THE BLACK BALLOON















Gandhi did not possess the physical attributes of a mighty military General. He was too short, too lean and even too ugly-looking (I say this with loads of respect to one of my heroes in life). Moreover, he was a ‘colored man’… whom the British treated as a slave!

And, now imagine, this short, lean, ugly-looking – a colored slave -  challenging the might of all-powerful British Empire; imagine, he bringing the mighty Goliath to his knees… imagine, this unlikely hero freeing a colossal nation from decades of oppression…

If the color of your skin or the looks of your face - or, even the kind of wealth you possessed - made great heroes, then, Gandhi would have been a total misfit!

Well, though Gandhi is my great hero in life, I do not have any ambition like he had: to free an oppressed nation from the slavery of British. But, then, I have my own little ambition: to free myself from the confinements of my own mind, my own beliefs… my own prison.

So, my color, physical strength, looks and even wealth do not matter for me to realize my ambition. What matters is what I possess inside my soul: My resolve and grit, my passion and commitment, my patience and compassion… My outlook and zest for life.

This morning, my friend Mr. Manjeet narrated to our young-ones a popular story. It came as a fresh breeze and, along with all our young-ones, left me inspired… to soar high…


In a town, there was a man who sold balloons of different colors. Whenever his business was down, he would send helium-filled balloons in the air. This would attract the children from the surrounding places, and his business would soar, once again…

One afternoon, a little Black-boy asked the balloon-seller a very innocent question. Pointing at a black balloon, the boy asked, “Will this black balloon go high up in the skies just like the red, pink and yellow do?”

“Oh yes, my little darling, it will,” said the balloon-seller caressing the boy’s head. “Remember, what takes the balloon high up is not its color but what lies inside it!” 


Who is this little boy? And, who is the balloon-seller?

I had heard and told this popular story so many times before… But, today was a new morning… and, I was on the other side of the fence!

The fresh breeze took my helium-filled balloon high up… 

It made the child in me jump with joy!


GERALD D’CUNHA

Pic.: Vivek D'Cunha






Comments

Shivang Gupta said…
I am jumping with joy, too!!!!! Shivang
May 17, 2013 at 5:23 PM
Anonymous said…
Nicely wrtitten sir. Love.
-- Unni
May 17, 2013 at 5:46 PM
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