RISIEING FROM THE ASHES

The afternoon sun was scorching. Father was returning from the fields, the sweat on his face and the lines of anger clearly visible. As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he shouted, "Where is that useless fellow? Oh, Arjun! Come out!" I was sitting huddled in a corner of the room. It felt as if my 10th-grade results had brought my life to a standstill. The 'fail' label was stuck on me in such a way that I now appeared to be nothing but a 'burden' to everyone."Look at your darling son!" Father lashed out at Mother. "He used to be glued to TikTok on his mobile all day long; now he has disgraced me in the entire village. When people ask what my son will do, what answer should I give? That my son is worthless?" Every single abuse of his was piercing my chest like an arrow. I felt that today he would surely kick me out of the house. Just then, Mother came out of the kitchen and stood between me and Father."Enough! He is just a child. He has only failed; he hasn’t committed a crime," Mother said in a steady voice, though her eyes were filled with worry for me.It IS a crime! Wasting the money of a father who toils day and night in the fields is nothing less than a crime!" Father brushed his hand away in frustration and walked out. Mother came to me, stroked my head, and whispered, "Son, your father isn't a bad man; he only says these things because he worries about you. But how long will you run from your fate? Do something that silences the world. When Mother caressed me and ran her hand through my hair, I forgot all my pain. Resting my head in her lap made the burden of failure feel lighter. But the truth was, since the beginning, I preferred wandering around and having fun with friends more than books. Studies? They always felt like an enemy to me. For the next few days, I pretended to change, but as soon as Father went to the other side of the field, I would hide in the shade of a tree and take out my mobile. Laughing with friends at the village square and talking aimlessly felt much better than studying.

One afternoon, when Mother brought me some roti and jaggery, I was pretending to sit with an open book. She said lovingly, "Arjun, look what I’ve brought for you. You just focus on your studies; I will handle your father." As soon as she left, I shut the book. I thought to myself— what is even there in these books? Father is a farmer, I will do farming too. At least there won't be this headache of memorizing things! This 'fun-loving' mindset pushed me back onto the old path. I thought I was fooling everyone, but I didn't know that destiny was writing a completely different lesson for me.One day, while I was out bathing in the canal wimy friends, having lied at home that I was going to the nearby city to find out about 'coaching'... Rajveer Singh ji suddenly arrived there. The cold water of the canal and that mindless fun with friends... I had forgotten everything. "Hey Arjun! Look who’s coming down that path?" my friend Rahul said nervously. I pulled my head out of the water, and the moment I saw the scene in front of me, my hands and feet went cold.Rajveer Singh (My father) was standing there. In his hand was the same towel he often tightened when he was angry. There was rage in his eyes, but this time, there was also a deep sense of 'betrayal.' "So, this is your coaching?" His voice was calm, but that silence was the warning of a major storm.I stepped out of the canal, trembling. My friends slipped away one by one. I stood before him with my head bowed, water dripping from my body and my face red with shame. "Father... that... I was just..." My voice failed me. "Just what? Lied to your mother that you were going to study? Lied to me that you haeimproved?" Rajveer ji came close and grabbed my collar. "What did you think? That you were making a fool out of me? He didn’t abuse me, nor did he raise his hand. He simply brushed my hand away and said— "From today, you are not my son. Someone who loves idle fun doesn't deserve the bread of this house. Don't come home after today." My father’s words were echoing in my ears like hammer blows. I couldn't muster the courage to go inside the house and quietly went to the backyard shed, sitting there in the dark. As the night deepened, my stomach cramped with hunger, but my fear was much greater than that. Just then, I saw Mother tiptoeing towards me, hiding something in the fold of her saree. Both fear and maternal love were clearly visible on her face.

Arjun... son, are you here?" Mother whispered. She pulled out two rotis and some pickle from her saree. "Here, eat quickly. If your father finds out, it will be a disaster." As soon as I put the first morsel in my mouth, my tears dripped onto the roti. Mother was stroking my head, "Eat, my child, don't cry. I will talk to him in the morning." I had only finished half a roti when suddenly the courtyard door swung open and Father's voice thundered through the house— "Kaushalya! Where have you gone? And who took the plate from the kitchen?The silence between us stretched thin. Mother’s hands began to tremble. Before we could grasp the situation, Father came towards the shed, flashing his torch. The bright beam of the torch fell directly on my eyes.So, this game of hide-and-seek is going on here!" Father’s roar pierced the silence of the night. "Didn't I say this worthless fellow wouldn't get any food? And you... by feeding him secretly, you are clearing his path to ruin!" He lunged forward, snatched the roti from my hand, and threw it on the ground. "Someone who doesn't value the bread earned through hard work has no right to eat in secret. Kaushalya, if the kitchen door opens for him after today, no one will be worse than me!"Father looked at me with eyes that suggested I wasn't his son, but a stranger. Mother sat there sobbing, and I... I watched that half-eaten roti mingle with the dirt, cursing my fate. I spent the entire night wide awake. Lying on the dirt of the shed, I watched the stars fade and the first ray of dawn break through. But that sun brought no light into my life; instead, it brought a grueling test

The courtyard was filled with a haunting silence. Mother and I stood there like statues. Rajveer Singh ji placed his towel on his shoulder and said something in his heavy voice that I had never even imagined. Kaushalya! Today the decision is simple and clear," Father’s voice had the hardness of stone. "Either this boy will sweat in the fields from today and end his enmity with books, or, if he prefers his wandering and worthlessness... then he must leave my house this very day."Mother was about to say something, but Father silenced her with a wave of his hand. "And listen! You, who take his side so much—if you accept his incompetence, then you can leave with him. But if you want to stay in this house, then after today, you will not let him enter without my permission.Hearing this, the ground slipped from beneath my feet. Mother’s face turned pale. Because of me, even Mother was being threatened with eviction. The mother who carried me in her womb for nine months and always protected me from Father’s wrath—today, because of me, her very home was at stake.Father left for the fields. Mother sat on the threshold and burst into tears. I went to her and held her feet. "Mother... because of me... you shouldn't endure all this. I will leave this place."Mother suddenly brushed my hand away, looked into my eyes, and said, "Where will you go? What will you do outside? Wander aimlessly? Arjun, what your father said today is not his hatred; it is his last hope. Now the decision is yours—either prove yourself to be my son, or make me homeless along with you.