A Drop of Life

By Jayanth Kiran

It was the most difficult and toughest summer that Arul had ever faced. His village was struck by a drought and all his produce from last year had been gnawed away by rats, who sought shelter and food in the village. All his produce, all worth a fortune, had gone. It had been told by the village astrologer that the rain would arrive in the next week or so, and that the reason foretold by the astrologer for the late arrival of the rains was due to the ‘unholy offerings’ offered to the village Goddess this year. No one other than Arul realised that Panditji, the astrologer had proclaimed and told the same reason the previous week too.

Needless to say, it was a very testing and perilous time for a farmer like him. For a farmer who had reaped the most produce the previous year and who also helped all his fellow farmers and villagers, how could such a thing happen to him?

His life depended on this year’s harvest. He had taken a loan from the village headman, Mishra. His wife, Shanti had lost her job as a maid in the city and his poor son, Rahul hadn’t gone to school for weeks. His son didn’t even have proper clothes or toys. His family couldn’t eat even afford one single meal in a day.

While Arul stood near his fields looking at his wilted and dried-up crops, he was listening to his thoughts. He was scared of the future. He was scared what the future would bring. He was scared how the future would be like. Most of all, he was scared whether there would be even a future for him.

However, one says, in the most testing and toughest of times, a solution arises. For Arul, it was not the money he deeply required. It was a drop. A drop of water. A drop which marked a new beginning. A beginning that he would look forward to and cherish. It was a small drop; however, its value was high. It was none other than a drop. A Drop of Life!