A Jar of Hope
Hope is the one thing that helps us to get through the darkest of times. Many of us are fighting battles that we know nothing about, but one thing that is common among each individual who is struggling to get better in Life is trusting there will be hope. Hope gives us confidence and strength in life to get better. I’m going to share one of the most interesting stories about an individual and how it inspired me over the years to come through every situation we face in Life!
It was in 2015 when I met Ram during my college days. I used to go to an Irani Cafe near my college on the way home to stop by for a quick cup of ‘Kadak Chai’. Shanmugam Anna (Anna refers to “Brother” in Tamil) was the Tea master serving hundreds of cups of chai amidst the crowded chaos on the busy streets. Chennai is one of the major hubs of South Indian cinema where people travel from remote villages of Tamil Nadu to get opportunities. That’s how I met Ram at the Irani Cafe. Days pass by, Ram and I often ended up having a cup of Chai around the same time. We didn’t know each other before but just a smile on our faces whenever we ran into each other. Ram in his mid 25’s, a charming man with a great muscular body and trying to get into the Cinematic world has got a lot of people’s attention. Ram was trying for modeling opportunities and comes from the remote village of Ramnad, India. Shanmugam Anna used to talk friendly to his customers, being a regular customer of the Cafe Myself and Ram will be interacting with him daily. That’s how Shanmugam Anna introduced me to Ram. Being a teenager, when I got to know that Ram is trying for cinema I got excited and will be asking a lot of questions related to the cine industry and he will be answering very eagerly.
The Specialty of Irani Cafe is that Smokers are not allowed to Smoke publicly in the cafe and no cigarettes were sold. One of the places where you can have a cup of chai peacefully without any passive smoking in the city. Rahim Bhai is the owner of the cafe who is running this for quite a long time. Rahim is generally a kind-hearted old man who has seen lots of struggles in his life. The unique part of this cafe is that there will be a jar at the cash counter with 10 and 20 rupees notes in it. One day after having a cup of chai, I saw Ram putting an extra change into the jar. Out of curiosity, I asked Ram what is that jar for. with a big smile, Ram explained to me. That is called a “Jar of Hope”, Rahim bhai joined with Ram and said that Chennai has lifted a lot of people’s life but at the same time it has also devasted a lot of lives as well. People often come from home with very minimum money in their hands to chase dreams, after a certain period the money they bought from home will be spent, and will be struggling even to get a cup of chai. People who have sufficient money will put extra change into this jar so that those who don’t have money will take from this jar and buy a “chai” and “maska bun” from the cafe. After hearing this, the respect I had for this cafe and Rahim bhai increased 100 X times.
With a big smile whenever I have a cup of chai, I will drop some change when I have extra. I visited Ram’s place once and he showed me his camera, and scripts and told me exciting things about his work. I used to ask will you get a chance to see “Thalapathy Vijay” if you happen to please take me with you!. with a silly laugh, he will say sure I will take you. Exams in the busy college life during the third year with placements and stuff I was not able to see Ram since I was going to the cafe at different times. On one fine day, I met Ram again and he said that he got an opportunity as a lead actor to work in a film and treated me with a cup of chai. I was so happy that after years of struggling, Ram got his break finally and he put a 50 rupees currency note into the jar on that day since he was so happy.
Holidays after the exam, I visited the home and returned to college after two good months. The final year of college started, and I was busy focusing on getting a good job and project stuff. I wasn’t able to see Ram for a while in a cafe. After college, I was vacating my place and was going to a different place for job opportunities. Finally, I wanted to have a one good cup of chai finally from the cafe again before leaving. So I went to the cafe; to my surprise I saw Ram there, but not in the way that I expected. Ram was completely in a different disguise and he had a beard and was so lean. His muscular body and charm have vanished. To my surprise, Ram opened the “Jar of Hope” took a 10 rupees note, and gave it to Rahim bhai for a chai. I was shocked to death seeing Ram in such a situation. I approached him and asked what happened Ram!?. He said the movie in which he acted was not released due to issues with the producer and the project has been dropped. I was not able to get any opportunities for the past 6 months and I’m barely surviving. I felt very sad hearing this and was very silent not knowing how to react. The man who used to give hope to everyone by dropping extra changes is picking the same changes for survival now. Despite losing everything, Ram said you know what I still have “Hope” left in me and I’m planning to go home and see whether I can work something back there instead of trying for cinema. Hearing this conversation, Rahim bhai opened the jar and gave all the money inside it to Ram and said; Ram all this money is the hope of someone who you didn’t know, you used to give hope to a lot of people but unfortunately, you are now in a situation to receive it. Use this money wisely, go home meet your parents and start a fresh life. Rahim bhai said, “Sometimes things have to go wrong before they can be right”; You will be alright, and Take care. with a smile on his face, Ram said I guess that’s it. I wished him all the very best and departed in our ways. I “Hope” Ram is doing better in life now. The jar of hope has magic in it and Rahim bhai said he has seen a lot of stories like Ram in his life and wanted to help people and that’s why there is a jar in his cafe.
If you are fighting a battle or feeling depressed or things are not on your side, stay calm and trust your journey. As I always say “Everything you once lost will come back looking for you at the right time!”. Your “Jar of Hope” is waiting somewhere and it will find its way to give you strength to pursue in Life.
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