The Wonder of Hard Work

pages of wisdom not find any good work. For years, he survived by doing odd jobs, earning just enough to live a very simple life. Often, he and his wife and children ate nothing more than chutney with rice or chutney with lentils. But today, he lives in a flat in New Delhi. In 1970, he and his wife were living in a small mosque room. By then, they had six sons. Yet their condition was such that there was neither a proper shelter nor food for the children. For months, they survived on chutney and rice, and that too in half portions. His wife grew distressed and said, “It would be better if you brought poison. We should all consume it and put an end to our suffering.” These words deeply shook Akhtar Hussain. He thought: This is my condition because I did not acquire education. If my children too remain deprived of education, they will meet the same fate as mine. He remembered a verse he had read in Ismail Meeruthi’s book: Jahaan tak dekhiye taleem ki farmaan rawai hai, jo sach poocho to neeche ilm hai, oopar khudai hai. Wherever you look, knowledge rules supreme; To tell the truth, below is knowledge, above is God’s throne. He resolved, I will not give my children poison; I will give them education. A new spirit of determination was awakened in him. The pressure of circumstances turned him into a hero. He began working 16 hours a day. He ran