The True Measure of Richness: A Father’s Life Lesson!

 It was a warm afternoon, and my father and I were riding home on the bike. Everything seemed normal until we saw an old man walking slowly by the roadside. His clothes were torn and worn out, and he looked tired and weak. There was something about him that caught my father’s eye.

Suddenly, my father slowed down and called out, “Patil! How are you?” The old man looked up, surprised but smiled a little. My father stopped the bike and walked over to him. After a short conversation, he pulled out a 100-rupee note from his pocket and gently placed it in the man’s hand. I sat there, watching the whole thing, feeling like I had seen this man before, but I couldn’t remember where.

As we continued home, the moment kept playing in my mind. When we got home, I finally asked my father, “Dad, who was that man you stopped for? You called him 'Patil' and gave him money. Who was he?”

My father paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. He then began to speak softly, “Son, this happened many years ago, when you were just a baby, six months old. We had guests visiting our house. Back then, we cooked on a wood-fired stove. But it was raining heavily, and all the firewood we had was soaked and unusable. I didn’t know what to do. The guests had arrived, but we couldn’t cook anything for them. I stood at the door, feeling helpless.

That’s when I saw this man, the same one we saw today. He was younger then but still struggling. He saw me and asked, ‘What’s wrong?’ I explained the situation to him, feeling worried. He didn’t say much, just told me to wait. He went to his house and came back with a bundle of dry firewood. He gave it to us without asking for anything in return. Thanks to him, we were able to cook and serve our guests properly.

My father’s voice softened as he spoke, and I could tell the memory moved him. “Son, we’ve come a long way since then, but some people, like him, still struggle. When he helped us that day, he didn’t expect anything in return. Today, I saw him and couldn’t just drive past him. It’s important to remember those who helped us when we had nothing. Giving him that money was the least I could do.”

I was quiet for a moment, then asked, “But Dad, why did you call him ‘Patil’? Isn’t that for someone rich or important?” My father smiled sadly. “Patil doesn’t always mean someone rich, son. It’s a title for someone who has a big heart, someone who helps others even when they don’t have much. That man, though poor, is rich in kindness. He gave when he had nothing to spare. That’s true greatness.”

As I listened, I realized that wealth isn’t about money. It’s about kindness and helping others when they need it most. That day, my father returned a small part of the kindness the old man had shown us long ago.