A Boy Nandu, a Rishi, and a Locket
Are You Looking for Shortcuts and Hacks for Success?
Once upon a time, there lived a boy Nandu.
Nandu disliked working hard and always tried to find shortcuts to get his work done.
Nandu had his final exams in a month.
He had not studied anything, and he was looking for a shortcut.
He came to know that about 5 kilometers from his village towards the north direction lived a rishi (saint) who helped whoever went to him.
The next Sunday morning, Nandu got up early, kept an apple and two bananas in his pocket, and went for the rishi’s house on his bicycle.
When Nandu reached, he saw the rishi meditating under a banyan tree.
Nandu didn’t disturb the rishi and waited for him to finish his meditation.
When the rishi opened his eyes, Nandu greeted the rishi and narrated that his exam was in a month, he wanted to pass, and he was scared what would happen if he didn’t pass.
The rishi gave Nandu a locket to wear around his neck and told him to go and study for his exams.
Nandu went back home eating the fruits he had brought in his pocket.
When he reached home, instead of studying, he went outside and played with the other kids of his neighbourhood.
One month went this way — zero studies, only fun and games. He stopped worrying about his exams because the locket would take care of it. So, he always wore the locket around his neck.
The exams were over, and it was time for results. Nandu had failed in all the subjects. This made him very angry.
He immediately went to the rishi. He again found the rishi meditating under the banyan tree.
When the rishi opened his eyes, Nandu demanded why he had failed in spite of the locket. The rishi calmly asked for Nandu’s locket. Nandu untied the locket from his neck and gave it to the rishi. The rishi opened the locket and pulled out a small piece of paper.
The rishi unrolled the paper and gave it to Nandu.
The paper read: “Study well and you’ll pass the exam.”
Nandu held his head in shame and sat on the ground. The memories of him playing before his exams flashed before his eyes.
He could have scored good marks if he had studied regularly for the whole month. Instead, he chose to enjoy thinking the locket will take care of his marks. He wasted all the time he had.
Similarly, magic, God, luck, or whatever you’re relying on will not help you, if you don’t help yourself. You HAVE to put in the work.
There is NO SHORTCUT, there is NO HACK. The only answer is planning and working hard.
The answer is simple, but it’s not easy.
Thank you for reading.
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