There is a community in the city of Kathmandu. There are many buildings where many persons are staying who had come to study and come for jobs and also all those whose children were physically and mentally disabled.
The day is Saturday and after 2 days of heavy rain the sun is shining and all schools and offices is closed, so some families go for shopping; some go for picnics.
There is one play-ground in this society, where all children are playing, including the disabled and non-disabled. On the other side of the play-ground there is one big temple where the idols of gods and goddesses are installed and worshipped. A priest (Krishna Bhatt) is appointed; who also stays there with his family (wife Radha and son Prakash).He is strictly orthodox and conservative.
He hates those children who are disabled, and holds some misconceived theory of bad karma, and he even hates their parents as well. He scolds those parents who have disabled children and he scolds those children also.
He thinks that these children are a burden in the world and to their families. As always he is going to the temple for worship but to reach the temple he has to cross the playground where all able and disable children are playing. As he is crossing the middle of the ground, a ball bounces on the worship plate and everything is scattered on the ground.
This is sacrilege. It can’t get worse than this.
The priest is furiously maddened with the children and starts to yell and scold those children, which makes them afraid and they begin to cry which makes the priest more irritated.
So he begins to beat some of the children. Then again all the children cry and wail even more loudly.
At the same time one teacher who is also disabled is passing by and he comes there to find out what is going on. After ascertaining the mishap and learning about the priest’s misbehavior, he consoles the children and sends them home.
Now, he turns on the priest very disapprovingly. He starts to admonish the priest.
Previously the priest didn’t like the teacher also because of his disability. Now he utters an imprecation, mutters something under his breath, turns his back and walks away in rage.
Now circumstances prevail on the priest to change his attitude.
After a while the priest is forced to send his noisome and recalcitrant child to this same teacher.
Weeks and months pass by. One day when playing in school the priest’s son climbs the highest tree of that school. The boy loses his balance and falls down from that high tree and becomes unconscious.
The school’s staff rushes him to the hospital…which saves the boy’s life and then they inform his parents. After treatment the priest and his wife come to know that from then onwards their son would be unable to stand on his own legs because of spinal cord injury.
After knowing this they returned from the hospital, as usual cursing life and destiny.
At the same time, while on the road they meet some disabled activists and ask for help. The activists give their promises to the priest’s family that they will give their full support and help to the boy for his development.
A few years later after getting support and help from the disabled activist, and from society at large and his family plus his own hard work and diligence the boy continues his study and gets a scholarship to study abroad. After completing his study he returns as a well-known doctor and starts his career. And dedicate to the care of patients as well as patients with poor financial status. He provides free medical treatment and pay for all the expenses incurred by the children who are financially weak but hardworking and diligent so that they can continue their education.
Again we show the priest crossing the same play ground with able and disabled children playing.
Again, a football lands heavily on the same thali and the sacraments go flying in the air. This time the priest has a different response. He looks up at the sky and winks and laughs uproariously, saying: ’oh gods play your football in the heavens, and stop testing me. I now love LIFE, I will not lie.’
He puts down the thali on the lap of a young brahmin girl on a wheelchair and demonstrates to the children how to kick the ball.
THE END
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Great story Prakriti Bhattarai! Do you have plans to expand on it or adapt it?
Yes