A Lesson in Life from a Beggar | Class 10th English | Question answer ||

 A Lesson in Life from a Beggar | Class 10th English | Question answer |

Meena is a good friend of mine. She is an LIC

officer earning a good salary. But there was alwayssomething strange about her. She was forever unhappy.

Whenever I met her, I would start to feel depressed.It was as though her gloom and cynicism had a wayof spreading to others. She never had anything positiveto say on any subject or about any person.

For instance, I might say to her, ‘Meena, did you

know Rakesh has come first in his school ?’

Meena’s immediate response would be to belittlethe achievement. ‘Naturally, his father is a schoolteacher’, she would say.

If I said, ‘Meena, Shwetha is a very beautiful

girl, isn’t she ?’ Meena would be pessimistic. ‘Whena pony is young, he looks handsome. It is age thatmatters. Wait for some time. Shwetha will be uglier than anyone you know.’

‘Meena, it’s a beautiful day. Let’s go for a walk’.

‘No, the sun is too hot and I get tired if I walk

too much. Besides, who says walking is good for

health? There’s no proof.’

That was Meena. She stayed alone in an apartment as her parents lived in Delhi. She was an only child and had the habit of complaining about anything and

everything. Naturally, she wasn’t a very pleasant company and nobody wanted to visit her. Then one day, Meena was transferred to Bombay and soon we all forgot about her.

Many years later, I found myself caught in the

rain at Bombay’s Flora Fountain. It was pouring and I didn’t have an umbrella. I was standing near

Akbarallys, a popular department store, waiting for the rain to subside. Suddenly, I spotted Meena. My first reaction was to run, even in that pouring rain. I was anxious to avoid being seen by her, having to listen to her never-ending complaints. However, I couldn’t escape. She had already seen me and caughthold of my hand warmly. What’s more, she was very

cheerful.

‘Hey ! I am really excited. It’s nice to meet old

friends. What are you doing here ?’

I explained that I was in Bombay on an official

work.

‘Then stay with me tonight,’ she said. ‘Let’s

chat. Do you know that, old friends and memories are precious and rare ?’

I couldn’t believe it. Was this really Meena? I

pinched myself hard to be sure it wasn’t a dream. But Meena was really standing there, right in front of me, squeezing my hand, smiling, and yes, she did look happy. In the three years she had been in

Bangalore, I had never once seen her smiling like that. A few strands of grey in her hair reminded me that years had passed. There were a few wrinkles in her face, but the truth was that she looked more attractive than ever before. Finally, I managed to say, ‘No Meena, I can’t stay with you tonight. I have to attend a dinner. Giveme your card and I’ll keep in touch with you, Ipromise.’

For a moment, Meena looked disappointed, ‘Let’sgo and have tea at least’, she insisted.

‘But Meena, it’s pouring.’

‘So what ? We’ll buy an umbrella and then go

to the Grand Hotel,’ she said.

‘We won’t get a taxi in this rain’, I grumbled.

‘So what ? We’ll walk’.

I was very surprised. This wasn’t the same

Meena I had known. Today, she seemed ready to

make any number of adjustments.

We reached the Grand Hotel drenched. By then

the only thought in my mind was to find out who or what had brought about such a change in the pessimistic Meena I had known. I was quite curious.

‘Tell me Meena, is there a Prince Charming who

has managed to change you so?’