Everyday (including sunday) he used to reach in front of this big showroom, whose owner had allowed this cobbler to run his business in a corner on stairs. The owner was a big hearted man.
Things were running fine, until one day when a car skidded off the road a little and the front tyre went over the tool box. The tool box broke, many bottles inside could not bear the weight of the tyre and flattened. Few things flew off to the small drain near the stairs.
The car driver got off and ignoring the queue of cars behind his, analysed the impact on his car. Fortunately there was not even a scratch. He looked at the misery and overcoming his guilt, shouted at the cobbler. "Had something happened to my car, I would have killed you", were the words. The cobbler, said "Sahab, nuksaan ho gaya humaara". And before he could indicate that the car owner should pay him compensation, the car owner slapped him. "Don't you dare put your stuff here on this street again", shouted the car owner.
The cobbler did not have any courage to speak a word. The car owner sat in his sedan, and with anger on his face screeched away his car, flying away some of the tools that were still near the tyre.
Some onlookers including the gatekeeper of the showroom, exchanged a few looks with pity in their eyes and went on with their activities. The cobbler with tears in his eyes, started gathering the remains of the box and belongings. He was thinking about not only the box, but about how would he manage to get the stuff again. He could carry things in a bag for a few days, but buying the tools and stuff would mean not buying food for at least a day. The pain of the slap was nothing, neither his ego got hurt. All that occupied his mind was, how to manage get an earning now.
Of so many onlookers, there was this young boy who was watching all this scene. He approached the gatekeeper of the showroom and asked "How much would this cost him?" The gatekeeper asked the cobbler and he replied "Bahut nuksaan ho gaya hai, 100 rupaiye lag jaayenge".
The boy willing to help, offered the amount to the cobbler. He expected that cobbler may not take it for he has his self esteem. But to his surprise the cobbler said "Shayad 150 hi lag jaayenge babuji".
The boy gave him 100 rupees and went away. But he left with a thought. "How greedy was this person? I was offering him help and he is asking me for more. These people do not have any self respect. Why don't they start begging? 50 rupees is nothing for me, I could've given him that much more, but this man may had asked for even more then. Maybe I should not have even helped him. He doesn't want to work to earn........".
Yes the poor cobbler was greedy. He tried to extract more money. He did not show any gesture of self respect.
But can we say he was wrong. 50 rupees which was nothing for the boy, meant some day's meal for his family. He was not a man with self respect, but he was a man who was fighting poverty but was still earning food for his home. He may even actually start begging for the purpose, but that would be because of the people like the car owner, the onlookers and the boy. Many of us are like the car owner, we do not accept our mistakes since our self respect has crossed its line and become ego. We have learnt to suppress our guilt with violence. For people in this category one who doesn't have money, has no existence in this world. Majority of us belong to the onlookers, who watch everything, feel the pity discuss it to show how soft hearted we are, but do not wish to extend a helping hand. Very few people are there in the category of the boy, who make efforts to help the person who'd in need. They are not mean at least in money matters. But they do not trust people easily. The sum of 50 rupees was nothing for the boy, but he would not give more. The cobbler did not do what the boy expected. But the boy did not trust the fact that asking for more money was not his greed, but just a try get food for another day to his children.
