Raat ke 2:47 AM. Ek chhota sa kamra. Tube-light ki halka-peela sa andhera. Laptop ki screen par “Payment Failed” flash ho raha tha.
Hero ka naam: Aarav (21 saal)
Aarav ne screen ko ghurte hue dheeme se bola, “Bas itna hi tha mera life ka potential? Yeh sab mere saath hi kyun hota hai?”
3 mahine pehle tak sab theek lag raha tha. Degree haath me, sapne dimaag me, aur confidence dil me. Lekin reality ka pehla thappad tab pada jab 5 job interviews diye… aur sabne reject kar diya.
“We’ll get back to you.” – Aur kabhi aaye hi nahi.
Ghar waalon ke aankhon me umeed thi, society ke muh me sawaal, aur doston ke WhatsApp status par job celebrations. Bas Aarav ka status silent.
Upar se EMI ka pressure. Corona ke time me father ka business gir gaya tha, ab ghar ki financial condition tight. Aarav ne socha tha “Main sambhal lunga sab” — par khud ko sambhalna mushkil pad raha tha.
Us raat usne apne bank balance ko dekha: ₹326.40. Screen blur hone lagi… Aankhon me aansu nahi—niraasha thi.
Woh khidki ke paas gaya. Sheher so raha tha, par Aarav ka dimag cheekh raha tha:
“Kya main life me kabhi kuch ban paunga?”
Dimag ke ek kone se ek awaaz aayi — “Tu chhod de. Life aisi hi hai. Sab kismet ka khel hai.”
Dusri awaaz… bahut halki si… “Nahi, tu ruk. Kuch aur raasta bhi hoga.”
Woh bed par let gaya… छत ko takte hue… Dil me ek hi baat: “Main fail ho chuka hoon.”
Aksar log samajhte hai downfall matlab paisa kho dena… Par asli downfall hota hai jab insaan apna confidence kho deta hai.
Poori duniya paise ke peeche bhaag rahi hai… par koi yeh nahi samajh raha ki paise se pehle “mind” theek karna padta hai.
Subah ke 6:10 AM. Aarav khidki ke paas baithe-baithe hi so gaya tha. Raat ke aansu ab sukh chuke the, par dil me woh bojh waise ka waisa.
Usne decide kiya – "Bas, aaj ghar se bahar nikalta hoon. Fresh air atleast mind ko clear karegi."
Aarav colony ke paas ke lake ke kinare chalne laga—slow steps, head down, earphones without music… bas silence.
Thoda aage ek bench par ek buzurg aadmi nazaar aaye. White kurta, specs, haath me ek purani diary. Woh kaafi shaant lag rahe the—jaise duniya ka noise un tak pahochta hi nahi.
Aarav unke paas se guzarne laga tab un buzurg ne bina dekhe bol diya:
“Beta, bhaagne se zindagi solve nahi hoti… ruk ke samajhne se hoti hai.”
Aarav shock. “Kya unhe pata chal gaya main kya feel kar raha?”
Woh muskuraaye, "Baithoge?" Aarav ne bina soche bench par unke paas baith gaya.
Unka naam: Kabir Sir (56). Retired nahi… Rewired type insaan. Calm, confident, depth wali vibe.
Kabir Sir ne pucha, “Pareshan lag rahe ho. Job nahi mil rahi?” Aarav ne hairaani se haan me sir hilaya. “Kaise pata?”
Unhone diary band ki aur seedha aankhon me dekh ke bole:
“Youth ka sabse bada dukh unemployment nahi hota… Unka asliyat samajh ke bina race me bhaagna hota hai.”
Kabir Sir: “Beta, tumhe paise ke piche nahi, paise ke system ke piche bhaagna chahiye. Tumhe sikhaaya gaya ‘padhai → job → salary → zindagi’ Par reality mein wealthy log yeh nahi karte.”
Aarav ne poocha: “Sir, kya aap mujhe sikhayenge? Kaise sochna hai, kaise life turn karni hai?”
Kabir Sir: “Seekhne ka jazba tumhare andar hona chahiye. Agar tum ready ho… main tumhe woh dikhaunga jo schools ne tumse chhupa diya.”
2:47 AM. A small room. Dim yellowish light from tube-light. On the laptop screen: “Payment Failed” flashing.
Hero's name: Aarav (21 years)
Aarav murmured, “Is this all my potential in life? Why does this always happen to me?”
Three months ago everything seemed perfect. Degree in hand, dreams in mind, confidence in heart. Reality hit when 5 job interviews… all rejected.
“We’ll get back to you.” — Never did.
Family had hope, society had questions, friends celebrated jobs on WhatsApp. Aarav’s status remained silent.
On top of that, EMI pressure. Father's business crashed during Corona. Aarav thought “I will handle everything” — but even handling himself was hard.
That night he checked his bank balance: ₹326.40. Screen blurred… not tears but despair.
He went to the window. The city slept, but Aarav's mind screamed:
“Will I ever become something in life?”
A voice whispered — “Give up. Life is fate’s game.” Another faint one — “No, wait. There’s another path.”
He lay on bed, staring at ceiling, thinking: “I have failed.”
True downfall is not losing money but losing confidence.
6:10 AM. Aarav fell asleep near the window. Tears dried, but burden remained.
He decided – “Today, at least I will go outside. Fresh air might clear my mind.”
Walking by the lake, slow steps, head down, earphones without music… just silence.
An elderly man on a bench caught his eye. White kurta, specs, holding an old diary. Calm and detached from the world noise.
As Aarav passed, the man spoke without looking:
“Running won’t solve life… understanding while stopping will.”
Aarav shocked. “Did he sense my feelings?”
“Sit?” the man smiled. Aarav sat without thinking.
Name: Kabir Sir (56). Not retired, Rewired type human. Calm, confident, deep vibe.
Kabir Sir asked, “Troubled? Jobs not coming?” Aarav nodded. “How did you know?”
He closed his diary, looked into Aarav’s eyes:
“Youth’s biggest pain is not unemployment… it’s running the race without understanding reality.”
Kabir Sir: “Don’t chase money, chase the money system. School taught ‘study → job → salary → life’ But rich people don’t follow this.”
Aarav asked: “Sir, will you teach me? How to think? How to turn life around?”
Kabir Sir: “The desire to learn must be within you. If you’re ready… I will show what schools hid from you.”