A Ray of Hope

        I, RSV Subramanium was an upright and self made man. I came from a conservative family which had its roots in the interiors of Tamil Nadu.  I was one of the five children of my parents. My father was a school teacher and mother attended to the household and children with limited resources at their disposal, I had no alternative but to study in the local village school.

        I was not only a dreamer but a determined hard worker to translate my dreams into reality.  On account of my brilliant performance in school finals I could get admission in a coveted engineering college in Tamil Nadu on scholarship.  During my college days I would see many students resorting to plagiarism and cheating in the exams but I never gave up on his sincerity and honesty.

        After completing my engineering, it was now time to step into the world outside for securing employment.  But securing a suitable job commensurate with my qualification was easier said than done. Nepotism and bribe were rampantly practised in the world of employment.  But I did not give up. I was a fighter. I worked hard for the All India Engineering Services exam conducted by the Union Public Services Commission and got selected.

        I was given appointment in the Public Works Department. But the initial joy of securing a good job soon turned into dismay when I saw rampart corruption all around.  Due to my upright nature and refusing to compromise with the corrupt officials I throughout my career got tossed from one post to another, one remote office to another remote office.

        The constant struggle and the decaying system took it’s toll on me.I retired a a broken and dejected man.  The tentacles of corruption were everywhere and increasing day by day. One could hardly get any work done without greasing the palm of a corrupt official. So much that even for drawing my pension I was either asked to pay bribe or else make countless rounds of the bank .

 On one such occasion I was returning from the bank in an auto-rikshaw. I reached home paid the driver and went in.  Suddenly I realised that I had forgotten my bag containing my pension in the auto.  It was like the last nail in the coffin. I sat down with a heavy heart holding my head in my hands why was destiny so cruel. I felt like ending my life.

I heard that someone knocking on the door. It was the auto driver. “ Sir, you forgot your bag in the auto”.  Tears welled into my eyes.  I hugged the auto driver.  All was not lost.  There was still a ray of hope as long as persons like the auto driver were around. It was an amazing feeling for me that there is still something good left in the world.

That moment really filled with me optimism and hope for the future.

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