sometimes. Even rickshaw pullers hurl insults. But… my children no longer go to bed hungry. And I never have to pick food from someone’s trash again.”
Now, his kids study in an English-medium school. He dreams of buying a new auto. His only worry? “Will my children see me the way I once saw myself?”
Then, with a faint smile, he added, “I’m optimistic — what I do today will make a better tomorrow.”
I don’t know his name. But I will never forget his lessons:
Life Lessons
Every bend in the road can be a new beginning.
Hunger can fuel a fire that no obstacle can extinguish.
True strength lives in the heart, not the muscles.
Crisis can push you toward the very path that fulfils your dreams.
Sacrifice is the purest investment in a better future.
Give your best, even when results are delayed — they will come.