Rajdhani Express bus halted at Hosabettu bus stop. A beautiful young lady, Niru alighted from the bus and began to walk hurriedly towards the west. In no time she was standing in front of the Ashram, which had given her a new life. Her mind began to recollect with nostalgia those days, which she had spent in the Ashram. She could vividly remember her first day at the Ashram. On that day, for the first time in her entire childhood, she had a permanent roof above her head. She was just 10 then. Even now after 16 years, her heart is filled with gratitude, as she recalls her happy days at Ashram.
Her eyes began to search for her Guruji, Ravi Shankar. She had longed and longed to see him. She ran towards his room, only to find him on his death bed. With her trembling feet, she moved closer to the bed, touched her guru's feet, and cried, “Guruji!”
Guruji opened his eyes and immediately recognized Niru. Tears rolled down his eyes as his mind recaptured those days when he had found Niru begging for food on the street. Those were the days when he was young and had a great desire to serve the street children and to give them a bright future. Niru was one of the first batches of children, he had gathered from the city's streets. Today that same Niru was before him with her degree. He was overwhelmed to see Niru after a long time and found no words to express his joy. But his eyes communicated this to her and he asked her in his feeble voice, “How are you, my child?”
Niru with tears in her eyes and a smile on her face replied, “Guruji, by your grace, I have completed my MSW. Now I am back to be your servant and to be sister to those children like me in the street. ”
The smile faded away from Guruji's face, as he struggled to say, “Bheti, I know that you love our Ashram more than yourself. I clearly remember, during your holidays you used to come with me to the city to seek and find the lost children. You took care of them like a mother. But, my child, I am saddened to tell you that our Ashram no longer exists. It's almost a year, since we closed it down. ”
Niru lost her balance and she held the edge of the bed and looked at Guruji with anxiety. She was horror-stricken for she could not believe what she had heard.
“Bheti, I was helpless. That day while returning to Ashram, after you boarded the train to Mumbai, I met with a fatal accident. My back and my legs were paralyzed forever. I was no longer fit to run our Ashram. Moreover, my own son Raju, refused to be my successor and went back to London. I had no other person, whom I could trust …………. ”
Recovering from the shock, Niru inquired, “What happened to our cook, warden and watchman?”
“Bheti, the funds had dried up. So, as I could not pay their salary, all left the place, except Tanu, our cook, she cooks for me and takes care of me like a mother. As you know she has no one. Ever since she came here as a cook she has loved this place and she has great regard for me just like you. ”
“Yes, Guruji, she has been my mother ever since I came to the Ashram. I learnt the meaning of life in her lap. She loves every single child who walks into this Ashram. Speaking of the child, where are our children? ”
“As I could no longer take care of them, I had approached a NGO in the city for help and they agreed to take our children to their orphanage. They are happy there. ”
“Guruji! Why did you do that? Why didn't you tell me, when I had phoned you so many times? Am I not worthy of your trust! ”
“No, Bheti… You have been my dear child ever since you came to this Ashram. You have been my faithful disciple. How can I not trust you! Furthermore, I did not want to interrupt your studies. I knew that you would leave everything and come here to help me. ”
Niru falling on her knees said, “Guruji, now that I have come back, I will not stop till I restore our Ashram back to life as it was before. Bless me, Guruji. ”
Moved with joy and gratitude Guruji whispered with tears, “May God be with you, my child. From now onwards you are my son and my successor. ”
Niru, with Guruji's blessing, set to work immediately. She used Facebook to contact her college friends. Funds began to for in for the Ashram. She even formed a network of volunteers for the Ashram. She used this network to gather street children. She also opened a Website which attracted more volunteers and funds. Within a year Ashram was back to life.
Guruji's joy knew no bounds, when he realized that his Ashram was restored with new life. But he knew that his end was at hand. So, he longed to spend his last moments with Niru. He said, “Now, I am ready to rest in peace. But my heart only aches to know that I could not make my son as human as you… ”
Surprised by the sudden change of tone, Niru interrupted, “That's not true, Guruji. Your son has realized the value of life. He wants to come back to help you with your great works. But he has his responsibility as a father and as a husband. By the way, 40% of the funds of the Ashram are his contribution. To add to that he has arranged for more funds through his friends. ”
“Niru, my child, are you trying to comfort me with these lies?” exclaimed Guruji in utter disbelief.
