5 Indian Short Stories Vol.2

The 1 Rupee Tax

Mohan Kumar was a social activist who wished to bring a great change in his country. He was inspired by his father who also did social work. Currently, the country and the city in which he lived had a great gap between the wealthy and middle and lower class.

He wanted to help bridge that gap and decided to start by first helping out India's poorest who slept and begged on the streets.

He always wondered if you ever meet a beggar on the street what should you do. That person is also human and not living in the best of conditions. Some people offer small change to them, others ignore for not wanting to give or are unable to give. Either way, the sight of them always creates a negative and sad influence.

So he wants to first start by helping them out, he planned out the details. He would need some funds and first build shelters for the homeless, then rehabilitate them through therapy and then teach them the necessary skills and impart essential knowledge to live independently and financially stable. He wanted to teach them the value of hard work and the reward it brings if you use your brain instead of begging on the streets.

It's alright to do charity by giving to the poor, but it's like that fisherman story. You feed one poor man a fish and you would have to feed them for the rest of your life, but when you teach him how to fish, he will be able to live by himself.

Mohan wanted to do the same. Teach people how to fish or live independently without begging.

He and some fellow volunteers made a small social group called Positive Influence Society, but unfortunately, it didn't quite have a positive effect on the people living in households when asked for a donation. They either turned them down or gave a few small donations.

Mohan knew his idea would not take off like this, so he thought of taking government assistance. He went to the government office and over there it felt as though he was travelling through a looped maze. He had asked to see the minister and the clerk directed him to someone else and that someone else directed him to another someone. Like this Mohan didn't realize when he came out of the office with their directions without meeting any minister.

He didn't give up hope yet and kept trying for a whole week before through some luck he finally met the minister. Coincidentally it was the same day when the press came to interview him. Mohan sat in a cabin with the minister sitting opposite to him and explained his idea and the problem.

The minister was impressed and applauded him, but then made a sad face and said regretfully that there was, unfortunately, no money currently with the government to carry out these schemes and that they would have to turn him down.

Mohan left the office disheartened and sat on a bench near a tea stall drinking tea, next to the tea stall was a playground with kids playing. As Mohan sat drinking tea looking at the floor in sadness, he noticed an anthill on the edge of the playground and could see tiny ant soldiers moving around it.

It would have been difficult to construct such a big anthill if only 1 ant had to make it, but if many single ants like it joined then they were easily able to, noted Mohan.

Suddenly Mohans bulb lit up and he immediately ran back to the government office to see the minister. The disinterested clerk was there once again but Mohan silently escaped him and avoided any confrontation.

He went back inside the minister's office who was reading a newspaper and got startled to see him. Mohan apologised for the inconvenience and told him if it was possible for him to grant his organisation the status of a government social work organisation that could collect a tax from the citizens for their cause.

The minister protested saying the public hates taxes and would cause an uproar. Then his seat would be in danger and so he wouldn't risk it. Mohan put him at ease by saying the tax would not be much just one rupee per person or house.

The minister laughed uncontrollably. He found the whole idea ridiculous, but Mohan wasn't about to let this opportunity go and was busy persuading the man for half an hour and then only the minister finally granted him permission.

With a quick sigh of relief, Mohan made all the arrangements to become a government-supported social organisation and now had the ability to ask for a 1 rupee tax. His organisation then soon started their work, at first people thought they were joking or were a scam but as the official documents were shown they happily gave 1 rupee. People from every household was giving 1 rupee graciously without any argument or complaints.

By the end of the month, they had covered the whole city and had amassed close to 1 Crore since it was a metropolitan city with a crore population. They then quickly built the shelters and set up meetings with beggars and homeless people about what they had to offer. They immediately joined them as free food and accommodation were offered. These beggars spread this positive message through their network and through word of mouth most of the beggars of the city had joined their program.

It consisted of many men, women, old people and even children. They were given warm food and a place to stay. Rehabilitation started and therapy was done for one after the other, motivational speakers were also invited to motivate them for a better life, soon the beggar community was experiencing a positive change after a few months of long hard work, they were given basic education and financial and literacy skills. They now had the confidence to apply for jobs, no matter what job it was big or small they tried for it and many of them became working individuals who didn't want to beg anymore. The homeless adults were now working-class individuals and no kids were seen begging anymore on the streets. The kids were enrolled in schools for proper education.

The city after some time witnessed this change of very few to no needy people encounters during traffic and the city's economic status was looking great on the national survey and other charts. News channels got wind of Mohan's organisation and started featuring their organisation on television, online blogs and newspapers. This news was covered nationally but also became famous internationally as well. People began donating online more generously while the 1 rupee tax continued and they even gave old clothes, books and other materials to be used by the organisation.

The minister who Mohan had to struggle to meet was now seen openly with Mohan every time ready for further assistance. Mohan's organisation then expanded to the whole country. Things went really well, the poor understood educations importance and were now pushing their children for school and higher education for a better future.

The economic gap between the rich and poor was closing in, the literacy rate was getting higher and projected to get even higher in the following years. Mohan and his organisation were awarded many social awards to which he turned down saying, "I did what I did because it is a good thing to do, not for any recognition or government reward".

When asked about his thoughts on a change like this he replied, "I am very happy and I hope to contribute even more. Change can come if we try as individuals and as a collective group we are a positive force."