A retired air Force officer remembers a kind-hearted gesture with gratitude.
BEFORE I COULD TURN 10, I had lost my parents. My (four) brothers and (two) sisters left Hyderabad after being adopted by relatives, but I insisted on staying back as I wanted to continue with my education there. I lived alone in a room that a family member had allowed me to use rent-free: I got this privilege as I was a good student. And to support myself and my education, I had taken to delivering newspapers.
I would be up every morning by 5 a.m. and walk five kilometres from Kachiguda, where I lived, to the newspaper office in Troop’s Bazaar. By 6 a.m., I would collect 50 copies of Manzil (Urdu Daily)—the bundle must have weighed over five kilos. My beat spanned three kilometres, from Moazzam Jahi Market to Basheer Bagh. After distributing the copies, I would rush home—another three kilometres away—cook my measly breakfast, eat quickly and be off to the Kachiguda High School. I was in Class VII and even though I had weekly holidays, there was no break from this work.
One wintry Friday morning in 1945, I got home after my deliveries to find a boy of my age at my doorstep. He introduced himself as Afzal and said his father wanted to see me. When I asked him why, Afzal said, “He will tell you.”
I did not like his evasive answer. Exhausted after walking around for over 11 kilometres, I was looking forward to breakfast and some rest. This was a treat as it was a Friday. (Before Independence, Fridays were a weekly off in the Nizam’s state). I assumed his father wished to subscribe to the newspaper, so I followed him to his place nearby.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2017-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 2017-Ausgabe von Reader's Digest India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
STUDIO - Off Lamington Road by Gieve Patel
Oil on Canvas, 54 x 88 in
NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE
FOODS THAT FIGHT DEMENTIA
TO HELL AND BACK
The Darvaza crater in Turkmenistan is known as the Gates of Hell. I stood on its edge - and lived to tell the tale
THE SNAKE CHARMERS
Invasive Burmese pythons are squeezing the life out of Florida's vast Everglades. An unlikely sisterhood is taking them on
Sisterhood to Last a Lifetime
These college pals teach a master class in how to maintain a friendship for 50-plus years
...TO DIE ON A HOCKEY RINK
ONE MINUTE I WAS PLAYING IN MY BEER LEAGUE, THE NEXT I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL
Just Sit Tight
Broken, battered and trapped in a ravine for days, I desperate driver wonders, \"Will anyone find me?\"
Allow Me to Mansplain...
If there's one thing we know, it's this: We're a nation of know-it-alls
THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT SUGAR (AND SUGAR SUBSTITUTES!)
It's no secret that we have a serious addiction. Here's how to cut back on the sweet stuff, once and for all.
A Baker's Dozen Facts About Eggs
1 EGGS ARE perhaps the most vital life force. More than 99 per cent of animal species reproduce via oviparity (egg laying), with mammals being the notable outliers. And even then, there are two striking exceptions: the echidna (spiny anteater) and the platypus, the only mammals that lay eggs.