“Guruji! You know that I would never lie to you, ”said Niru, as her heart skipped a beat.
“Is it true? Goal! How can I believe it? He has never called me ... I have longed to hear from him. And when did he marry! ”
“How could he face you, Guruji? He feels guilty for having refused you to take charge of the Ashram. He is afraid that you may not forgive him… Moreover, he has very limited holidays… ”
Before she could finish, there was a knock on the door.
“Dad, forgive me… I know father, I don't deserve it…” a voice was heard from the doorstep.
“My son, Raju, you have come back… My ears are blessed to have heard your voice before I breathe my last. Come, my son, come. ”
Raju refused to enter the room and pleaded, “Father unless you forgive me, I will not step in.”
As the tears rolled down his eyes, Guruji said, “My son, you know that I cannot keep a grudge against anyone. Then will I not forgive you, my son. Come in my son I have forgiven you. ”
“Dad, I had longed for this day. Father, I could not wait to see you and confess a truth that was hidden within me. So, I flew as soon as I got my leave, ”said Raju as ran and hugged his father.
Guruji was stunned and exclaimed, “A truth!”
“Yes, Papa, the truth behind my return to London. That day I didn't have the courage to tell you the truth. But now, I want you to know the truth. Papa, during my studies in London, I had loved a girl called Gena, who is the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in London. Her father was planning to get her married to one of his business partners. But she loved me and wanted to marry me. If not she was ready to commit suicide. Even I loved her and wanted to marry her. So, I had to go back to London on that day. Father, now I have a three-month-old daughter. ”
“My son, forgive me, I never thought of your future and I never asked what you wanted to do with your life. I always made choice for you and never placed a choice before you. It's all my fault. ”
“No, father, no. It's nobody's fault, it's only our fate. Maybe I don't deserve to be your successor. It's Niru, who should be your successor, father. Moreover, she has commitment and love for the Ashram. She will give her entire self for the Ashram. ”
“Yes, Raju, you are right, it's all our fate. And it's Niru's right that she should be my successor. Niru, come here… You are my successor… or rather you are the founder of the restored Ashram. ”
“No! Guruji, I am only a servant. I am not worthy of it. You should remain the Master of this Ashram and I should serve you, ”exclaimed Niru with an anxious tone.
“No Niru, my time has come. My child, don't refuse your guru's last wish ... As your Guru and father I have never given you anything… and now I have nothing to give to you, except the tree of wisdom. Do you remember Niru, I had planted it when you came to this Ashram. Today it has become a mighty tree. Niru, mark my words. It's the tree of wisdom. It has taught me many life lessons. One of those lessons is this: it becomes lifeless during autumn by shedding all its leaves. And spring brings it back to new life with new shoots. But the roots of the tree remain the same throughout. So, also this Ashram has gone through autumn and now it's in spring. So, don't forget, autumn or spring, the roots are the same ie Faith, Hope and Love, ”with those golden words Guruji breathed his last.
After the funeral, Raju went back to London and continued to help Niru, with the funds for the Ashram. Niru took over the Ashram as the successor of her Guruji. She renamed the Ashram as 'Guruji's Wisdom Tree.'
The ashram was flourishing with newness. Everything was at peace, except Niru's heart. She longed to do more for humanity. She built a network of all the organizations which worked for social development. In this network, there was an organization, which worked for sex workers. She thought that the sex workers, who wanted to free themselves from their past, would be able to do it along with her children, who were trying to build a better future. So, she built small house-like structures and placed a recovered sex worker with two or three children to live as a family. It worked a wonder. As a result of Niru's faith, the Hopeless women had found hope of life in their new children, and the children had found a love of a mother.
Slowly her work attracted the attention of the world. She became the icon of hope for many children and women, who had no hope of the future. She was on top of the world when it came to social work. She won many awards. But, she never forgot her Guru's last words. In fact, no one could ever forget those words, because she had inscribed them on the entrance of the Ashram.
“Autumn or spring, the roots are the same ie Faith, Hope and Love.”
