A Father's Wish Fulfilled: A Heartwarming Family Story

Ramanujam was lost in thought, sitting in his armed chair under the beautiful neem tree that stood in the compound shedding its tiny white flowers. Now and then he glanced at the motherly tree like a father looking at his pet daughter..

There was so much anxiety in his face. The thing that bothered him was his son Sriram's plan to construct a car shed at the site where his neem tree  was happily conversing with her bird friends. It is his son's first car. He is already looking forward to its arrival with so much pride.

Only the day before the family was discussing where to keep the car parked within the gates. Ramanujam was startled when Sriram said, “I think we have to remove our Neem to build a shed. I cannot bear to think of our costly car left to the tender mercy of Sun and rain and wind”.

To just accommodate a feeling less inert object such as a car, how come this boy wants to kill a tree vibrating with life? In fact Ramanujam decided to buy that house twenty years ago only because he fell for the neem tree  that welcomed them with its open branch-arms. The bond between them grew thicker when he retired. He used to spend noon hours sitting under it with a book in his hand. 

He could not bear to think of his beloved tree being cut into pieces just to make room for a car shed.

When the proposal was made he did not speak a word. But his anguished face showed clearly how much he felt hurt.

Sriram's mother Vatsala understood his feelings and tried to dissuade Sriram from carrying out his plan. But Sriram was in no mood to listen to reason.. “Sriram, listen to me, there is no need to cut our neem tree. There is enough space to park our car in our compound. We can cover the car to protect it from sun and rain". Sriram remained unmoved. She knows the sacrifices Ramanujam made to raise their son to the level he reached in his life. When she wanted to make Sriram remember them Ramanujam restrained her with his eye-gesture from doing so. That night she thought and found a way. She prayed that her plan would work out as she desired.

The next morning when Sriram came to the dining table for his breakfast, on it were photos showing him and his father taken in his childhood days.

In one picture he was trying to climb the neem with his father assisting him to reach the first fork.. In another photo Sriraam and his mother Vatsala rocking in the swing tied to an upper branch of Neem. In another profound emotional picture Sriram was seen trying to hug the neem with his small arms.

Sriram kept staring at the pictures for a time. Something broke in his heart. He went up to his father and whispered in his ears “Don’t worry father I have given up the car-shed idea. I will not touch our Neem. I am sorry for the heartless proposal I made yesterday. To cut the tree to make way for a car shed."

Ramanujam took his son's hand in his and squeezed it with unspoken gratitude. Mother Vatsala who made her son change his mind by displaying those pictures on the dining table stood smiling at both father and son.