The Window of Hope .

- Ravi Ila Bhatt

-  "Sister, can you please shift me to the bed near the window? I want to see the world outside, just as Dinu described."

In a government hospital of a small Indian city, two seriously ill men shared the same ward. Their beds stood side by side, but only one of them was placed next to the window.

The man near the window, Dinu, was weak but cheerful in spirit. The other, Tapan, was so unwell that he could hardly move and had to lie flat on his back all day, staring only at the ceiling.

Every afternoon, when the nurses left after giving medicines, Dinu would slowly sit up by the window and begin talking. With a smile, he would describe to Tapan the sights outside:

"Arrey Tapan bhai, the weather is so lovely today. The peepal tree outside is full of parrots and sparrows. Across the road, there's a small park-children are playing gilli-danda and cricket there."

"Just now, two buffaloes are being led to the pond for a bath. Their horns are painted in bright colors after the recent fair. Look, an old couple is walking slowly under the shade of the neem trees, holding hands like newlyweds."

Sometimes he spoke of the temple bells ringing in the distance, sometimes of the street vendors calling out "chai-garam, chai-garam!" Sometimes he described the rising skyline of the city, with buses, rickshaws, and shops buzzing with life.

Listening to him, Tapan-though bedridden-would close his eyes and imagine it all. In his mind, he could see the pond with children floating paper boats, smell the fried pakoras from the street stalls, and feel the calm of the sunset over the city. These words gave him strength and peace, easing his painful days.

Weeks went by. Then one morning, Dinu, the man by the window, quietly passed away in his sleep.

After two days, Tapan asked the nurse, "Sister, can you please shift me to the bed near the window? I want to see the world outside, just as Dinu described."

The nurse agreed and helped him move. With great effort, Tapan propped himself up and turned his head towards the much-awaited view.

But to his shock, all he saw was a blank wall outside the window. No park, no children, no pond-just a dull wall of another building.

Confused and upset, he called the nurse and asked, "Sister, how is this possible? Every day Dinu bhai described such beautiful things outside this window. But there's nothing here except a wall. Why did he say all that?"

The nurse smiled softly and replied, "Beta, Dinu was blind. He couldn't even see this wall. But he knew you were suffering, so with his words he painted a world of joy for you-just to give you hope."

Tapan lay silently, tears filling his eyes. He realized that true happiness does not come from what we see, but from what we give.

Moral  

Real joy lies in bringing light to someone else's life, even if we ourselves are in darkness.