In a small yet beautiful village by the sea, there lived a fisherman named Ranga. His house was small; made of mud and coconut leaves but his heart was very big.
Every morning before the sun rose Ranga would wake up. He would drink a cup of black tea made by his wife Kamala, kiss his two children on their foreheads, and walk to the seashore with his small wooden boat and his old fishing net.
The sea was his best friend. He knew when the waves would be calm and when they would be angry. He knew where the fish would be hiding. He never used a big net. He always caught only as much fish as his family needed for the day and a few extra to sell in the market.
He would return home by noon. He would sell the fish, buy rice, vegetables, and sometimes a small sweet for his children. Then the whole family would sit together, eat, laugh, and tell stories. In the evening, Ranga would sit under the coconut tree, look at the sunset, and feel completely happy. He had no big house, no car, no bank balance but he had time, peace and love. For him that was everything.
One day, a rich businessman from the city came to the village for a holiday. He was wearing an expensive watch, sunglasses, and shiny shoes. He saw Ranga sitting peacefully on the beach, mending his net, and he became curious.
He walked up to him and asked, "Why are you sitting here doing nothing? Why did you come back so early from fishing?"
Ranga smiled and said, "I have already caught enough fish for today. My family has eaten. Now I am resting."
The businessman laughed. "You are wasting your time! If you work harder, you can catch more fish. If you catch more fish, you can earn more money. With that money, you can buy a bigger boat. With a bigger boat, you can go deeper into the sea and catch even more fish. Then you can buy two boats, then three boats, then start a big company!"
Ranga listened calmly and asked, "And then what will happen?"
The businessman said excitedly, "Then you will become very rich! You will become a millionaire! You will have a big house, a big car, and servants. And after 20 or 25 years of hard work, you can finally retire, come back to this village, sit peacefully on this beach, and enjoy your life with your family!"
Ranga looked at the sea, then looked at the businessman, and smiled a big, peaceful smile.
He said, "Sir, but I am already doing that right now. I am sitting on this same beach, peacefully, with my family waiting for me at home. Why should I work for 25 years, suffer, and run behind money, just to come back to the place where I am already happy today?"
The businessman stood silent. For the first time in his life, he had no answer. He had spent his whole life running behind money, working day and night, missing his children's birthdays, missing peaceful evenings, thinking that one day he would be happy. But this poor fisherman, with no money, was already living the life he was dreaming of.
That evening, the businessman did not go back to his expensive hotel. He sat with Ranga on the beach, watched the sunset, and for the first time in many years, he felt truly calm.
Moral: Don't spend your whole life running behind happiness. Sometimes, happiness is already sitting right beside you.
Apeksha R. Tandel
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