My father with empty pockets is the richest man on earth

“The heart of a father is the masterpiece of nature.”

25th Dec 22 (Odisha Tazanews) Indore :- ‘Father’ is the word that always resonates with God. The word carries an abundance of emotions. The word that gives us a sense of protection. I still remember when I was a boy of eleven or twelve, I came from school crying the whole way and locked myself in a room. My mother tried her best to console me and asked me what happened, but I was not in the mood to tell her anything. Later, in the evening, my father came from work and came to talk to me. He was a serious and intimidating man.When he asked me what happened, I could not stop myself from telling him everything. I told him how my friends in school teased me for not having sports shoes, and how they all made fun of me. My dad listened to everything without saying a word. After I finished, he told me to have dinner and sleep early.

Two days after the fiasco, when I came back from school, I saw a box on my table. As I opened the box, my new sports shoes peeked from inside. I knew it was my father who gifted me this treasure. I was so happy that day my joy knew no bounds. I showed my new shoes to everyone in the neighborhood. When I saw my father, I hugged him tightly saying thank you over and over again. Dad said nothing. He just hugged me tightly and kept smiling. The next day, I woke earlier than usual, excited to show my new shoes to my friends who had teased me earlier. As I was getting ready, I heard my ma ask my dad why he bought me new shoes with the money that he was saving for a few months to buy shoes for himself. To this, my dad replied, “Did you see the happiness on our child’s face when he hugged me? The glow on his face is what matters the most.” Something came into my mind, and I went to check the shoe dad wore every day. What I saw broke my heart. Not only his shoes were worn out, but the soles were also coming off them. It must be painful for him to wear those shoes every day. That day I understood how much my dad sacrificed to provide for our family. That day, he became my superhero. Just as I can rely on superheroes to save the day, I knew I can rely on my real-life superhero- my father, to help me solve my problems, and help me get through them ! Dad never told me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. My dad was a man of few words, but his actions showed his deep and unconditional love for me. He gave me wings and told me to fly as high as I want. He never left the ground, but his eyes were always following me, watching me, protecting me.  Atul Malikram (Political analyst)