Chapter 23: chapter 23

Suresh Goes Looking for LuckOnce upon a time there lived two brothers, Ramesh and Suresh. They lived in a village near Rajkot in Gujarat. Ramesh was well-to-do, while Suresh was poor; he had no proper job and had been unsuccessful as a businessman. Since Suresh had no job, Ramesh suggested that Suresh assist him with his work so that he could make a living.One day, Suresh was in the fields taking care of Ramesh’s cattle in his absence. As he walked slowly behind the well-fed, healthy cows, Suresh noticed a man in a white dhoti and vest walking purposefully ahead of the cattle, rounding them up.Suresh called out to the stranger, ‘Hey, who are you? What are you doing here with my brother’s cattle?’The stranger in white replied, ‘I am your brother’s Luck. I am taking care of your brother’s property.’Suresh was intrigued. ‘Luck? In that case, where is my Luck? Have you seen him anywhere?’ he asked.‘I am only a reflection of your brother’s persona. Your Luck may be unaware of the work he has to do. He may be sleeping,’ said the stranger with a smile, as he walked on with the cattle.‘Wait. How do I wake my Luck up?’ prodded Suresh.‘Don’t worry. He will wake up soon,’ reassured the stranger.Suresh was happy but impatient. ‘Please tell me where to find him. You must know. I will go and wake him up myself,’ he urged.The stranger replied, ‘He is asleep in the caves a little farther from here.’Suresh dropped everything at once and immediately rushed to the caves on the outskirts of the village. On the way, he found an old gardener who was tending to his bare and dry gardens and asked him for directions to the caves.‘Why do you need to go to the caves? Whom do you wish to meet?’ asked the gardener.‘I am going to find my Luck. I have heard he is resting there, and I need to wake him up,’ answered Suresh.‘Will you do me a favour? Will you tell your Luck that you met a gardener whose garden yields him no fruit? Ask him what the reason is,’ requested the gardener.Suresh agreed and set off towards the caves. A little farther ahead, he came across another village. Suresh stopped to have a drink of water. He met the village chief and confirmed the directions to the caves.‘Why do you want to go to the caves? Whom will you meet there?’ asked the village chief.‘I am going to find my Luck. I intend to wake him up,’ answered Suresh.‘When you get the chance, do ask him why my villagers won’t obey my orders,’ requested the chief.Suresh agreed and went on his way. As he walked through the wilderness, he met a wolf. The wolf, a cunning yet charming creature, got talking to Suresh. When the wolf learnt where Suresh was going, he said, ‘When you meet Mr Luck, do ask him why I find it so difficult to find food.’Suresh agreed and made his way to the caves. He arrived there to find his Luck napping comfortably. Suresh roughly shook him awake.‘Hey, what’s your problem?’ Luck groggily protested. ‘Let me sleep for a few more years.’‘No, no, wake up now. You need to help me. Other people have also given me messages for you. You need to start helping them too,’ pushed Suresh.Luck sat up and rubbed his eyes. Suresh diligently told him what questions the others had asked.‘What do I tell the gardener?’ asked Suresh.Luck did some thinking and replied, ‘Tell him he has four earthenware jars full of gold coins hidden under the big tree in his garden. He must dig them up and his garden will start giving him fruits.’For the village chief, Luck said, ‘Tell him that he is corrupt and that’s why his villagers don’t listen to him. He has to get his kind and honest daughter to become the village chief. Only then will his village prosper.’For the wolf, he said, ‘Tell him that whenever he meets a foolish man, he must eat him. His destiny will come to him.’‘And me?’ asked Suresh. ‘What’s in store for me?’‘Whatever you dream of will very soon be within your reach. You just have to take it very quickly or else it will be too late,’ blessed Luck. ‘Go forth and live your life.’Suresh was so happy, he rushed back to take what was owed to him.He decided to go to the gardener first because he didn’t want him waiting any more for the answer. He gave him the news. The gardener was thrilled. He suggested, ‘Thank you for your help. Come dig these pots full of gold out with me and we can share the treasure between ourselves.’‘Are you crazy? I don’t have time for that. I just came to give you your message. I have an even bigger dream waiting to come true. I have to rush so that I can find it.’ Suresh hastened away.Next, he decided to go to the village chief, who lived closer to the gardener. He gave him his message from Luck. The chief confessed, ‘He’s right. I have become too corrupt. That’s probably why the people aren’t obeying me. I will make my daughter the chief. She is an honest woman and will run the village in a just and fair manner.’ As Suresh made to leave, the chief suggested, ‘You have helped me immensely. My daughter is very beautiful and will soon be chief. Why don’t you marry her? I think you’ll be very happy.’‘Are you crazy? I don’t have time for that. I just came to give you your message. I have an even bigger dream waiting to come true. I have to rush so that I can find it.’ Suresh rushed off without a second glance.He was soon in the wilderness where he had met the wolf. To the wolf, he narrated all the things that had happened since he met Luck. He added with importance, ‘Luck told me to tell you that your destiny will come to you. Whenever you meet a foolish man, you must eat him. As for me, I am about to have a very big dream come true, so I have to rush.’Having heard from Suresh his whole story, the wolf realised that here was a man foolish enough to have rejected two pots of gold and an offer of marriage to a beautiful, honest woman, and instead rushing off for some imaginary dream to come true. ‘You are right. My destiny has come to me because of you. Let us just take a moment to thank our lucky stars,’ the Wolf said slyly before looking up.When Suresh looked up, the wolf pounced on him. Stunned at first, he somehow mustered the courage to hit the wolf on the head with a piece of wood. And he ran as fast as he could.That day Suresh learnt his lesson. That’s why it is said that luck means being prepared for every opportunity in front of us. We make our own luck.