Its the bitter tonic that you drink, but its the knowledge which sinks in.

     History is replete with the examples of kingdoms and lords who learned their lessons by experiencing those themselves. Importance of an impregnable door for a fort wasn't realized until the enemy easily won the battle by entering through the entrance. Importance of decentralization of power in politics wasn't realized until a kingdom failed under the hands of an incompetent king. The kingdoms neither learned through education nor through tales of neighboring kingdoms. They learned solely through experience.

  For getting rid of a disease, one needs to gulp a spoonful of a bitter tonic. It is this bitter tonic that gives them the knowledge of living a healthy life, to avoid the disease.  

   To talk about present times, there are many events which provide examples for the topic in concern. Take for example the case of Aruna Shanbaug- the center of attention in a court case on euthanasia; after spending 42 years in a coma as a result of a sexual assault. It was only after her plight, that the legislation for passive euthanasia gained momentum. Legislation for a new act, whereby a person can state in one's will that if he ever happens to enter a vegetative state (coma) and that no medications works on him whatsoever, he is to be ridden of the ventilator after the specified period of time. Both the legislations if passed will be instrumental in trapping the criminals booked under euthanasia and freeing   the victims of coma. 

   It took the martyrdom of 3 senior fire-brigade officials for the government to realize that safety measures, medical insurances, pensions, etc are a dire need for the fire-brigades who risk their lives.

It took one Zeeshan Khan's bold stand against the corporate officials (who rejected his application because he was a Muslim) to bring to the fore the discrimination faced by the disadvantaged communities.

     As you might notice, the arguments mentioned in the above cases like the right to die, right to safety, and the rights to oppose discrimination aren’t new. They have been argued upon since many years. People's tragedy, experience and voice, was all it took for them to be finally acted upon.

      Talking about that in a national context, surely, India is facing many problems. But they are those problems which will build up India into an experienced one. An experienced India, prone to achieving growth and development. 

                                    

                                          Thank You.

     

The struggle, his story.

PROLOGUE-

Narayan Wani, was a self-made successful entrepreneur of Kalyan, Mumbai. Even in the face of many ups and downs, he managed to build the life of his dreams for himself, and his family. He was my grandfather. This, is his story. 

The struggle, his story.

“Let’s start a business of our own,” said Nana

      “Don’t you think we are too young for that?” asked Motiram

“We don’t have any other option, you know that.”

                                                   “All right. Let’s do it." 
Exactly 8 years before this incident, two brothers- Narayan, who was fondly called as Nana and Motiram had arrived at Kalyan, leaving their village Gudhe. They had come here with the purpose of assisting their wealthy maternal uncle.

Nana was 9, when he started working under his uncle along with his brother. They used to take care of his grocery shop, assist the uncle in business dealings. The uncle, used to make both the brothers toil day in and day out, without giving any paycheck. Only one square meal was provided to the brothers. But Nana and Motiram still worked without complaining over there. Nana completed his education till 7^th grade at Kalyan.  After a few years, they moved out of their uncle’s business to search a job, with a paycheck. They were soon offered a job at a mess, under Mr. Damle. Nana and Motiram received a paycheck of Rs. 60 and Rs. 75 respectively.

 Nana liked observing the business dealings, interacting with the customers at his uncle’s place and at the mess too. Giving in to this knack for business, Nana thought of setting up a shop of his own. He got a positive reply from Motiram. After saving a sufficient sum from their paychecks, they finally bought a shop. Nana was 17, at that time.
In the year 1946, they bought a place and finally set up a shop of their own. They named it as, “Motiram and brothers.” Groceries like oil, sugar, food grains, spices,etc everything was made available at that shop. They enjoyed a good business, and were able to financially stabilize themselves. They even bought a house of their own. After doing that they brought their parents and 2 brothers to Kalyan. When they reached maturity, both the brothers got married and had their own families. Nana soon became a proud father of 4 kids. A few years later, Motiram shifted with his family of a wife and 5 kids to another city, Dombivli. After Motiram left, Nana was all on his own now. Right from the buying of groceries at a good bargain in the market to selling those in his own shop, Nana used to deal with everything. With his polite speech and good nature, Nana used to win the trust of every customer. His basic qualities like these, gradually paved way for immaculate business dealings and efficient client-servicing. Eventually, Motiram and brothers became the most popular shop in that area. He later bought two new shops, and even constructed a building for his family.

Nana didn’t restrict the purchase of groceries to the local market; he started exploring the territories in Mumbai too. He lived a rich lifestyle. He was a health and fitness freak, even in those days. With his fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude he conquered great heights.

 Nana passed away on 4^th may, 1991. He not only left a business to his sons, but also valuable life lessons, ensuring that his legacy continues even after he dies.

THE END.