Know your worth
I was a just in my teen then, just completed my 8th Standard of Schooling. At the evening hours after coming back from school, I was playing with some of my friends. Suddenly parents of one of my friends come there to see what is happening in the play ground. After finding we all are playing there, start shouting to friend “why you are playing with all these valueless kids”. My friend was from a very rich family. He was from a so called Royal family. They was living a king-size life.
The Confusion
I thought might be they are speaking about the wealth they are having. My friend’s parents were speaking like this because we were poor comparing to them. They are very rich so they can say something like this. But I was not happy with this event. I stopped playing with that friend, and busy with study and my other friends.
One day my friend came to my place and was asking me why I am not coming to his place to play with him. I told him that I don’t want to play with him, as his grand-father don’t like us. He took me to his parents and tell the same thing to his grand-father. Once upon a time he was the king of that area and he loved all kids and children very much. My friend’s Grand Father offered me a glass of milk as ask me sit there with him.
The learning
After having my glass of milk, he ask me to come and meet him next morning without fail. Anyhow there was nothing in mind, I was completely blank, why he is asking me meet him next morning. Anyhow with lots of anxiety I went there and meet him. I found that he waiting for some thing or someone after finishing his breakfast.
When he see me, “Yes, I was waiting for you only”, and he call my friend. He then ask both of us to come with him. As you know we are living in Burdwan, it is not so big city. In the year of 1992 mostly every body was knowing each other. Any we 3 people started moving to the outside, I was excited thinking about “where we are going”.
Day 1
Now the 1st we visited a goldsmith shop. Now he (friend’s grand-father) pull out one Golden color pocket watch from his pocket and handed it over to the Goldsmith, and asked him the value for it. The goldsmith knows him very well. So the goldsmith looked at that watch very carefully and after some time handed over the watch to Grand Father saying that “the value of this watch could be around INR 5000”. Then we came back to home. When I was coming back to home, he ask me to meet him again tomorrow.
Day 2
Next day he asked me to accompany one of his employee to a pawn broker and given the same golden watch to the employee. We went to the pawn broker and that employee show the watch to the pawn broker and asked him for the value of it. After looking at the watch the pawn broker inform Grand Father’s employee the value of the watch could be around INR 2000. We came back home and informed the same to Grand Father. Now after having some food there I came back to my home. But when I was coming back home, again my friend’s Grand Father asked me to meet him next morning.
Day 3
Next day when I went to my friend’s house I found there Grand Father was sitting with another old person. Grand Father ask me to come there, and introduce me to the another person who is an antiquities (antique collector). Now Grand Father shown him the same watch and asked for the value of it. Now this time I was totally surprised with response from the antiquities. The antiquities said that golden color watch is a very rare piece and around 200 years old watch. There are only a few are available in the market in working condition. To my utter surprise the antiquities offered INR 500000 for the same watch.
The Lesson
Now Grand Father told me, know the value for what you have. You are very good into sports, but the people you are playing with have nothing in their life. They are just passing time by doing something. Know your worth. Be with those people who gives value to you.